Jock advances to final

EUGENE, Ore. — Charles Jock, a recent UC Irvine graduate, advanced to Monday’s final of the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials based on his semifinal time at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., Saturday.

Jock ran in the first heat and finished fourth in 1 minute, 46.40 seconds. He had to wait a few minutes to see if he would advance as the top three finishers in each of the two semifinal heats, plus the next two-fastest times, moved on to the final. Jock’s time turned out to be the fifth-fastest of the day.

Khadevis Robinson (Nike) had the fastest qualifying time, winning Jock’s heat in 1:45.83. Duane Solomon, Jr., of Saucony was second in that heat in 1:46.03 and Oregon’s Elijah Greer was third in 1:46.28. Mark Wieczorek (unattached) joined Jock in advancing on time to the final, running 1:46.48.

Tyler Mulder (Oregon TC Elite) won heat two in 1:46.14, Nicholas Symmonds (Oregon TC Elite) was second in 1:46.2 and Ryan Martin (UCSB) was the third automatic qualifier from the second heat in 1:47.37.

Monday’s final is scheduled to be televised on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) at 7:47 p.m.

Jock, a three-time All-American and Big West Conference Track Athlete of the Year, won the NCAA title in the 800 meters with a time of 1:45.59 at Des Moines, Iowa, June 8. He became UCI’s first individual NCAA champion in 34 years since Steve Scott (1,500 meters) and Mauricio Bardales (decathlon) won titles at the 1978 NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships.

Last Monday, Jock was named as one of 10 semifinalists for The Bowerman, collegiate track and field’s highest award.

Jock, who also won this year’s Big West 800 title, was a member of the U.S. team for the IAAF World Championships last summer after finishing third in the U.S. Trials.

Sharon Day, a former Costa Mesa High standout, competes in the heptathlon, starting on Friday.

— From staff reports