Arreola Qualifies for Semifinals at Trials

Though the weather was cool for the U. S. Olympic track and field trials in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Cal State Northridge Coach Don Strametz had to sweat out the fourth heat of the women’s 1,500 meters before it was determined that Darcy Arreola had qualified for today’s semifinals.

Two weeks ago, Strametz said Arreola, 19, had an outside shot at qualifying for the U. S. team. Wednesday, the NCAA Division II 1,500 and 3,000 champion placed seventh (4 minutes, 19.95 seconds) in the third heat.

With the top five finishers from each of four heats and the next four fastest runners advancing to the semifinals, the Northridge sophomore was the slowest qualifier.