July 5, 2008

EUGENE, Ore. - Former California track and field student-athlete Kristin Heaston made the U.S. Olympic team in the shot put on Saturday when she placed second with a mark of 60-2.00 (18.34m) at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Heaston joins current Cal assistant coach Magdalena Lewy and Cal alum Grace Upshaw as Cal's representatives on the U.S. Olympic track and field team.

"I am just happy that my last three throws were better than my first three throws," Heaston said. "Warm ups were great but then I have been kind of playing that game all year long which is not what I like to do. I am just glad that I got it together. I have been waiting sort of all season for this adrenaline to get ready for the Olympics Trials and perform well at the Olympic Trials and it has not been there. I had a couple warm up throws in between (preliminaries) and finals and something just turned on."

Both of Cal's 2004 track and field Olympians, Upshaw and Heaston, are headed back to the Olympic Games this year. At the 2004 Olympic Games, Heaston posted a throw of 56-4 (17.17m), coming up just short of the automatic qualifying mark of 60-8.5 (18.50m).

In her collegiate career, she was a standout at Florida before transferring to Cal for her senior season. A five-time All-American, Heaston took fourth in the 1999 NCAA Championships (54-0) as a senior. Last year, Heaston claimed her third U.S. Outdoor Championship with a personal-best throw of 61-5.75 (18.74m). She won her second U.S. Outdoor title in 2005 with a then-personal-best 61-3.5 (18.68m), and competed in the qualifying round at the World Outdoor championships.

The Olympic Trials conclude Sunday, July 6.