McWilliams falls short in bid for U.S. team

EUGENE Ore. - Two things needed to happen in Sunday's women's 1,500-meter final for Tiffany McWilliams to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team.

First, she needed to finish among the top three in the 12-woman field. Second, she needed to run 4:07 or faster to achieve the minimum qualifying time for the upcoming Beijing Games.

After strong performances in the quarterfinals and semifinals, McWilliams, a former Red Bay track standout, fell short of making the team. She finished in seventh place and was well off the pace in the qualifying time.

After running 4:12.8 in her semifinal heat Thursday, McWilliams could only manage 4:16.28 in Sunday's final.

Shannon Rowbury, Erin Donohue and Christin Wurth finished 1-2-3 to earn spots on the U.S. team.

Rowbury won in 4:05.48, while Donohue was second in 4:08.20. Wurth was third in 4:08.48.

McWilliams couldn't take advantage of a slow pace at the outset. She ran in the top five early in the race before falling back while Rowbury began to run away from the field over the second have of the race.

Going into the finals, little more than one second separated Rowbury from the five next fastest qualifiers, including McWilliams, a Mississippi State graduate.

"I reacted well and was able to bring home the win," Rowbury said. "We have a great contingent going to Beijing."