COMPETITION SCHEDULE
TV SCHEDULE
ENTRIES
 
EUGENE, Ore. – Two former GVSU track and field team members will compete in the 2020 Olympic Team Trials over the next week, held on the campus of the University of Oregon. Distance runner Zach Panning and pole vaulter Kristen Leland (Hixson) will both vie to represent the United States in Tokyo, Japan later this summer in the COVID-19 delayed Olympic Games.
 
"I'm so proud of these two great representatives of our program for earning this incredible opportunity," GVSU head track and field coach Jerry Baltes said. "Not only are they both great athletes, but fiercely competitive and incredibly hard working. They are representing themselves and us on the biggest stage and I look forward to watching them give it their all."
 
Panning will compete in the 10K on the opening day of the trials tonight (Friday, June 18) at 7:25 PM PT (10:25 ET). The now-professional runner was a 15-time All-American at Grand Valley State and won three outdoor individual national championships, winning the 5K twice and a 10K title. The race can be seen during the NBC live time slot from 10-11.
 
"I'm excited to be here and I'm ready to run hard," Panning said. "I did not get here alone and I'm very grateful to everyone who has helped me get to this point. It has been a team effort from the very beginning. While being here is a dream, I'm not content with just being here."
 
Leland will compete in the pole vault preliminaries on Thursday, June 24, beginning at 5:00 PM PT. She comes into the trials ranked 12^th out of 24 competitors. The preliminaries will air tape-delayed during the 9-midnight ET slot on NBC Sports Network that evening. The finals will take place on Saturday, June 26, at 5 PM PT and will air during NBC's live coverage from 9-11 PM ET.
 
Leland, who finished ninth at the 2016 Olympic Trials, has eight top-10 finishes between Olympic Trials, USA Outdoor Championships and USA Indoor Championships since 2015. She's the GVSU indoor and outdoor pole vault record holder and was a seven-time All-American and three-time national champion.
 
"I'm excited for another opportunity to compete for a spot on the Olympic team," Leland said. "It should be a great competition in a beautiful new stadium."
 
The 2020 Olympic Games begin on Friday, July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. GVSULakers.com and @GVSUXCTF on social media will update the results of the two former Lakers competing for a chance to represent the USA on the world stage.