Aveni Advances to Semifinals at U.S. Olympic Trials

EUGENE, Ore. – Fresh off a historic showing at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships, graduate student Brittany Aveni took it another step further by advancing to the semifinals of the women's 400m at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field.

Aveni recorded a time of 52.54 seconds in the second heat of the event to secure the third automatic qualifying spot in the semifinals. The Geneva, Ohio, native record the 18th fastest time in the qualifying rounds and finished behind Nike's Quanera Hayes and Florida's Taylor Manson in her heat.

The field was made up of 28 of the country's best 400m runners, headlined by nine-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix. Five former Olympians, including Felix, were…