Former University of Southern Indiana Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field All-American Michael Jordan ’15 (Indianapolis, Indiana) has made the cut to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Jordan, who competes for the New Jersey-New York Track Club, will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase prelims July 4 in Eugene, Oregon, after posting a qualifying time of eight minutes, 35.47 seconds at the Hoka One One Middle Distance Classic last month in Eagle Rock, California.
A five-time All-American at USI, Jordan owns the top three times in school history in the steeplechase. He was the 2012 GLVC Cross Country Runner of the Year before earning U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association Midwest Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honors in 2013.
The two-time steeplechase All-American finished third in the event at the 2013 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships and sixth at the 2012 NCAA II Outdoor Championships. He posted a school-record time of 8:42.63 at the 2013 Payton Jordan Invitational.
Jordan will be the third former USI Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field All-American to compete at a U.S. Olympic Trials event in the last six months after Jesse Davis ’06 (Bloomington, Indiana) and Dustin Emerick ’12 (Elmwood, Illinois) competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon in Los Angeles in February. Emerick finished 26th in the event, crossing the finish line in 2:22:18, while Davis was 70th with a time of 2:29:39.
The prelims of the men’s steeplechase are July 4 at 6:33 p.m. (CDT), while the finals are July 8 at 7:30 p.m. (CDT). In order to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games, Jordan must finish in the top three at the Olympic Trials and have post an Olympic qualifying standard (8:30.00).
Jordan, who graduated from USI in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, is one of 24 runners who will be competing in the steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
