EUGENE, Oregon - Former U of M Athletes Susan King and Gail Lee will compete in the semifinals of the shot put at the 2008 Track and Field Olympic Trials tomorrow. The 10-day event is being hosted by the University of Oregon. The top three individuals in each event will qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

King, an All-American who graduated from Memphis this past May, will be competing in her first-ever Olympic Trials. She holds the eighth best mark entering the trials with a throw of 18.10 meters (59-4.75). She ended her U of M career in amazing fashion as she placed second in the shot put at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships and placed fourth at NCAA Indoors. King was named 2008 C-USA Female Athlete of the Year, earned C-USA Outdoor Track and Field Performance of the Year and High Point Scorer of the Meet (26) for her two-second place finishes and her shot put crown. She owns three school records in the discus and indoor and outdoor shot.

Lee, a current assistant track and field coach at the U of M, was a two-time All-American while competing for the Tigers. She graduated the U of M in May 2007 and left behind four school records in the indoor and outdoor shot put, weight throw and hammer throw. She has the tenth best mark entering the event with a distance of 17.58 meters (57-8.25). Lee finished 12th at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the shot put and took ninth at the USA Track and Field Championships.

Both King and Lee will be competing for a trip to the Olympics. The semifinal round of the shot put is scheduled for 11:20 p.m. CT tomorrow July 3. The finals will be Thursday at 3:50 p.m. Olympic Trial footage will be aired on Thursday from 10 p.m. - Midnight.