July 7, 2008

EUGENE, Ore.—Competing in the finals at the Olympic Track and Field Trials, Maureen McCandless represented the University of Pittsburgh with a 12th-place finish in the 5,000-meter run at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.

Running for New Balance, McCandless (2004-07) finished 12th in the 5,000m run with a time of 15:54.50. She became the first Panther since Trecia-Kaye Smith (2004) to advance to the finals of an Olympic Trial.

A NCAA All-American and Big East Champion, McCandless holds school records in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs and the mile. She also became just the sixth member of the women’s track and field team to earn a spot in the NCAA finals in the same event in both the indoor and outdoor seasons of the same year, when she placed third and seventh, respectively, in the 5,000-meter run in 2006.