EUGENE, Ore. -- Yale track and field had a remarkable run at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials last month at Hayward Field, with four runners competing. Kate Grace '11 advanced all the way to the finals of the 800m, and three Bulldogs -- rising senior Kayley DeLay, Dana Klein '18 and Meredith Rizzo '17 --- competed in the 3000m steeplechase earlier in the meet. DeLay provided the highlight there, breaking the school record with a time of 9:58.87.

"The most memorable moment for me was walking out onto the track before the race," said DeLay. "It was at that moment, walking out into the magnificent Hayward Field alongside some of the fastest women in the country, when it truly dawned on me that I had made it, that I was running in the Olympic Trials." 

Having three runners in the steeplechase at the Trials put Yale in a very select group. The only other school with that many competitors declared in that event was Colorado, which had four.

"Kate Grace is an exceptional athlete, and I know we have all enthusiastically followed her successful professional career since running at Yale," said DeLay. "It was no surprise that she would be at this meet, contending for a ticket to Tokyo. It is inspiring to watch her compete at such a high level. Getting the chance to toe the line with Dana and Meredith, two recent Yale alums that I look up to and admire greatly, was very special. The only team with more participants in the steeplechase was Colorado, a program that has produced countless professional runners, in particular very successful steeplechasers. I think this is a glimpse of the big things ahead for the Yale Track & Field program."

Taryn Sheehan, Yale's Head Women's Cross Country Coach/Middle Distance and Distance Coach, attended the meet as well. DeLay, Klein and Rizzo all ran in the second heat of the steeplechase on June 20. That heat included American record holder and 2017 World Champion Emma Coburn, who won the heat with a time of 9:21.32 and eventually won the finals as well. Klein finished in 9:49.89, placing ninth in the heat and 17th overall. DeLay, wearing the Yale "Y", finished 11th in the heat and 23rd overall. Rizzo finished in 10:06.42, 14th in the heat and 29th overall.
 
DeLay, the 2019 Ivy League Heps Cross Country champion, had the third-best time in the steeplechase (10:12.74) in Yale history entering the meet. Rizzo's time of 10:07.93, set in 2017, had been the school record.  

"I am so thankful for all the love and support from the Yale community, and I feel especially grateful to have gotten to rep the Y," said DeLay. "I have Coach Sheehan, former distance coach Amy Gosztyla, the rest of the Yale Track & Field staff, and all of my amazing teammates, family, and friends to thank!" 

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., DeLay is an environmental engineering major in Morse College. She is a graduate of Fletcher High School.
 
Grace qualified in both the 800m and the 1500m but ultimately chose to focus on the 800m. She began her run to the finals by earning one of two automatic qualifying spots from her heat on June 20, placing second in 2:00.81 -- fractions of a second behind Raevyn Rogers (2:00.75). Grace also placed second and earned an automatic qualifying spot in the semifinals, as her time of 1:59.43 trailed only Athing Mu (1:59.31). In the finals on June 27 she finished seventh (1:59.17). Mu won with a time of 1:56.07.
 
Grace, who had already met the Olympic standards in the 800m and the 1500m before the Trials, is one of the most decorated runners in Yale history. She won six Ivy League Heps championships and was a four-time All-American. She finished eighth in the 800m at the Olympics in 2016 with a time of 1:59.57.
 
Grace is a native of Santa Monica, Calif. This was her third appearance at the U.S. Olympic Trials. In 2012 she finished 20th in both the 800m and the 1500m. In 2016 she won the 800m with a time of 1:59.10, earning a trip to the Olympics in Rio. 
 
The top three finishers in each event at the Trials automatically earned spots in the Olympics if they had achieved the Olympic standard for their event. 
 
DeLay now returns to Yale with the added benefit of her experience at the Trials.

"There can be a lot of pressure going into finals seasons and championship competitions," DeLay said. "My experiences at Yale have helped me practice not letting nerves be the barrier preventing me from performing at my best. This is something I am still practicing, but I am grateful for every setback and learning opportunity that has helped me improve and grow. One of the most important things that I have learned while at Yale is to enjoy the journey, and competing at the trials was one exciting step along the way."