C of I's McCurry Sends Two Hopefuls to Olympic Trials
CALDWELL, Idaho – College of Idaho track and field head coach Pat McCurry has been busy in his "free time" – hoping the fruits of his labor pay off in the coming weeks.
The longtime Coyote leader doubles as a post-collegiate coach for local runners as part of his IDtc – with two of his athletes set to compete for spots in the Rio Olympic Games this August.
Emmett native, Megan Rolland, will race this Monday in Eugene, Ore., at the U.S. Olympic Trials, looking for one of three qualifying spots in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
The former Humboldt State competitor, sponsored by Oiselle, has been coached by McCurry for four years and has dropped her steeple personal best time to 9:36.88 – a full nine seconds under the Olympic Games standard. She heads into the Trials as the No. 9 seed among all competitors and is one of 16 Americans who have hit the Olympic cut this season.
"Megan has been the model athlete to coach," McCurry said. "She gives impeccable attention to detail and full commitment in the hours away from the track, but is probably the best listener I've ever worked with and has a fierce commitment to pursuing her potential.
A week from Friday, former Idaho Vandal runner Alycia Butterworth will also compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Edmonton, Alberta – looking for a Top-3 finish to represent her country in Rio.
Butterworth, who clocked the fourth-fastest mark this season by a Canadian (9:41.26), has shaved 27 seconds off her top time this season under McCurry's tutelage.
"Alycia's improvement in the last calendar year has been remarkable," McCurry said. "She has developed great trust in me in a very short time and I'm so grateful for that. She is certainly among the toughest athletes I've ever worked with."
The duo are among six athletes McCurry has trained at the highest level under the IDtc banner, including Amy Robillard, who qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the marathon, along with three former C of I runners – Hillary Holt, a three-time USA Track and Field Championships qualifier and both Greg Montgomery and Sora Klopfenstein, former members of the USA Cross Country National Team.