Ex-West Catholic star Ali wins Rio berth in the 100

EUGENE, Ore. - When former West Catholic High School and University of Southern California star Nia Ali claimed a place in the women's 100-meter hurdles final with a 12.68 second place in her semifinal Friday afternoon at the Olympic trials, it proved to be just the beginning.

Two hours later, she turned in the real shocker.

In the day's final event, Ali ran the race of her life - placing third in the 100 final in the best time of her life, 12.55 - to win a Rio berth.

Brianna Rollins (12.39) took first over Kristi Castlin (12.50) as Keni Harrison, who'd set the American record of 12.24 at Hayward Field, struggled home sixth in 12.62 to miss the team.

"I am thrilled to be an Olympian, it's my dream come true," said Ali who ran an unhappy eighth in the 2012 trials final.

Cheltenham High School junior sensation Chanel Brissett missed out, running 13.37 for third place in her semifinal.

Brissett, running for the AOC Ambler Track Club, had run a 12.95 - third-best time ever recorded by a high school hurdler - in her preliminary Thursday.

"Chanel is an amazing talent," said Ali, the 2011 NCAA champion for USC and twice a world indoor 60 hurdles titlist. "To run 12.95 that young, she's amazing. I'm already trying to talk her into Southern Cal. She'd be great at USC."

Penn problems. It wasn't Sam Mattis' day.

It wasn't Thomas Awad's day, either.

The Penn seniors, key performers in the revitalized Quakers' rise to collegiate track and field prominence the last four years, simply weren't able to match - or come close to - their outstanding, international-caliber performances of this spring.

Mattis, the 2015 NCAA discus champion, who'd whirled the platter a world-leading 221 feet, 7 inches in a meet at his home Mondschein Throwing Complex circle at Franklin Field back on March 19, wasn't close to that Friday at Hayward Field, settling for a best of 189-10 that ranked him ninth in the 12-man finals field.

With only the top eight moving on to three more throws, in the event held through a rainstorm that left the discus ring slippery and difficult to negotiate, and the discus itself tough to hold, Mattis' Olympic 2016 dream came to an early close.

"All of us had trouble out there," said Mattis. "I wasn't alone. But I'm not making excuses, either."

Kansas' Mason Finley won at 208-1 (more than 10 feet under his qualifying distance the day before) over Tavis Bailey (202-0) and Andrew Evans (200-10.)

Awad, of Mineola, N.Y., had run a 3:37.75 1,500 meters in late May as his trials qualifier, but simply couldn't come close to that performance in the 1,500 semifinals. He struggled home in 3:55.36 to rank 23rd.

Temple graduate Travis Mahoney ran 14th in the men's steeplechase final, clocking 8:49.01.