George Mason University Athletics

Sharpe Gearing Up for Canadian Track & Field Championships

George Mason Athletics Men's Track & Field 7/6/2016 1:37:00 PM

FAIRFAX, Va. – Just by running on Thursday, Sommer Sharpe is adding to a family legacy synonymous with the Olympics.

Sharpe's father, Tony, was a member of the Canadian men's 4x100-meter relay team that won a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Now, three decades later, Sommer Sharpe will get her chance to make the Canadian Olympic Team.

Sharpe, a rising junior at George Mason, will compete in the 400-meter hurdles at the Canadian Track & Field Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. The four-day meet also serves as the country's Olympic Trials for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sommer Sharpe, who grew up in Pickering, Ontario, will race in the Olympic Trials semifinals at 7:35 p.m. (EST) on Thursday with the finals to follow at 3:50 p.m. (EST) on Friday. The top three finishers with the Olympic qualifying standard will make the Canadian Olympic Team.

She won't be the only Sharpe trying to make the team, either. Sharpe's twin sister, Taylor, who competed at Mason in 2015 before transferring to Florida, will run in the 400-meter dash.

Sommer Sharpe qualified for the Olympic Trials with a time of 1:00.07 when she finished second in the 400-meter hurdles at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships in May at George Mason Stadium. The sprinter/hurdler has won five A-10 medals at conference indoor and outdoor meets the last two years, including a pair of championships in the 4x400 in both indoor and outdoor track in 2016. She also helped lead the 4x400-meter relay team to a first-place finish at the 2016 IC4A/ECAC Championships.

The last couple weeks have seen a handful of Mason student-athletes – current and former – vying in their respective countries' Olympic Trials.

On Sunday, former 11-time NCAA All-American and 2013 Mason grad David Verburg made the U.S. Olympic Team after finishing third in the 400-meter dash. Two weeks ago, Mason rising sophomore Rachel Forder finished 10th in the discus at the British Athletics Championships, which serve as the United Kingdom's Olympic Trials.

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Players Mentioned

Sommer Sharpe: Hurdles; 5' 8"; Freshman

Rachel Forder: Throws; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Sommer Sharpe
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: Hurdles

Rachel Forder
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: Throws