Mililani grad falls short in hurdles

By Elliott Denman
Special to The Advertiser

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mililani alum Vera Simms has a big future in automotive engineering.

Simms

Still, she found reason to smile.

"I've had a lot of good days in the sport," she said, "but (Friday) definitely was not one of them."

The recent University of Michigan graduate crashed the last three barriers in her quarterfinal heat of the women's 400-meter hurdles, wound up sixth at 1:00.91, and bowed out of the USA Olympic trials. It took a 58.05 to advance.

Simms, who graduated with a 3.1 grade-point average in mechanical engineering curriculum, is already employed by the Ford Motor Co.

Designing the electronic systems of tomorrow's hybrid-powered Fords now heads her agenda.

But she can look back on a brilliant track career at Michigan, which followed her array of Hawai'i state titles at Mililani.

Twice a Big 10 champion in the 400-meter hurdles (2002 and 2003), she had big hopes of making it three straight this spring.

A case of mononucleosis, though, proved her undoing. She struggled through her final collegiate meets for Michigan and was unable to get back to full health for the trials.

Her best-ever time of 58.2 would have put her into the trials semifinals, but she wasn't close to that form Friday.

"By the eighth hurdle, I was really getting in trouble," she said. "By the ninth, I knew I wasn't going anywhere. At the 10th, I nearly came to a complete stop."

Hawai'i's biggest hope in the Olympic trials remains decathlete Bryan Clay, the Castle High School and Azusa Pacific College graduate who figures to be a top challenger to world champion Tom Pappas in the grueling 10-event competition. The two-day competition is set for Friday and Saturday.

The only other person from Hawai'i participating in the trials, pole vaulter Robert "Bubba" McLean, a 1997 St. Anthony (Maui) and University of California graduate, advanced to the finals but didn't clear a height in three tries Sunday.