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EUGENE, Ore. -- The defending Olympic pole vault champion warmed up, then cooled down, then ran through the whole process again, as the driving rain pelted the field Friday at U.S. Olympic Trials.The more time you have to think, the more youre like, `Wow. This is how bad things happen, Jenn Suhr said.Suhr escaped the badness. Several other big-name athletes werent as lucky on a rain-drenched afternoon at Hayward Field.On a day that saw LaShawn Merritt lower his world-best mark at 200 meters to 19.74 seconds -- in a semifinal heat, no less -- and two high-school kids, Michael Norman and Noah Lyles, earn spots in the final, there was just as much buzz about those whose chances got washed away in the rain.First among them was hurdler Dawn Harper-Nelson, whose run at a third Olympic medal came to a stunning halt in 100-meter semifinals, when she finished third -- not good enough to make the eight-woman final.Tears are going to come, she said. Right now, Im just in shock.Later, after the rain had stopped but the track was still slick, American record-holder Keni Harrison stumbled to a sixth-place finish and a spot on the couch next month. Brianna Rollins, the 2013 worlds gold medalist, won in 12.34 seconds, a comfortable .16 ahead of Kristi Castlin, who was considered a bigger threat four years ago at trials.Harrison was supposed to be the woman to beat this year.It happened so fast, she said, clearly holding back tears. Ill have to watch film. Its unfortunate, because my season was going so well. But this stuff happens.It also happened to Shamier Little. The worlds silver medalist in 400-meter hurdles didnt make it out of her semifinal heat.Allyson Felix took to the track well before the rain hit, and coasted through her 200-meter qualifying heat in 22.93 seconds. It was her first race in nearly a year at her favorite distance. She said nothings really changed with her aching right ankle, despite four days of rest.Just trying to see how it does on the curve, and all that, she said, as she moved ahead in her quest for the 200-400 double at the Rio Games.Shortly after Felixs race, the sky opened, and everybodys outlook changed. The discus and pole vault competitions were delayed. The 100-meter hurdle semifinals turned into even more of an adventure than usual.I couldnt see through my race, said Nia Ali, who got safely through the semifinal, then finished third in the final, too, to make the Olympics.Suhr, whose gold medal in London came in a windy rainstorm, only needed one jump to qualify for the final.Im thankful to make it, because you never take it for granted, she said.Also waiting out the rain was Tavis Bailey, who finished second in discus finals -- one of the most competitive contests on the card.When raindrops are hitting the discus in your hand, that will get to you, said Bailey, who finished behind Mason Finley.Not so fortunate was defending national champion Jared Schuurmans, who finished fifth.Others with decent chances who didnt make the team included high jumpers Jesse Williams, the 2011 world champion, and Randall Cunningham, who was hoping to join his sister, Vashti, on the trip to Brazil.When you landed on the mat, you landed in puddles, said Cunningham, who does the bulk of his training in bone-dry Las Vegas. Your whole body was soaked.Such is life in track and field -- and everything is amplified in the no-excuses world of U.S. Olympic qualifying, where the top three finishers make it and no exceptions are made for injuries, past performances -- or weather.Nobody felt worse than Harper-Nelson, who burst onto the scene eight years ago at the Birds Nest in Beijing, crossing the line first after her more-ballyhooed teammate, Lolo Jones, tripped on the second-to-last barrier. That day, Harper-Nelson crossed the line and could be seen mouthing the words What? What?She was every bit as dumbfounded by this finish.Complete disbelief, she called it. Ive never been in a position where someone is pulling away and I wasnt able to react.Other happenings on Day 7 of track trials:HURDLES WIN: Rollins stepped ever so slightly into an adjacent lane late in the 100-meter hurdles race but didnt impede fourth-place finisher Queen Harrison, so there was no protest, and no change in the results.SPRINT FAREWELL: Lost in the buzz over the high-schoolers making the 200-meter final was the fact that three longtime mainstays of the U.S. sprint team -- Mike Rodgers, Wallace Spearmon and Walter Dix -- all failed to advance. On the womens side, Jenna Prandini had the best 200 time, at 22.72 seconds.JAGR MASTERY: Evan Jager won the mens steeplechase in 8:22.48. Hell be joined in Rio by Hillary Bor and Donn Cabral.ARIES ADVANCES: Defending Olympic champion Aries Merritt, less than a year removed from a kidney transplant, made it through his qualifying heat in 110-meter hurdles. Also making it were 2008 bronze medalist David Oliver and 2012 silver medalist Jason Richardson.QUOTABLE: Dont mean to brag, but were pretty extraordinary, Lyles, after he and fellow 18-year-old Norman won their heats in the 200-meter semifinals.Peter Moylan Braves Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Jim Bouton Jersey .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. https://www.cheapbraves.com/1003o-chris-martin-jersey-braves.html .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Tom Glavine Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Huascar Ynoa Braves Jersey .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week.PITTSBURGH -- Nearly two months into the season, the ACC Coastal Division is still searching for clarity.Virginia Tech and Pitt will have a chance to provide some when the 25th-ranked Hokies (5-2, 3-1) face the Panthers (5-2, 2-1) on Thursday night. The winner will exit no worse than tied for first in the loss column by the end of the weekend. The loser will need to win out -- and probably get more than a little help -- to earn a spot in the ACC title game.Its going to be a game of kind of were in the mix in this division and its going to be a championship-caliber football game, said Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster. If they want to stay in the hunt, theyve got to win it. If we want to stay in the hunt, we need to win it.Something that doesnt tend to happen when the Panthers are on the other side of the line of scrimmage. The Hokies have never won at Heinz Field and dropped six of their last seven overall to Pitt, including a 17-13 loss in Blacksburg last year.Im not really sure about the historical struggles, but what were trying to do is forget all of that, Hokies defensive end Woody Barron said. Forget anything thats going on after the game, whatever thats happened before the game, and were just trying our best to prepare.Virginia Tech bounced back from a baffling pratfall at Syracuse by handling Miami last Thursday to climb back into the Top 25. Now the Hokies face a different kind of test in the Panthers, who are averaging 38 points behind one of the most inventive offenses in the country.In a pass-happy world, the offense designed by coordinator Matt Canada is a throwback. The Panthers can plow ahead with James Conner and Chawntez Moss or get out on the edges on jet sweeps by Quadree Henderson and dual threat Jordan Whitehead. Seven players have at least 20 rushing attempts, a testament Pitts depth and also the numerous ways Canada tries to get them the ball.Its not like he walked up during the summer and said, `Hey, lets run this, lets try this, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. Hes a very creative guy and its power football. Its zone football. Yoouve seen a lot of two backs, a lot of movement around, maybe a lot of three backs if you count that guy in motion.dddddddddddd So its what I thought we would get when we hired Matt.CARDIAC CATS: Best to not leave early when the Panthers are playing. Five of Pitts first seven games havent been decided until the last minute, though the Panthers may have taken a significant step forward against Virginia two weeks ago, holding the Cavaliers to a field goal after halftime while pulling away for a 45-31 win.ROAD WARRIORS: The Hokies have had mixed results on the road this season, winning in impressive fashion in monsoon-like conditions at North Carolina, but then laying an egg and losing the following week at Syracuse. Their history at Heinz Field and loss to the Orange are things sure to get their attention this week, but the Panthers are coming off a bye week and are likely to have some surprises Virginia Tech didnt see on film.MR. VERSATILITY: Conner won the ACC Player of the Year Award in 2014 while scoring a school record 24 touchdowns but went back to his roots a bit against the Cavaliers. Conner -- who moonlighted at defensive end as a freshman in 2013 -- saw his first action on defense in three years against the Cavaliers and was credited with a quarterback hurry, the latest remarkable step in his return from a bout with cancer diagnosed last fall that threatened his career.PASSING FANCY: Jerod Evans leads the ACC in passing efficiency with 19 touchdowns and just two interceptions, but he also fumbled three times early in the season. The Panthers share the sack lead in the conference with 25 and could cause Evans to make a mistake if they can get enough pressure in the backfield. When Pitt has been unable to get to the quarterback, however, the secondary hasnt put up much of a fight. The Panthers are 122nd in the country in passing yards allowed (298.9).---AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report. ' ' '