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Buffs��Emma Coburn (Mktg'13) and Jenny Simpson��(Econ, PolSci’09) have won spots��on the U.S. team competing��in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next month.

Both athletes placed first in their events at the U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon —��Simpson July 10 in the 1,500-meter run, Coburn July 7 in the steeplechase.

This will be Simpson's third Olympics and Coburn's second.

Simpson, 29, ran the 1,500-meter race in��4 minutes,��4.74 seconds, fastest of 12��rivals in the event, including the current American record-holder.��

Coburn, 25, placed first among 14 steeplechase runners, crossing the finish line in 9 minutes, 17.48 seconds. It was her second straight trials victory in the 3,000-meter event.

Coburn, of Crested Butte, Colo., was a member of the ����������ý�Ļ���Ʒ track & field team from 2009 to 2013. She also ran cross country at CU. Coburn holds the American record in the steeplechase, 9:10.76.

The steeplechase is an obstacle race with hurdles and a water pit.

Coburn’s favorite part is the water jump, she said in a recent interview with Coloradan magazine.

“That’s where��a lot of the action happens, good or bad,” she said. “It’s where a lot of races are won or lost.”

Additional details of the victories by Coburn and Simpson��and performances by other Buffs��are available here.��

Photo by��Gary Breedlove