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Meet the U.S. Olympians from the Show-Me State (PHOTO Gallery)

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Team USA is just about set for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.  Learn more about the athletes who will be leading our country, who were born right here in the Show-Me State.

Zach Garrett first picked up a homemade bow his grandfather made him when he was barely five years old.  He was a bronze medalist at the 2014 U.S. National Target Championships, and silver medal winner at the U.S. Open that same year.  He attended Wellington-Napoleon High School and currently lives in Chula Vista, CA.

Edward King graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2011, and thrived in both his military and athletic endeavors as a member of the United States National Rowing Team. After rowing with the lightweight men’s four this past summer at the World Championships, King and his U.S. teammates now turn their attention to the 2016 Olympics.

Brittany Borman tried nearly every event by the time she entered Festus High School and earned a scholarship to UCLA, where she was ready to follow in her childhood idol Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s footsteps as a heptathlete. Borman transferred to Oklahoma, winning back-to-back NCAA national titles in 2011 and 2012 and becoming a three-time Big 12 outdoor champ in the javelin … Her father played football at Southeast Missouri State.

Gwen Berry was the victim of sloppy paper work which caused her a suspension right up until trials when she reported the use of an inhaler containing the prohibited substance Vilanterol Trifenatate.  According to multiple reports, Berry didn’t even test positive, but she admitted in her paperwork that she was taking a banned substance.  She will be a strong contender in the Hammer Throw.

Courtney Frerichs and Colleen Quigley will make up 2/3 of the U.S. 3000m Steeplechase.  Read more on their qualifying

Deanna is a 2011 graduate of Troy Buchanan who was born in St. Charles and currently lives in Moscow Mills.  Her accomplishments are impressive, including 2015 USATF Outdoor Championships, 2nd (hammer throw), 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships, 1st (hammer throw) and 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championships, 1st (hammer throw), 3rd (discus throw) while at Southern Illinois.

31 year old Michael Rodgers attended Berkeley High School in St. Louis where he ran varsity track and played varsity basketball for the Bulldogs. He later attended Lindenwood University and Oklahoma Baptist University where he was a 10-time NAIA national champion from 2005-2007. Rodgers still holds the NAIA Indoor 60m record with a 6.65.

Murphy Troy majored in Physics at USC and has excelled on the court.  He helped the U.S. Men win the 2015 FIVB World Cup and qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games.  He was also named 2011 AVCA Men’s Division I-II National Player of the Year and MPSF Player of the Year.

J’den Cox has excelled in wrestling since his days at Hickman High School in Columbia.  He was the first Missouri wrestler to accomplish the feat of claiming four state titles in four different weight classes.  He’s a two-time NCAA champion and three-time All-American for Mizzou and finished fourth in 2016 U.S. Open.

Nixa’s Frerich turns on the speed late to punch her ticket to Rio in Women’s Steeplechase (VIDEO/AUDIO)

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Courtney Frerichs (back left), passes Colleen Quigley (back right) as they chase Emma Coburn. All three are U.S. Olympians (NBCSN screen shot)

Courtney Frerichs (back left), passes Colleen Quigley (back right) as they chase Emma Coburn. All three are U.S. Olympians (NBCSN screen shot)

What a year it’s been for Nixa, Missouri’s Courtney Frerichs.  After graduating from UMKC, she just completed her first year of graduate studies at New Mexico.  She led the Lady Lobos to the NCAA DI cross country title in the fall, and then won the 3,000 meter steeplechase and setting the collegiate record with a time of 9:24 at the NCAA Championships back in June.

Follow Frerichs on Twitter

On Thursday night, Frerichs was back in Eugene, Oregon competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.  Emma Coburn won the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:17.48.

Frerichs was a distant fourth heading into the final lap well behind Coburn, Stephanie Garcia and Colleen Quigley.  On the back stretch, Frerich kicked it in gear closing the gap.  Garcia fell over the final barrier making it a three-person race down the stretch as Frerich’s pulled ahead of Quigley at the end, a teammate of hers from the Bowerman Track Club, for second place. All three are headed to Rio.

Watch the final lap

An excited and exhausted Frerich was interviewed by NBCSN after the race.

“This year couldn’t have gone more perfect,” said Frerichs.  “To be with these two girls (Coburn and Quiqley), I’m just so happy.”

Bouwmeester, Pietrangelo take home olympic hockey gold

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Gold medals are coming back home with members of the St. Louis Blues. While many of us were hoping for three medals to come from Team USA reps, David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk, the gold is coming back from Canada’s defensive stars Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo.

Bouwmeester assisted on Canada’s lone gone in their 1-0 win over Team USA on Friday. Each of the Blues defensemen regisered two shots on goal in the Canadian’s 3-0 win over Sweden.

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews scored in the first period, and Canada captain Sidney Crosby scored his first goal of the tournament in the second. Chris Kunitz also scored and Carey Price made 24 saves for the Canadians, who continue their dominance in their national game by winning gold for the third time in the last four Olympics.

Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo had a major hand for the team that allowed just three goals in six victories in Sochi. Canada became the only repeat Olympic champ in the NHL era and the first team to go unbeaten through the Olympic tournament since the Soviet Union in Sarajevo in 1984.

Tracking Blues players’ success at Sochi Olympics

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David Backes is the second leading scorer on Team USA. He leads all Blues' players in points during the Olympics.

David Backes is the second leading scorer on Team USA. He leads all Blues’ players in points during the Olympics.

As the men’s hockey tournament heads into the semifinals, a majority of the St. Louis Blues selected to represent their home countries still have a shot at a Gold Medal and most will likely take home some type of hardware by the end of the weekend. So how are the Blues doing at this point? Here’s a quick summary.

Victor Tarasenko–Russia. The Blues 22 year old star forward was relatively quiet for the host country, netting just one assist in a 4-0 win over Norway. The 22 year old had just five shots on goal the whole tournament.

Jaroslav Halak-Slovakia. The Blues top goaltender had the most disappointing showing of any Blues player. Halak was tagged for five goals on 25 shots during his team’s opening 7-2 loss to Team USA. He then allowed three goals in his second start, a loss to Slovenia. His save percentage was just .857 and he never saw the ice after the first two games.

Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo-Canada.  The pair have logged a lot of minutes on the blue line for the Canadians, but points wise, have only generated one assist between the two of them. That came from Pietrangelo.  Canada has been stingy on defense, allowing just three goals in four games.

Patrik Berglund and Alex Steen–Sweden.  The Swedes will be facing Finland in a semifinal game with the winner advancing to the Gold Medal game. Fowards Berglund and Steen have contributed to the top team in the tournament at this point. Berglund has two goals and one assist, while Steen has a goal and two assists.

David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk–USA. Three Blues players are on Team USA. You may have forgotten about defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. He’s been reliable on defense for the Americans and added an assist in the blowout win over Slovakia. In addition to his four shootout goals, T.J. Oshie has added a goal and three assists and has been on a line that has provided great forechecking and a lot of energy. David Backes continues his gritty style of play, many times taking on the opposition’s top players. Backes has managed three goals and an assist. His three goals are second only to Phil Kessel.

Oshie didn’t realize the impact his shootout victory had on fans back home

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T.J. Oshie beats Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky between the legs. (photo from guardianlv.com)

T.J. Oshie beats Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky between the legs. (photo from guardianlv.com)

Blues forward T.J. Oshie said he didn’t realize how big of an impact his four shootout goals had on fans back here in the States until talking with his family, well after the U.S. beat Russia 3-2 on Saturday.

Oshie told Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio this morning that once he talked to his family in Warroad, MN, he understood how big the moment was. He said his grandmother was even crying. After the game on Saturday, he was doing typical post game interviews and had someone tell him that President Barak Obama tweeted congratulations to him.

Oshie admitted that he had a bit of a hard time focusing prior to Sunday’s game against Slovenia, but once he got the first shift out of the way, he was narrowed in on the task at hand, which was finishing off pool play at 3-0. Team USA coach Dan Bylsma was complimentary of Oshie’s hustle and strong forechecking in Sunday’s win.

Oshie is not looking ahead to any possible rematch against Russia, which could only happen in the gold medal game. Instead, Oshie is concentrating on Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchup, where at this point now, it’s win or go home.

Oshie brought up a good point that many fans don’t take into consideration. While the entire USA roster is made up of NHL stars, this is a relatively new team that is still trying to play with each other. Since arriving in Sochi after taking a break from NHL play, the team has only had a handful of practices in working together.

Team USA will face the winner of the Czech Republic-Slovakia game. The U.S. beat Slovakia 7-1 in the first game of the tournament last Thursday. In that game, Blues goalie, Jaroslav Halak was victimized for five goals on 25 shots, before he was replaced.

Oshie helps lead American past Russians during shootout heroics (VIDEO)

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T.J. Oshie of the United States beats Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

T.J. Oshie of the United States beats Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

If you happened the watch Team USA’s game against Russia this morning and you didn’t get swept up in the excitement of what Olympic hockey is all about…you have no pulse.  Blues forward T.J. Oshie  scored four times in the overtime shootout and scored the winner between Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s legs in the eighth round, giving the United States a 3-2 win.

International rules are different from the NHL’s shootout rules in that the same player can take multiple shots after the first three rounds of a shootout, and U.S. coach Dan Bylsma leaned on Oshie, who is known for his strong shootout skills.

“I was just thinking of something else I could do, trying to keep him guessing,” said Oshie. “Had to go back to the same move a couple times, but I was glad it ended when it did. I was running out of moves there.”

Oshie had success going five-hole and using his forehead.  Oshie put a move to his forehand and had Bobrovsky beat, but the goalie got the blade on the puck and redirected the shot above the net at the last moment.  After going through the legs and glove side, Oshie was stopped one other time when he tried to go backhand.

Oshie scored on the Americans’ first shot before taking the last five in a row, going 4 for 6 against Bobrovsky and sending home a disappointed pro Russian crowd that included President Vladimir Putin.

Thanks to Hamad Nation on YouTube, we have the game winner!

Blues, NHL players skipping Olympics still a possibility

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St. Louis Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak reacts after Phoenix Coyotes Mikkel Boedker puts the puck in the net for a goal in the first period at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on November 12, 2013. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak will represent Slovakia in the upcoming Olympics. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

St. Louis Blues players David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk may not represent Team USA and the other seven players representing their home countries may not go to the Sochi Olympics.

As security concerns mount leading up to the Winter Olympic Games, the NHL says it would reconsider sending its players next month if something “significant” happens before Feb. 9. Russia is mounting the biggest security operation ever for an Olympic games. Russian security officials have been hunting for three potential female suicide bombers, one of whom is believed to be in Sochi.

In a email to the press, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote, “As of now, we do not doubt that all necessary steps are being taken by the Sochi Organizing Committee, the Russian government and the IOC to ensure the safety of the athletes and guests in Sochi. Obviously, if something significant were to transpire between now and February 9 that causes us to question that conclusion, we will re-evaluate. I don’t expect that that will become necessary.”

 

Missouri S & T long jumper makes London finals

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Tyrone Smith made the most of his final attempt of the afternoon Friday, using a seasonal-best jump of 7.97 meters (26 feet, 1¾ inches) to qualify for the finals in the long jump at the Summer Olympics.

Smith, a 2007 Missouri S&T graduate who is representing his native country of Bermuda at the Olympics, hit his mark on the last of his three qualification jumps to finish in 10th place among the 40 competitors in the preliminaries. Only the top 12 finishers on Friday advanced to the finals, which will take place Saturday at 1:55 p.m., Central time, at the Olympic Stadium.

On his first jump of the day, Smith posted a mark of 7.73 meters (25-4½), then recorded a slightly better jump of 7.75 meters (25-5¼) in the second round. On his last jump – competitors are given only three jumps in the preliminaries – he posted his mark of 7.97 into a slight headwind to vault into eighth place at the time.

Two jumpers that followed Smith passed his mark on their final attempts, but Smith was able to hang onto the 10th place position to earn the opportunity to jump again on Saturday. Smith is guaranteed a higher finish at this Olympic competition after finishing 15th in the event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

The top marks in the preliminaries came from Brazil’s Maura Vinicius Da Silva and Marquise Goodwin from the United States, as each had a jump of 8.11 meters or 26-7¼. The last qualifier was Germany’s Sebastian Bayer, who had a top mark of 7.92 meters (26 feet) and a second-best jump of 7.88 meters (25-10¼) to break a tie with fellow countryman Christian Reif.

Eldon, Mo. native Cantwell falls short of a medal in shot put (update)

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Eldon, Mo., native and former Mizzou shot putter Christian Cantwell, got past prelims today in London with a throw just under 67 feet, yet will have to settle for fourth place missing the bronze medal by 1.5 inches.  Cantwell’s best throw was 69 feet, six inches and was one of just two finalists to improve his distance over his final three throws.

His international accomplishments include a silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as a World Outdoor championship in 2009. He is also a three-time World Indoor champ in ’04, 08, and ’10.

The top 12 advanced after prelims.

Rolla native 25th after day one in the Heptathlon

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Chantae McMillian, a Rolla, Mo. native and the Heptathlon record holder at the University of Nebraska, started day one of the Heptathlon, competing in four of the seven events.  During the first two events in the morning, McMillian finished sixth in her heat in the 100 m hurdles and cleared 5’5 in the high jump. The shot put and 200 m run are later. McMillian is in 31st in the overall standings.

McMillan fared well in the shot put with a distance of 49 feet and then ran a 25.25 200 meter race.  After the first day, McMillan has 3602, well behind Jessica Ennis of Great Britain who leads with 4158 points.