Sacramento, Calif., July 13, 2004 - Former Nittany Lion standout Shakeema Walker (Philadelphia, Pa.) punched her ticket to the finals of the long jump on Monday night at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials in Sacramento, Calif. Walker, a four-time All-American and 1999 graduate of Penn State, posted a leap of 21-2 on the night. It was the best mark in her flight and the third-best mark overall going into the finals.

The top three finishers with Olympic "A" qualifying marks at the U.S. Trials automatically advance to the Athens Olympic Games. The "A" standard in the long jump is 21-11 3/4. Walker posted a career-best mark of 21-8 3/4 this season.

The former Ben Franklin High School standout has already earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in the triple jump with her strong second place finish in that event on the weekend. Walker, who currently lives and trains in Chula Vista, Calif., posted a career-best leap of 46-1 1/2 in the triple jump.

Recent Penn State graduate Chi-Chi Aduba (Medfield, Mass.) also competed in the long jump on Monday placing15th overall with a mark of 20-5 3/4. The five-time All-American was among the favorites coming into the event.

In the discus competition, 2003 NCAA Champion Deshaya Williams (Saratoga, N.Y.), a 2003 Penn State graduate, placed eighth overall after posting a throw of 189-9 in the finals. Aretha Hill (Nike) won the competition with a throw of 208-6.

After a two day rest period, competition will resume on Thursday. Among Thursday's events will be the long jump final and the preliminaries of the shot put in which 2004 Penn State graduate and Big Ten Champion Ja'nai O'Connor will compete.