EUGENE, Ore. -- As she roared around the track at Hayward Field on Monday night, Jenny Barringer couldn't help but smile.

She had just left the rest of her 3,000 steeplechase heat in her wake and was on the way to qualifying for the final. She had the fastest time in the nation coming into Monday's race at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials and was a virtual lock for the finals, but the Colorado star couldn't contain her joy.

"It was just nice to hear the whole crowd and know I was that much closer to finishing what I came here to do," said Barringer, fresh off an NCAA title in the event. "It felt good to know all my hard work was paying off and I would have a chance to prove it in the final."

Barringer finished in 9 minutes, 48.5 seconds for the fastest prelim time. She also set a new Hayward Field record. She was more than a second faster than anyone else and will have a chance at her first Olympic berth in Thursday's final.

She will be joined by former Buff Carrie Messner-Vickers, who had the eighth best time overall. The Carbondale resident was able to ease up at the finish because she had a solid hold on fourth in her heat, good enough to put her in the finals.

"I came here to qualify for the Olympics, and that was the only goal," said Messner, who graduated from CU in 2000, and is coached by Boulder's Bobby McGee. "My best is yet to come."

Former CU runner Lesley Higgins also managed to qualify, giving CU three current or former Buffs in the 14-athlete final. Higgins, now running for the New York Athletic Club, was the final qualifier and ran 10:02.88.

Barringer took off in the final lap, something she said her coach Mark Wetmore may ask her about after the race. He wanted her to make sure she had enough left for Thursday.

According to her, she still does.

"Oh yeah," she said. "I still have a lot to offer for the final."

800 thriller

The men's 800 meters, one of the most anticipated events at these trials, ended with a roar from the Eugene crowd.

Nick Symmonds, who ran at tiny and nearby Willamette College, won in 1:44.10, much to the delight of the Oregon crowd. Willamette is in Salem, the Oregon state capital, and also where Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins was head coach for five seasons.

Symmonds was followed by Andrew Wheating, a University of Oregon runner, in 1:45.03, and Christian Smith, who runs for the Eugene-based Oregon Track Club. That finish was enough to light up the stadium.

800 disappointment

The top three finishers in each event usually advance to the Olympics, but each needs to also have the Olympic "A" standard. That provision eliminated Kameisha Bennett, who finished third in the women's 800 on Monday night.

Bennett didn't have the "A" standard before Monday's meet, and failed to reach it during the race. So her spot went to Nicole Teter, who finished fourth and had already reached the standard.