Rabbitt Will Run at International Meet

Buffy Rabbitt, former UC Irvine runner, qualified for the upcoming World University Games and for the 1992 Olympic Trials with her performance Saturday at the USA/Mobil Outdoor Championships in New York.

Rabbitt finished 10th in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9 minutes 11.99 seconds, which met the qualifying standard for both competitions. Shelly Steely won the race in 8:49.

Rabbitt’s time also is an official UC Irvine record, breaking the mark of 9:14.7 set by Jill Harrington in 1987. The NCAA considers runners to be associated with their schools through the summer after an athlete’s senior year.

Rabbitt, a five-time All-American in track and cross-country at Irvine, finished fourth at the NCAA cross-country championships last fall, and was 10th in the 3,000 at the NCAA championships last month in 9:19.08.

She will leave for Europe shortly and compete in several races before taking part in the World University Games, which will be held July 14-25 in Sheffield, England. Rabbitt is withdrawing from the U.S. Olympic Festival, which is July 12-21 in Los Angeles in order to compete in England.

The 1992 Olympic Trials are scheduled for July, 1992 in New Orleans. Rabbitt competed in the 1988 Olympic Trials, but did not make the final.

Another former Irvine athlete who competed in the USA/Mobil Outdoor Championships was Mike Morales, who finished sixth in the hammer throw with a mark of 213 feet 5 inches. Jud Logan won with a throw of 244-10. Morales, a two-time All-American, finished his Irvine career in 1990.