EUGENE, Ore. — Sanford’s Rachel Schneider is out of the running for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team after she finished sixth Friday in her 1,500-meter semifinal at the track and field trials.

Schneider needed to finish among the top five to advance to Sunday’s final, but she was boxed in along the inside lane as the final lap began and had to slow down to find an opening. She was unable to catch fourth-place finisher Mary Cain and fifth-place finisher Lauren Johnson in the homestretch, and her time of 4 minutes, 13.43 seconds wasn’t quick enough to get one of the two spots available for those who didn’t finish in the top five.

Two-time Olympians Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury were the fastest qualifiers, placing 1-2 in the first semifinal.

LaShawn Merritt lowered his world-best mark at 200 meters to 19.74 seconds – in a semifinal heat, no less – and two high-school kids, Michael Norman and Noah Lyles, earned spots in the final.

But there was just as much buzz about those whose chances got washed away in the rain.

Dawn Harper-Nelson’s run at a third Olympic medal came to a stunning halt in the semifinals of the 100-meter hurdles when she finished third – not good enough to make the final.

“Tears are going to come,” she said. “Right now, I’m just in shock.”

Later, after the rain had stopped but the track was still slick, U.S. record-holder Keni Harrison stumbled to a sixth-place finish in the final. Brianna Rollins, Kristi Castlin and Nia Ali will represent the U.S.

“It happened so fast,” Harrison said, while choking back tears. “I’ll have to watch film. It’s unfortunate, because my season was going so well. But this stuff happens.”

Allyson Felix took to the track well before the rain hit and coasted through her 200-meter qualifying heat in 22.93 seconds. It was her first race in nearly a year at her favorite distance.

American record-holder Evan Jager earned a second straight Olympic trip with a victory in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Jager won in 8:22.48, followed Hillary Bor and Donn Cabral.

Mason Finely won the discus with a throw of 208 feet, 1 inch, and will be joined on the U.S. team by Travis Bailey and Andrew Evans.

BASKETBALL: Italy and Serbia are one win away from a place in the basketball field in Rio.

Danilo Gallinari of the Denver Nuggets scored 15 points as the Italians beat Mexico 79-54 in a qualifying tournament in Turin, Italy. They will face Croatia, which knocked off Greece, in Saturday’s final.

Italy hasn’t reached the Olympics since winning a silver medal in 2004.

Bogdan Bogdanovic had 21 points and eight rebounds, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic added 19 points and eight rebounds, and Serbia routed the Czech Republic 96-72 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The Serbians, who won a silver medal two years ago in the World Cup, will host Puerto Rico on Saturday.

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