Aug. 14, 2000

VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA- University of Illinois sophomore-to-be Perdita Felicien earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic Team Saturday after winning the 100 meter hurdles at the Canadian Olympic track and field trials. Felicien, a native of Pickering, Ontario, won the finals in a time of 13.15 seconds, aided by a 3.1 wind.

Felicien was a two-time All-American for the Illini as a true freshman. She placed sixth in the 100 meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in a time of 13.07, and also ran the second leg of the Illini's 4x100 meter relay team which placed fifth in the nation, running 44.32. Felicien is the Illinois school record holder in the 100 hurdles, running a personal best of 12.91 during the NCAA preliminaries.

Felicien is the fourth Illini track athlete to earn a trip to Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The other three are all alumni: Tonja Buford-Bailey (400 meter hurdles, USA), Bobby True (800 meter run, Liberia) and Marko Koers (1,500 meter run, Netherlands).