CARSON, Calif. - Lopez Lomong, the new volunteer coach for the Air Force cross country team, earned the Olympic `A' qualifying mark in the 1500-meter run at the adidas Track Classic over the weekend. Lomong, a two-time national champion and five-time All-American at Northern Arizona (2005-07), finished fourth at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., with a career-best time of 3:36.36.

Lomong placed fourth in a tightly contested race. Two-time Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat (USA), the reigning world champion in the 1500, won the event with a time of 3:35.14. New Zealand's Nick Willis finished second (3:35.75), while Canada's Kevin Sullivan finished third (3:35.78).

"We are very proud of Lopez," second-year Air Force head coach John Hayes said. "It was a tremendous race, especially given the fact that he was tripped and scraped up pretty badly. Now that he has gotten the Olympic `A' standard out of the way, we can focus on training hard in the weeks leading up to the Olympic Trials."