Vanderbilt's Veronica Fraley qualifies for 2024 Paris Olympics in discus

Vanderbilt's Veronica Fraley qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday night with a third-place finish at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

Fraley's Olympics-clinching throw was 62.54 meters.

Fraley, who previously won the NCAA championship in discus over Olympic Trials second-place finisher Jayden Ulrich of Louisville, had previously met the Olympic standard while competing at a meet in Oklahoma earlier this year. Athletes must finish in the top three at Olympic Trials and either have met an Olympic qualifying standard in the past year or be high enough in the World Athletics rankings to make the team.

Fraley is one of four Vanderbilt athletes competing in U.S. Olympic Trials. Giavonna Meeks (hammer throw), Allyria McBride (400-meter hurdles) and Falon Spearman (400 hurdles) are the others.

In addition, four Commodores alumni are attempting to qualify for the Olympics for other countries: Brooke Overholt (Canada, 400 hurdles); Beatrice Juskeviciute (Lithuania, heptathlon); Sarah Omoregie (Great Britain, shot put) and Divine Oladipo (Great Britain, shot put and discus).

Former Vanderbilt track and field athlete Lily Williams has also qualified for the Olympics in track cycling, a sport she took up after her graduation.

FRALEY'S BEGINNING Veronica Fraley, NCAA champion and Olympic hopeful, leads rebooted Vanderbilt throws program

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson .

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt's Veronica Fraley qualifies for 2024 Paris Olympics in discus