Anna Willard, the Greenwood native, not only kept her word to make the U.S. Olympic track and field team going to Beijing, but did it in grand style early Friday morning.

Willard, a 2002 graduate of Telstar High in Bethel, set an American record of 9:27.59 in winning the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The race ended close to 1 a.m. East Coast Time.

She was more than three seconds ahead of second-place finisher Lindsey Anderson. Jennifer Barringer finished third, rounding out the Olympic team.

Willard will next compete on Aug. 15 at Beijing's National Stadium in the first round of the first steeplecase in Olympic history.

"It's pretty cool to be part of history,'' Willard told reporters after her race. "The Olympics is pretty cool along. This is a pretty neat addition.''

Willard has said in the days prior to the Trials that she intended to win the steeplechase, even though she was seeded third. And as she came to the end of the race, she realized her dream to make the Olympic team.

"I honestly didn't know how much of a gap I had,'' she said. "At this point, time is completely peripheral. It's ‘make the team.’ ”

Willard is the fifth Maine native to make the U.S. Olympic team going to Beijing thus far, joining Mountain Biker Adam Craig (Exeter) and rowers Wyatt Allen (Portland), Anna Goodale (Camden) and Elle Logan (Boothbay Harbor).

While Willard was making the team, two other athletes with Maine ties were keeping their Olympic hopes alive, while another Mainer saw his end.

Bates College graduates Liz Wanless and Kelly Godsey made it through the preliminary rounds of their respective field events.

Wanless is fourth in the shot put entering the finals, her throw of 17.55 meters coming on her first attempt. She held third until Kristin Heaston threw 17.64 meters on her final throw.

Godsey is seventh in the hammer throw after the prelims. Her best toss of 66.22 meters came on her second throw.

The finals for both the hammer throw and the shot put are on Saturday.

Finally, Brendan O'Keefe of Ellsworth saw his Olympic dreams in the 1,500 end on Thursday. His time of 3:46.84 was not enough to advance to the semifinals.