July 9, 2007

2003 UCSB Graduates J.T. Service and Aaron Sharp have both qualified for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials. Sharp was the first to qualify running 2:20:24 at the California International Marathon in Sacramento where he finished 10th among close to 4000 runners in December of 2006. Service qualified in June of this year at the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth Minnesota placing 8th among 10,000 runners with a time of 2:21:29. Service was also the first American finisher in the 2007 Los Angeles Marathon and the 2006 Rock `n Roll Marathon.

The men were after the Olympic Trials "B" standard of 2:22:00 which is 5:25 mile pace for an exhausting 26.2 miles. Sharp currently ranks 10th all-time in the 5k and 9th all time in the 10k for the Gauchos and Service ranks 9th all-time in the steeplechase.

Sharp, who hails from Oxnard, has a strong history of running within his family. His mother, Debra Sharp, qualified for the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials in the marathon. She also coached Aaron in high school. Aaron's father Gene Sharp was his coach at Oxnard JC where Aaron now assists.

Born and raised in San Jose, CA, Service excelled in both cross-country and track & field for the Archbishop Mitty High School Monarchs. Taking his intense passion for running and life to UC-Santa Barbara before returning to his hometown to attend law school at Santa Clara University.