MGCCC’s Brittney Reese jumping for Rio

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College alumna Brittney Reese begins her quest for another trip to the Summer Olympics tonight in Eugene, Ore.

Reese, the defending Olympic champion, will compete in the first flight of qualification starting at 7:10 CT. The field of 24 is split into two, with the finals scheduled for Saturday starting at 1:45 p.m.

Friday's competition will be streamed online only at NBCsports.com starting at 6 p.m. The broadcast including Saturday's finals will be on NBC starting at 1 p.m.

Reese, a 2006 graduate of Gulf Coast and an NJCAA All-American in basketball, is favored to advance to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics in August. She will be trying to become the first woman ever to repeat as gold medalist. Germany's Heike Drechsler is the only woman ever to win twice (1992, 2000).

On Friday, the top 12 qualifiers advance to Saturday's final, with a jump of 21 feet, 11.75 inches automatically moving an athlete through.

Reese, who was inducted into the MGCCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011, won her third indoor world championship in March with a jump of 23 feet, 8.75 inches. She also has three world outdoor championships, meaning she'll be going for her eighth gold medal in international championships.

The Root website is following Reese this summer on her way to Rio, with weekly video diaries and online chats.

NBC's Friday coverage: http://www.nbcsports.com/live/2016-07-01

NBC's Saturday online coverage: http://www.nbcsports.com/live/2016-07-02

The Root coverage: http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/06/reesesroadtorio-meet-olympic-gold-medalist-long-jumper-brittney-reese/?utm_content=bufferb77a9&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.