HOUSTON, Texas—Former University of Southern Indiana All-American Jesse Davis qualified for the U.S. Olympic marathon trials Sunday as he finished fifth out of nearly 10,000 runners at the Houston Marathon.

Davis, 29, finished the 26.2 mile race in 2 hours, 18 minutes, 47.00 seconds, just 12 minutes off the winning pace set by Bekana Daba Tolesa of Ethiopia.

In 2006, Davis became the eighth Screaming Eagle to earn all-America honors on the track as he finished fifth in the 800 meters at the NCAA II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

An 11-time all-GLVC performer for the Eagles, Davis has been running competitively since he graduated in 2006 with a degree in social sciences. The Bloomington, Indiana, native finished 27th at the Boston Marathon last April and was the 12th-place finisher among U.S. citizens.

The 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials are January 14, 2012 in Houston, a day before the 40th anniversary of the Houston Marathon. The trials will determine the three men and the three women who will represent the United States in the marathon at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.