GREATER BOSTON WINS TRIPLE CROWN AT USA CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 21, 2002
(INDIANAPOLIS) Greater Boston TC returns to Boston, Massachusetts with three national team titles after successfully running the gamut at the second annual USA National Track & Field Club Championships in Bloomington, Indiana on July 20th, 2002. Greater Boston won the Men's National Team Title, the Women's National Team Title, and the overall National Team Championship Title.

Greater Boston's victory on the field of battle upset defending champions Nashville Elite, for the men's national title, and the Indiana Invaders, for the women's national title and the overall national team title.

Greater Boston, with a roster of six men, finished third in the race for the men's team title and fourth overall in 2001. In their return in 2002, Greater Boston brought a roster of 25 athletes that got the job done and scored critical points in their bid for a win. The team, for their efforts, will return to Boston with all three of the Traveling Helmet Trophies.

Greater Boston's Art Henson and Kourtney Trainor earned Most Valuable Athlete honors, by scoring the most points at the Club Championships, Henson scored 27.5 points, over runner-up Bryon Campbell of North Carolina Elite who scored 25 points, while Trainor scored an impressive 45.5 points to outscore the Top Female Performer of the meet, Crystal Cox of North Carolina Elite, who scored 30 points.

Cox rewrote the Club Championship's record book with her win's in the 100, 200, and 400 while earning a 9.2 rating in the 200 with her 22.70 performance. Scott Boothby, of Club Northwest, earned Top Male Performer honors with his 8.6 rated mark in the hammer throw (69.29).

Meet Director & Team Director for the Indiana Invaders Greg Harger said, "The growth and competiveness is the most exciting element of the Club Championships. We're looking forward to next year. This meet can definitely be a catalyst to solve our sport's developmental challanges." Harger added, "From a coaching standpoint, this year was a wake-up call. Greater Boston got the job done by recruiting and adding to their roster. We expect that ourselves and other returning teams next year will focus on recruiting and follow Greater Boston's example. We plan on taking the Traveling Helmet Trophies back next year as I'm sure several teams are planning the same outcome for themselves."

Harger recalled from last year, "Greater Boston said when they left last year that they would come back and win the meet. And they did. They came back and got the job done. We have nothing but respect and admiration for the way they applied themselves and I expect that the bar will be raised again at next year's meet."

Overall, 27 records fell throughout the course of the Club Championship. Five Olympians competed. Athlete participation increased by 75%. 21 clubs, representing an overall membership of over 8700 from communities in 15 states, scored at this year's Club Championships. With only two clubs scoring over 100 points in 2001, six clubs scored over 100 points at this year's championship.

TOP 6 TEAMS OVERALL (COMBINED SCORING):
1  Greater Boston TC    355
2  Indiana Invaders     233
3  Club Northwest       124
4  Lords of the Rings   119
5  North Carolina Elite 102
6  Nashville Elite      100

TOP 5 MEN TEAMS:                  TOP 5 WOMENS TEAMS:
1  Greater Boston TC    181       1 Greater Boston TC   174
2  Club Northwest       124       2 Indiana Invaders    147
3  Nashville Elite      100       3 Lords of the Rings   57
4  Indiana Invaders      86       4 North Carolina Elite 30
5  North Carolina Elite  72       5 Parkside AC          24

For additional information on the Indiana Invaders, please contact Greg Harger at 317 289-4018.

TRACK CLUBS CLASH FOR NATIONAL TITLES

July 18, 2002
(INDIANAPOLIS) Twenty six clubs led by top contenders - Greater Boston, Indiana Invaders, Nashville Elite and North Carolina Elite - will battle for national team titles at the second annual USA National Track & Field Club Championships in Bloomington, Indiana on July 20, 2002.

In the men's competition, the projected point spread between top ranked Nashville Elite and Greater Boston is a mere 22 points. The final events of the USA Club Championships - the 4X100, 4X800, Sprint Medley, Distance Medley, and the 4X400 - are again most likely to be the determining factor in who will capture the men's team title.

Nashville Elite - the reigning men's team champion - returns to the Club Championships with an even larger and more dangerous roster in their quest to become the 2-time defending men's champions. The 2001 Men's National Team Title was won by Nashville Elite's mere 0.10 second win over Maryland Elite in the final relay, resulting in a slim four point margin of victory. Nashville Elite, with a growing roster of aspiring Olympians, became a formal club in 2001 due to their desire to compete at the Club Championships.

Greater Boston edged out the home team, the Indiana Invaders, in 2001 by 5 points to take third in the men's competition. Like Nashville Elite, Greater Boston has more than doubled their contingent of combatants and has the ability to more than quadruple their overall points total this year. Greater Boston's commitment to bringing the Traveling Helmet Trophy back to New England makes them an even larger factor in the men's battle. Greater Boston will be a dangerous force to be reckoned with this year and is the the top ranked team from the east coast.
 
The Indiana Invaders, the defending overall National Team Champion and Women's National Team Champion, have joined the growing arms race at the Club Championships with a significant build-up and escalation in their forces. In addition to adding Olympic Shot Putter Steve Ercegovac to the roster, the Invaders have added Drake Relays Triple Jump Champion Marc Dzradosi. Invaders' Olympian Kirt Thompson, the Top Male Performer from 2001, also returns to compete in the javelin.

Club Championships newcomer, Lords of the Rings from Wisconsin, have thrown their hat into the ring with their first appearance at the Club Championships and will be a significant challenger to returning Club Northwest, with both in contention for a spot in the top five overall along with North Carolina Elite. Club Northwest along with North Carolina Elite and the Indiana Invaders are in a three-way race, in the men's battle for third, with a projected point spread of a mere nine points.

In the women's title race, the Indiana Invaders' have a slim point spread of 35 points over Greater Boston. The race for the overall National Team Title appears to be between Greater Boston, with a projected point spread of 10 points over the Indiana Invaders.

Invaders' Team Director Greg Harger said, "All the cliche expressions apply as anything can happen at a championship and the growth efforts by several returning teams is going to make this meet a lot of fun for all of us that hold the dream of a viable, competitive club system. The emerging club system has enormous potential to grow. Athlete participation has increased 75% over the first year. Interest from both athletes and clubs along with support from local communities is the key to building a competitive club system that encourages and supports aspiring Olympians and their sport peers that may never reach those lofty levels of performance."

TOP 6 OVERALL PREDICTED POINTS LEADERS:
Greater Boston       289
Indiana Invaders     279
Nashville Elite      166
North Carolina Elite 162
Lords of the Rings   108
Club Northwest       99

TOP 6 MEN'S PREDICTIONS:
Nashville Elite      166
Greater Boston       144
Indiana Invaders     99
Club Northwest       99
North Carolina Elite 90
Lords of the Rings   56

TOP 5 WOMEN'S PREDICTIONS:
Indiana Invaders     180
Greater Boston       145
North Carolina Elite 72
Lords of the Rings   52
Firebird TC          24

For additional information on the Indiana Invaders, please contact Greg Harger at 317 289-4018.

OLYMPIANS TO COMPETE AT USA CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 16, 2002
(INDIANAPOLIS) Fans will have the opportunity to see six of the world's best athletes in competition at the USA National Track & Field Club Championships in Bloomington, Indiana on July 20, 2002. Three of the six Olympians competing - DeDee Nathan, Kirt Thompson, and Steve Ercegovac - are on roster of the home team, the Indiana Invaders.

The Olympic Trio of Nathan, Thompson, and Ercegovac will lead the Invaders in their quest to defend their overall National Team Title and Women's Team Title while battling to win the Men's Team Title, claimed by Nashville Elite in 2001.

Nathan, a two-time national champion in the heptathlon and American Record holder in the pentathlon, will compete in shot put, javelin, and in the relays. Thompson, a two time Olympian, will throw the javelin. Ercegovac, an eight time Croatian National Champion, is the NAIA National Recordholder in the shot put. Ercegovac will battle for points in the shot put and discus.

Olympic Gold Medalist Derrick Adkins will represent New York Elite by competing in his speciality, the 400 meter hurdles. Adkins, in addition to winning the Olympics in 1996, won gold medals at the 1995 World Championships, the 1994 and 1995 U.S. Outdoor Championships, the 1994 Goodwill Games and the 1993 World University Games.

Nathan will face rival heptathlete, Olympian Shelia Burrell, in the shot put. In June, Burrell edged out Nathan to win the heptathlon title at the US Outdoor Championships. Burrell will also compete in the 200 and high jump.

Olympian Floyd Heard, ranked third in the world in the 200 in 2000, will compete in both the 100 & 200 and is the number one seed in both events coming into the Club Championships.

For additional information on the Indiana Invaders, please contact Greg Harger at 317 289-4018.

USA CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS - TOP TEAMS TO COMPETE

July 15, 2002
(INDIANAPOLIS) The USA National Track & Field Club Championships will feature the highest level of elite track and field team competition in the United States with twenty six clubs, representing a membership base of over 8,700 from communities in 18 states. The Club Championships, hosted by the Indiana Invaders, will be held in Bloomington, Indiana on July 20, 2002.

The second edition of the USA Club Championships will showcase the nation's top track clubs competing for team championship titles. The defending men's champions, Nashville Elite, have doubled their roster since last year and are prepared to defend their title. The host team, the Indiana Invaders, are also prepared to defend their women's title and the overall National Club Championship title.

The inaugural year of the championship showcased the potential of true team competition with an exciting finale of Nashville Elite edging Maryland Elite's 4x400 relay by 0.10 seconds in the final event to win the men's team title. Nashville edged Maryland by 4 points, 92 to 88. The relays will again be the key in achieving dominance at this year's Club Championship in the battle for the men's team title.

Team Director Greg Harger said, "The general increase in the number of athletes from returning clubs shows strong growth in the interest for the Club Championships." Harger added, "We anticipate the next couple of years will allow for the influx of critical, additional support both from our governing body and from our club communities which will secure this event on the annual calendar."

For additional information on the Indiana Invaders, please contact Greg Harger at 317 289-4018.

SIXTEEN CLUBS AND COUNTING - USA NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 2, 2002
(INDIANAPOLIS) Sixteen clubs, representing a membership base of over 8500 from communities in 13 states, have indicated their intent to compete at the second edition of the USA National Track & Field Club Championships. Track and field fans will have an opportunity to see this groundbreaking event that features competition for USA Track & Field team championship titles.

The Indiana Invaders will host the Club Championships at the Billy Hayes Track in the Haugh Track and Field Complex in Bloomington, Indiana on July 20, 2002.

The inaugural year of the championship showcased true team competition in an exciting finale with Nashville Elite edging Maryland Elite's 4x400 relay by 0.10 seconds, in the final event, to win the men's team title. Nashville edged Maryland by 4 points, 92 to 88. The host club, the Indiana Invaders, won the women's title and the overall National Club Championship title.

"The Invaders are honored to host this event," said Team Director Greg Harger, "This is an additional opportunity that provides enthusiasm and incentive for the club system. One of our hopes in initiating this event was that it would encourage the formation of new clubs and inspires others to find a way to win a national title for their community. Nashville Elite is a great example of what this meet could become what with their winning men's team in their first year and their plans to bring a much stronger team this year including a women's team."

Harger added, "In our fourth season as a club we're excited about the unique opportunity that initiatives directed by USATF CEO, Craig Masback, and USATF President, Bill Roe, have fostered. We anticipate the next couple of years will allow for the influx of critical, additional support both from our governing body and from our club communities which will secure this event on the annual calendar."

The current list of clubs include: Atlanta Track Club (GA), Central Illinois Track Club (IL), Club Ballard (WA), Club Northwest (WA), Firebird Track Club (OH), First Step Track Club (FL), Front Line Racing Team (MI), Greater Boston Track Club (MA), Illinois Stealth Bombers (IL), LeMANS Track Club (NY), Lords of the Rings (WI), Miami Valley TC (OH), Nashville Elite (TN), PTC Elite Track Club (TX), Shore Athletic Club (NJ) and the Indiana Invaders.

The deadline for additional clubs to indicate their intent to compete for and to win the second annual USA Track & Field Club Championship title is midnight(PST) July 8th. July 8th is also the deadline to enter club athletes into the championship.

The Indiana Invaders will host the USA National Track & Field Club Championships again in 2003.

The Haugh Track and Field Complex has 3,100 permanent seats, with additional lawn seating, and was the site for the 1997 NCAA Division I Championships.

The Indiana Invaders, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998, present an innovative approach to track & field by providing a resident-based, athlete-centered support system unique to the sport in the United States.

For additional information on the Indiana Invaders, please contact Greg Harger at 317 289-4018.