HOT FIELDS FOR AMERICAN MILERS CLUB HIGH PERFORMANCE SERIES
June 29, 2005
(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders are hosting the American Milers
Club High Performance Series on July 6th, July 9th, and July 12th. The
fields include NCAA Champions, Olympians, top Indiana athletes,
and athletes from the top US elite development clubs.
The American Milers Club High Performance Series is an outgrowth of
meets hosted by the Indiana Invaders in 2004 to meet the needs of Elite
Athlete Development programs from throughout the country. For the July
12th meet there will also be open and community races at the venue.
Top clubs represented will include athletes from the NIKE Farm Team,
Hansons-Brooks ODP, Wisconsin Runner RT, Zap Fitness, Big Sur Distance
Project, and the Indiana Invaders.
The fields include Two-Time NCAA 800
Champion Nathan Brannen (Canada/University of Michigan), Olympian
Prince
Mumba (Zambia/Oral Roberts), NCAA Mile Champion Sean Jefferson (Indiana
University), NCAA Mile Runner-up & Big Ten Champion John Jefferson
(Indiana University), and two-time NCAA Steeplechase Champion Matthew
Kerr (Canada/Arkansas), Olympic Trials Finalist at 800 meters Jacob
Koczman (Indiana Invaders), 3-Time NCAA DIII National Champion
Ryan Bak (Big Sur Distance Project), two-time Big Ten Champion Andrew
Ellerton (Canada/University of Michigan), Five-Time All-American Toby
Henkels (Team USA Minnesota/University of Minnesota).
For the July 12th race, $1000 will go to the best meet performance in
the 800 or 1500 where the performance exceeds the following standards,
1:46.00/3:38.00 for men. Power Tables will be used to determine the
single winner of this $1000 challenge. This prize money would be split
if a tie exists after applying the Power Tables. To be eligible an
athlete must have raced in one of previous two dates of the series (July
6th &/or July 9th) to be eligible for prize monies on the 12th.
Invaders Director Greg Harger said, "The fields are shaping up to be
extremely competitive. There will be some great head-to-head competition
as athletes look to chase World Championship "A" qualifying standards
and US National Qualifying Marks for next year's US Nationals, that will
be held in Indianapolis." Harger added, "We look forward to building on
this series and making it an annual event on the domestic competition
calendar." The USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be in
Indianapolis in 2006 and 2007.
American Milers Club High Performance Series:
http://www.nftl.net/events/2005/american_milers.asp
INDIANA INVADERS SHUT OUT AT USA NATIONALS
June 26, 2005
(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders experienced a complete shut out
with this weekend's 2005 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in
Carson, California on June 23-26, 2005. This is the first time in the
club's history where no athletes advance to the finals of their event.
Jacob Koczman, a 2004 Olympic Trials Finalist, missed advancement
by .02 seconds with his time of 1:50.95 in the preliminary rounds of
the 800. Koczman's poor tactical race execution set the tone for the
remainder of the weekend.
Brandon Hon, a 2004 Olympic Trials qualifier, was the second Invader
to meet with misfortune. After taking the lead in his opening round
race with a strong start, Hon experienced technique problems with the
fourth hurdle and lost critical momentum for the remaining hurdles.
Hon's time of 14.15 in the 110 high hurdles was not sufficient to
advance.
Carri Long, a two-time Olympic Trials competitor, struggled to be
competitive in the high jump. Long was one of seven high jumpers
that failed to clear the opening height.
Hunter Spencer's time of 3:47.16 in the 1500 was not sufficient to
advance him to the next round of competition.
Dameion Smith, a 2004 Olympic Trials competitor, was unable to advance
to the finals of the hammer throw after fouling each of his three
attempts. Smith was ranked seventh going into the Championship.
Francesca Green, a 2004 Olympic Trials competitor, was 16th in the
long jump with a performance of 5.98 meters.
Adam Shunk, a 2004 Olympic Trials Finalist, one of only four US high
jumpers with the World Championships "A" Qualifying Standard going into
the competition, took eighth in the high jump with a leap of 2.17
meters as the final Invaders athlete to compete over the weekend.
Team Director Greg Harger said, "This was a first for the team to
not have a contender in the finals at USA Outdoor Nationals." Harger
added, "In being shut out with every event, we experienced something
that happens in sport from time to time for no apparent reason. This
was unexpected based on everyone coming off of career or season best
marks as their entry marks going into the Championship. This weekend's
experiences are certainly not a set back in the bigger picture as it's
already a huge motivating factor for these seven athletes as we look
toward 2006 USA Nationals in Indianapolis."
This is the Invaders' seventh appearance at the USA Outdoor
Championships where over the course of their first seven seasons
of competition at USA Track & Field National Championships, the
Indiana Invaders have produced 112 athlete appearances and seven
qualifying efforts for USA National Teams.
In 2004, the Invaders placed five athletes in the top 10 at the U.S.
Olympic Team Track & Field Trials in Sacramento, California.
2005 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships:
http://usatf.org/events/2005/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/
INDIANA INVADERS HEAD TO USA NATIONALS
June 22, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders are headed to the 2005 USA Outdoor
Track & Field Championships at the Home Depot Center in Carson,
California on June 23-26, 2005. This is the Invaders' seventh
appearance at the USA Outdoor Championships where over the course of
their first seven seasons of competition at USA Track & Field National
Championships, the Indiana Invaders have produced 112 athlete
appearances and 7 qualifying efforts for USA National Teams.
The Invaders are led into the 2005 championships by Adam Shunk, a
graduate of Ball State University, who is currently ranked second in the
United States in the high jump, and is one of only four US high jumpers
that have met the "A" Qualifying Standard for 2005 World Championship in
Helsinki, Finland. Shunk was a 2004 Olympic Trials finalist.
Joining Shunk as Top 10 Ranked meet entries are teammates Dameion Smith
and Carri Long. Carri Long, a graduate of Purdue University and a 2004
Olympic Trials Finalist, will compete in the high jump where she is
ranked seventh on the meet entry list. Dameion Smith, a graduate of the
University of Indianapolis, is ranked seventh on the 2005 US performance
list in the hammer throw. Dameion Smith was an Olympic Trials
participant in 2004.
Also competing are Francesca Green, Brandon Hon, Jacob Koczman, and
Hunter Spencer. Francesca Green, a 2004 Olympic Trials competitor, will
compete in the long jump as the 21st ranked athlete in the competition
field. Brandon Hon, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, who
will compete in the 110 hurdles. Hon is currently ranked 22nd in the
110 meter hurdles for the 2005 season. Hon qualified for the 2004
Olympic Trials but was unable to compete due to injury. Jacob Koczman
ranked 23rd on the meet entry list, a 2004 Olympic Trials Finalist, will
compete in the 800. Koczman has a career best of 1:47.06 in the 800.
Hunter Spencer, a graduate of the University of Kentucky, will compete
in the 1500. Spencer has a career best of 3:40.91 in the 1500.
Invaders Director Greg Harger said, "We have a very strong and diverse
group competing at Nationals this year. Shunk has created a great
opportunity for another Invaders athlete to make the US National Team
and compete at the World Championships." Harger added, "We have several
athletes in the meet with low ranked entries that have demonstrated in
their preparation that they are likely candidates for big improvements
in this competition compared to their rankings. This meet will roll us
right into our preparations for 2008 as we especially look forward to
building on our performances into the next two years when the US Outdoor
Championships are set to be held in Indianapolis."
In 2004, the Invaders placed five athletes in the top 10 at the U.S.
Olympic Team Track & Field Trials in Sacramento, California.
2005 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships:
http://usatf.org/events/2005/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/
INVADERS THOUSAND DOLLAR CHALLENGE
June 6, 2005
(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders are offering a "Thousand Dollar"
Challenge to America's top middle distance and distance athletes
competing in the American Milers Club High Performance Series. Races
are on July 6th, July 9th, and July 12th.
For the July 12th race, $1000 will go to the best meet performance in
the 800 or 1500 where the performance exceeds the following standards,
1:46.00/3:38.00 for men or 2:03.00/4:10.00 for women. Power Tables will
be used to determine the single winner of this $1000 challenge. This
prize money would be split if a tie exists after applying the Power
Tables. To be eligible an athlete must have raced in one of previous
two dates of the series (July 6th &/or July 9th) to be eligible for
prize monies on the 12th.
Invaders Director Greg Harger said, "We are putting our money where our
mouth is on the culmination of this high performance race series... We
think our athletes will win these races and we are challenging all
participants to run fast and compete head-to-head." Harger added, "We
have secured appropriate rabbits for the men's 800 & 1500 meter races
and are working to secure similar rabbits for the women's events. We
will continue to look to establish some additional prize money for the
Top 5 performances of the AMC series both for this year's race series
and for future years."
American Milers Club High Performance Series:
http://www.nftl.net/events/2005/american_milers.asp
The American Milers Club High Performance Series is an outgrowth of
meets hosted by the Indiana Invaders in 2004 to meet the needs of Elite
Athlete Development programs from throughout the country. For the July
12th meet there will also be open and community races at the venue.
INVADERS COMPETE AT MUSIC CITY DISTANCE CARNIVAL
June 4, 2005
(INDIANAPOLIS) Indiana Invaders' Hunter Spencer and Jacob Koczman led
the team performances with their efforts in the Invitational Mile and
800, respectively at the Music City Distance Carnival in Nashville,
Tennessee on June 4th, 2005.
Hunter Spencer was fourth in the Invitational Mile with a 4:01.81 season
opener at the mile distance. Jacob Koczman, a 2004 Olympic Trials
Finalist, was fourth in the Invitational 800 with a season's best time
of 1:48.57. Also competing in the Invitational 800 was Ricardo Bell who
finished sixth with a career best time of 1:48.85.
Natasha Lothery won the Women's Invitational 800 against a modest field
with a time of 2:10.56.
Team Director Greg Harger said, "This meet is the first of three
competitions over the course of the next 8 days where we have planned to
get most of the middle distance athletes USA Qualifying marks on a good
timeline for nationals later this month. There was solid progress for
everyone on our roster at this meet and they all should be race sharp on
the track this coming Wednesday night in Michigan." Harger added, "This
event was very exciting in the way the meet management team got the
crowd involved right on the track's edge. We hope to learn in the near
future that the Music City event will be an annual competition providing
high performance opportunities for Elite Development Club athletes as
this was a very rewarding environment for the athletes and the spectators."
Music City Distance Carnival - Results:
http://tnrunner.com/MCDC/home.htm
