INVADERS FIRST OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFIER
October 19, 2006
(INDIANAPOLIS) Indiana Invaders' Heather May became the Indiana Invaders
first athlete to qualify for 2008 Olympic Trials with her performance at
the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 22.
May bettered the qualifying standard for the 2008 Olympic Trials
Marathon of 2 hours and 47 minutes with her career best run of 2:45:52
for the 26.2 mile race. May improved on her previous career best of
2:46:37 established at the 2004 Olympic Trials Marathon by almost a
minute. This was May’s first appearance at the Chicago Marathon.
Teammate and marathon race partner Stephanie Dueringer did not meet the
qualifying standard with her finishing time of 2:49:33. Dueringer’s
performance was a personal best as both May and Dueringer ran together
through 30K.
Team Director Greg Harger
said, "May executed her race plan perfectly
and ran nearly a minute faster over the second half of the race. While
unusual, running negative splits for May is her strong point to having
a
strong finish and typically running her best race. May accomplished the
most important task at this point on the calendar, getting qualified
for
the Olympic Trials Marathon and now she is in a position to finish up
her doctoral thesis in the next few weeks and roll into a setting where
she can focus on preparation for racing a marathon more than today’s
running of a marathon." Harger added, "We had hoped of course to have
our first two 2008 Olympic Trials qualifiers this weekend but future
opportunities exist for Dueringer to meet the standard. Dueringer’s
inexperience at this distance was evident one time during the race and
that was what cost her. With the added experience and another healthy
training cycle there is no doubt about Dueringer’s ability to easily
post a qualifying time for the 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon. "
May, now 35 years old, first began running at the age of 28, several
years after graduating with a Masters degree in Theatre at Washington
University in St. Louis. While her training first began on a treadmill
she soon found herself outdoors training at the very track, Washington
University's Francis Field, where the 2004 US Olympic Marathon Team
Trials would start. May's introduction to competitive running
and racing received a critical and vital leap forward with her joining
the Indiana Track Club when she relocated to Bloomington, Indiana for
the continuation of her graduate schooling. As May broke through to
national class marathon racing she joined the Indiana Invaders while
remaining a prominent member of the Bloomington running community.
The 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be held in Boston, Massachusetts
on April 20, 2008 which is the day before the famed Boston Marathon.
LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon:
http://www.chicagomarathon.com/
2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicTrials-Marathon-Women/
The Indiana Invaders, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998,
presents an innovative approach to track & field by providing a
resident-based, athlete-centered support system unique to the sport in
the United States.
INDIANA INVADERS TO RUN CHICAGO MARATHON
October 19, 2006
(INDIANAPOLIS) Indiana Invaders' Heather May and Stephanie Dueringer
will race at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 22.
The Invaders duo are aiming to meet the qualifying standard for the 2008
Olympic Trials Marathon of 2 hours and 47 minutes.
May, working toward a PhD in Theatre & Drama at Indiana University, was
a 2004 Olympic Trials Marathon competitor for the Invaders. May has a
marathon career best of 2:46:37. This will be her first appearance at
the Chicago Marathon.
Dueringer, a graduate of Michigan State University and a three-time
NCAA All-American is coming off of a 13th place finish in the USA Track
& Field National 10,000 meter championship from June of 2006. This will
be Dueringer's first marathon race since fully returning from injury to
a national class level of fitness.
Both May and Dueringer are coming off recent comfortable road racing
wins in preparation for this weekend's big Olympic Trials qualifying
opportunity. On October 1st, 2006 May won the Q95 Rock'n Run 30K race in
Indianapolis while Dueringer was winning the Banco Popular Chicago Half
Marathon on the same day, both with personal bests times.
Coach and Team Director Greg Harger said, "May & Dueringer are looking
to execute a race plan that focuses on meeting the Olympic Trials
qualifying standard. With an early qualifying mark on the board this
would allow them to continue their training with a focus on the Olympic
Trials race in April 2008.". Harger added, "We hope to have our first
two 2008 Olympic Trials qualifiers this weekend but as they know, any
marathon effort is full of many challenges both physical and mental.
They are up to the challenge."
The Indiana Invaders, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998,
presents an innovative approach to track & field by providing a
resident-based, athlete-centered support system unique to the sport in
the United States.
INDIANA INVADERS ADD NCAA DIII CHAMPION SPRINTER JOHNNY BIACOFSKY
October 10, 2006
(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders have added NCAA DIII Champion sprinter Johnny Biacofsky,
of Mount Union College (Ohio), to the team's roster. Biacofsky has a
career best of 10.31 in the 100 meters and 21.14 at 200 meters.
While at Mount Union College, Biacofsky was runner-up in the
100m at the 2005 NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships and runner-up in the
55m in the 2006 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships in addition to being on
the 2006 NCAA DIII National Championships winning 4x100m Relay. As a
four-time All-American, Biacofsky also holds four Mount Union College
School Records. Biacofsky attended Willoughby South HS (Willoughby,
Ohio) while setting several school records.
Team Director Greg Harger
said, "Biacofsky's addition to the team is significant as we continue
to grow a solid core of sprinters. He has the potential to have an
immediate impact and we're pleased to have him on our roster."
Biacofsky joins a team that had 16 athletes qualify for both the 2000 and the 2004 US Olympic Trials.
The Indiana Invaders, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998,
presents an innovative approach to track & field by providing a
resident-based, athlete-centered support system unique to the sport in
the United States.
INDIANA INVADERS' NEHUS SCORES FOR USA AT WORLD ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS
October 8, 2006
(INDIANAPOLIS) Indiana Invaders' Erin Nehus finished as a scoring member
of the USA Team at the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships
in Debrecen, Hungary on Sunday, October 8.
The top four USA team members finished within 31 seconds of each other
as they finished 10th overall in this international road championship
with Kenya, Ethiopia, and Japan taking the top three spots. Nehus
finished as the third US athlete and thus the final scoring athlete. The
championship was contested on a 5,000 meter criterium-loop through the
streets of Debrecen.
Nehus, competing on her first USA National Team, is the ninth Indiana
Invaders athlete to wear the USA jersey and compete for the United
States in international competition. Invaders athletes have competed at
the Olympic Games, World Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field Championships,
World Cross Country Championships, and now the World Road Running
Championships.
Team Director and Coach Greg Harger said, "This was a great experience
for Nehus. She executed the race plan reasonably well, competed strong
over the final 10K picking up five spots in the field." Coach Harger
added, "For Nehus it will be a return to fall training in preparation
for 2007 Championship opportunities."
2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships:
http://usatf.org/events/2006/IAAFWorldRoadRunningChampionships/
The Indiana Invaders, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998,
presents an innovative approach to track & field by providing a
resident-based, athlete-centered support system unique to the sport in
the United States.
INDIANA INVADERS' NEHUS HEADS TO WORLD ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS
October 4, 2006
(INDIANAPOLIS) Indiana Invaders' Erin Nehus will compete on the USA
National Team at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championship that will
take place in Debrecen, Hungary on Sunday, October 8. The championship
is a 20 kilometer road race that will be contested on a 5,000 meter
criterium-loop through the streets of Debrecen.
Nehus, competing on her first USA National Team, is the ninth Indiana
Invaders athlete to wear the USA jersey and compete for the United
States in international competition. Invaders athletes have competed at
the Olympic Games, World Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field Championships,
World Cross Country Championships, and now the World Road Running
Championships.
Nehus is one of five US female athletes competing in this 20K
World Road Running Championship. The top three finishers will score in
the competition for each national team. A total of $245,000 of total
prize money is available to the top 6 individual athletes and the top
six teams. Nehus is the only Indiana athlete competing in this
inaugural world road 20K championship.
During the 2006 season Nehus has competed in her first USA World Cross
Country Trials, USA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships, and USA
National Road Championship. Nehus was a Top 10 USA nationals finisher in
both the 20K National Road Championship and the USA Indoor 3000
championship race. In late 2005, Nehus’ emergence as a national level
athlete began after a few months in Indianapolis training in the
Invaders environment with her 5th place finish at the USATF Fall Cross
Country National Championships.
Team Director and Coach Greg Harger said, "Nehus has absorbed her
athletic training in a very steady, professional and methodical manner
since her arrival in Indianapolis and is on tract through her first
Olympic training cycle to be poised as a regular national contender.
This first USA National Team will be a great learning experience for
her." Coach Harger added, "Nehus is excited about this opportunity to
represent our country, community, and club in such a prestigious event.
This type of event is a great stepping stone and experience for a
developing elite athlete like Nehus.”
2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships:
http://usatf.org/events/2006/IAAFWorldRoadRunningChampionships/
The Indiana Invaders, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998,
presents an innovative approach to track & field by providing a
resident-based, athlete-centered support system unique to the sport in
the United States.
INDIANA INVADERS' SPENCER SUB-FOUR IN NEW YORK
September 27, 2006
(INDIANAPOLIS) Indiana Invaders' Hunter Spencer ran a sub-four minute
mile to take ninth at the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile, hosted
by the New York Road Runners (NYRR), in New York City on September 30,
2006. Spencer's road mile time was 3:59.2.
Competing in a very strong international field, Hunter was within five
seconds of race winner Kevin Sullivan, an Olympian from Canada. The top
ten finishers all finished under four minutes in this road mile event.
The race featured top athletes from Kenya, Canada, Great Britain, New
Zealand, and Russia.
Team Director and Coach Greg Harger said, "The race was very competitive
and Hunter showed that he's able to compete and be in the mix with an
international Mile field. Spencer had an unfortunate injury end his 2006
track season in June and this race opportunity came at a good time in
his training for 2007 since it is confirmation of his abilities and
aspirations for the next two seasons in the lead up to the Olympic
Trials in 2008.” Coach Harger added, “The New York Road Runners Club did
a great job with this event and experiences like this for the deserving
elite development athlete often pays big dividends in the forthcoming
season."
Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile:
http://www.nyrrc.org/mile/home.php
The Indiana Invaders, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998,
presents an innovative approach to track & field by providing a
resident-based, athlete-centered support system unique to the sport in
the United States.
