June 19, 2002

Stanford, Calif. - The top men's and women's distance runners in the United States, including American record holders Regina Jacobs, Deena Drossin, Nicole Teter, Elizabeth Jackson, and Meb Keflezighi will run at Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field at the USA Track and Field Championships on June 21-23. In addition, world ranked U.S. runners such as Suzy Favor Hamilton, Sara Schwald, Tim Broe, Seneca Lassiter, Abdi Abdirahman, and Gabe Jennings will compete for national title crowns and prize money totaling more than $450,000. The winner of each event will earn a spot on Team USA that will compete in the IAAF World Cup Track and Field Championships in Madrid, Spain in September.

Tickets can be purchased at the Stanford Athletics ticket office located at Gate 1 of Stanford Stadium or by calling 1-800-STANFORD. Tickets also will be sold the day of the event. A capacity crowd is expected so fans are encouraged to purchase tickets early. For a complete schedule of events and additional information, please visit the USA Track and Field Championship website at http://www.ustfnationals.org/

Women's 800 Meters (Finals: Sunday June 23; 2:36 p.m.)
Newly crowned American Indoor 800 meter record holder and Palo Alto resident Nicole Teter will attempt to add the Outdoor U.S. title to the indoor championship she won in March. Teter is undefeated this year in the 800 meters and is currently ranked sixth in the world at 1:59.76. Hazel Clark finished seventh in the 800 meter finals at the Sydney Olympics and owns a career best of 1:58.75. Stanford graduate Regina Jacobs is the defending U.S. champion in the 800 meters and has run 1:58.08. Jearl Miles Clark is the Outdoor American record holder in the 800 meters with a career best of 1:56.40. Stanford's Ashley Wysong will also compete.

Men's 800 Meters (Finals: Sunday June 23; 2:25 p.m.)
David Krummenacker is ranked fourth in the world in 2002 with a personal best time of 1:44.58. Trinity Gray had the fastest time by an American last year with a time of 1:44.54. Derrick Peterson is the 2002 U.S. indoor champion and was victorious in the 800 meters at the Oracle U.S. Open at Stanford on June 8. Peterson has a best of 1:45.18. Khadevis Robinson was ranked third in the United States in 2001 and has a career best of 1:45.15. Stanford graduate and school record holder Michael Stember was the runner-up in the 800 meters at the U.S. Indoor Championships.

Women's 1500 Meters (Finals: Sunday June 23; 3:27 p.m.)
Stanford graduate Regina Jacobs and Suzy Favor Hamilton renew their rivalry as the two will battle for the national title in the metric mile. Jacobs and Favor Hamilton have been the top two women's milers in the United States for the past several years. Jacobs, a 1986 Stanford graduate, is a ten-time U.S. champion in the 1500 meters, four-time Olympian, and two-time World Championships silver medalist. The Oakland, CA resident has a career best of 4:00.35. Favor Hamilton is a three-time Olympian and U.S. champion and has the second fastest time in American history in the 1500 meters at 3:57.40. Sara Schwald had a breakthrough season in 2001 when she ran a career best of 4:04.43. Schwald finished third in the 1500 meters at the 2001 U.S. Outdoor Championships. Stanford All-American Maurica Carlucci will also compete.

Men's 1500 Meters (Finals: Sunday June 23; 3:36 p.m.)
In 2001, Seneca Lassiter was runner-up in the 1500 meters at the U.S. Outdoor Championship and the U.S. mile champion indoors. Lassiter was ranked second in the United States last year and has a career best of 3:33.72. Atlanta Olympian Paul McMullen was the #1 ranked 1500 meter runner in the United States last season with a personal best time of 3:33.89. McMullen finished tenth in the 1500 meters at last year's World Championships in Edmonton. Bryan Berryhill was the 2001 NCAA Champion in the 1500 meters and has a best of 3:35.48. Stanford's Gabe Jennings, a Sydney Olympic semifinalist and NCAA champion in the 1500 meters will have the home crowd in his corner. Jennings has a career best of 3:35.21. Stanford graduate Jason Lunn and 2001 U.S. champion Andy Downin will also contend for the national title

Women's 3000 Meter Steeplechase (Finals: Sunday June 23; 1:45 p.m.)
American record holder Elizabeth Jackson is the class of the field in the women's 3000 meter steeplechase. Jackson finished fourth at the 2001 Goodwill Games in an American record time of 9:41.94. Last year, Jackson was ranked #1 in the U.S. and fourth in the world in the steeplechase. Lisa Nye is the defending U.S. champion in the steeple and has a career best of 9:49.41. Kelly MacDonald was ranked third in the United States in 2001 and has the fourth fastest time ever by an American woman at 9:55.49. Stanford school record and All-American Laura Turner will alsocompete

Men's 3000 Meter Steeplechase (Finals: Sunday June 23; 2:59 p.m.)
One of the most anticipated events of the 2002 U.S. Championships will be the men's 3000 meter steeplechase. Henry Marsh's American record of 8:09.17 may fall in this race. Tim Broe has had an incredible season thus far, setting an Indoor American record in the 3000 meters and winning the USA 4K Cross Country title. In 2001, Broe ran 8:14.82 in the steeplechase, the fifth fastest performance all-time by an American. Anthony Famiglietti was the 2001 World University Games champion and has a best of 8:21.00. University of Arkansas junior Daniel Lincoln is the two-time defending NCAA champion in the steeplechase and has run some of the fastest times ever by a collegian in 2002. Lincoln has a best of 8:22.34. Tom Chorny is the defending U.S. champion in the 3000 meter steeplechase, which he won in career best time of 8:22.16. Stanford All-American Jesse Thomas will also compete.

Women's 5000 meters (Finals: Saturday June 22; 8:00 p.m.)
U.S. Olympian Marlan Runyan will look to defend her 2001 U.S. title in the 5000 meters. Runyan, who is legally blind, has the #1 time this season in the United States and the tenth fastest time in the world. Amy Rudolph is a two-time Olympian in the 5000 meters and has the 11th best time in the world this year. Rudolph owns the third fastest time ever by an American woman at 14:56.01. Deena Drossin has the second fastest performance all-time in the 5000 meters at 14:51.62. American record holder Regina Jacobs will also be a factor if she chooses to run. Jacobs set the American record while winning the 2000 Olympic Trials with a time of 14:45.35. Stanford junior Lauren Fleshman has won the NCAA title in the 5000 meters the past two years.

Men's 5000 Meters (Finals: Saturday June 22; 8:20 p.m.)
The men's 5000 meters will be one of the most closely contested events of the 2002 U.S. championships with as many as seven athletes with a chance to win. Olympians Abdi Abdirahman, Meb Keflezighi, Brad Hauser, and Alan Culpepper headline the men's 5000 meter field. Last season Abdirahman ran a personal best of 13:19.86 in the 5000 meters. Keflezighi, who was ranked second in the U.S. in 2001, owns the top time in the field with a career best of 13:11.77. Stanford graduate Brad Hauser was a 2000 Olympian in the 5000 meters and has a best of 13:27.31. Alan Culpepper has run 13:28.64 for 5000 meters and was runner-up at the 2001 U.S. Outdoor Championships. Matt Lane finished fourth at last year's U.S. Championships and has a career best of 13:25.38. Stanford's Jonathon Riley was the 2001 NCAA champion in the 5000 meters and ran a personal best of 13:29.15 in May. Stanford All-Americans Grant Robison, Louie Luchini and Seth Hejny will also compete.

Women's 10,000 Meters (Finals: Friday June 21; 8:25 p.m.)
On May 3, 2002 at Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field, Deena Drossin set an American record in the women's 10,000 meters with a time of 30:50.32. Drossin's time is the second fastest in the world this year and bettered the previous record by nearly 30 seconds. Drossin looks poised to win her third consecutive U.S. title in the 10,000 meters on Friday night. In the same May 3 race, Jen Rhines ran a personal best of 31:41.16, the #5 time in the world in 2002 and the eighth fastest all-time in the United States. Palo Alto resident Kim Fitchen ran 32:18.82 at the Stanford Invitational in March and should be a significant factor in the race. Milena Glusac has had tremendous success in road races throughout the United States in 2002 and will be a major contender for the national title.

Men's 10,000 Meters (Finals: Friday June 21; 9:10 p.m.)
As in the 5000 meters, Olympians Abdi Abdirahman, Meb Keflezighi, Brad Hauser, and Alan Culpepper will be the favorites in the 10,000 meters. These four athletes have been the top Americans in the 25-lap race for the past few years. Keflezighi set the American record in the 10,000 meters at Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field in 2001 with a time of 27:13.98. Adirahman is the defending U.S. champion in the 10,000 meters and he finished tenth in this event at the Sydney Olympics. Culpepper ran a career best time of 27:33.93 at Stanford in 2001. Hauser ran a personal best of 27:58.02 at Stanford in May as did Dan Browne with a time of 27:47.04. Stanford All-American Adam Tenforde will also compete.