Posted: July 7, 2004

Athletics: Indiana Invaders At US Olympic Track & Field Trials

(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders, led by defending US Olympic Trials Heptathlon Champion DeDee Nathan, have 10 athletes in the top 20 entries heading into the 2004 US Olympic Team Track & Field Trials in Sacramento, California on July 9-18, 2004.

Nathan won the Olympic Trials heptathlon in 2000 and finished ninth at the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney Australia. Nathan, a graduate of Indiana University, also set the American record for the pentathlon en route to winning the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 1999. Nathan, after a low profile personal competition schedule in 2003 and 2004, goes into the competition 8th on the Olympic Trials entry list.

Leading the rest of the Indiana Invaders' "Top 20" Olympic Trials entries is Carri Long a Purdue University graduate. Long who is tied for 9th on the Olympic Trials entry list in the high jump, finished 11th at the 2000 US Olympic Team Trials. Long has finished as high as fourth, a total of three-times, at the USA National Indoor & Outdoor National Championships. Long competed on the 2001 US National Team at the World University Games in Beijing, China.

Representing the Indiana Invaders in the men's high jump competition is Adam Shunk. Shunk, from Muncie, Indiana, is ranked 11th on the Olympic Trials entry list. Shunk tied for second place at the 2004 USA Indoor Championships and was the NCAA Indoor Champion in 2003.

Zack Riley, a Ball State University graduate, is ranked 12th on the Olympic Trials entry list, after a string of season bests turned in over the current season making him one of the fastest movers on the Olympic Trials entry lists.

Shannon Gallagher, fourteenth on the Olympic Trials entry list in the pole vault, tied for 10th place at the 2000 US Olympic Team Trials. Gallagher is a 10-time USATF Championships Qualifier and is joined by teammate Ebbie Metzinger, tied for 18th on the Olympic Trials entry list. Metzinger is a graduate of Purdue University and is a three-time Big Ten champion.

The Invaders, with three athletes competing in the 800, are led by veteran Olympic Trials competitor Hope Sanders, ranked 16th on the Olympic Trials entry list. Sanders is joined by Jason Briggs, a graduate of Indiana State University, who has a career and season best of 1:47.00 and is ranked 15th on the Olympic Trials entry list. Jacob Koczman, ranked 20th on the Olympic Trials entry list, has a career and season best of 1:47.47 heading into this weekend's opening rounds of competition.

Donnie Fellows, 18th on the Olympic Trials entry list for the 10,000 is a Big Ten Champion at 10,000 meters from 2002 and a USA Indoor Nationals finalist at 3,000 meters from 2003.

Francesca Green, ranked 20th on the Olympic Trials entry list, has the unique distinction of being the final US athlete to qualify for the US Olympic Trials as she found her life time best mark on her final jump at the USATF National Club T&F Championships. Green has a career and season best of 6.41 meters in the long jump.

Other Indiana Invaders with possible competition opportunities are Adrian Swanson in the 400 hurdles, Alicia Miller in the 400 meters, and Greg Yeldell in the Triple Jump. Final declarations and field sizes will determine the competition opportunities of Swanson, Miller, and Yeldell.

The Invaders had three athletes finish in the Top 10 at the 2000 US Olympic Trials and eight in the Top 15. Invaders' Performances at 2000 Olympic Trials:

1st - Heptathlon        DeDee Nathan            
7th - 1500 meters       Collette Liss           
10th - Pole Vault       Shannon Gallagher       
11th – High Jump        Carri Long              
11th - Shot Put         Leslie Vidmar           
12th - 5000 meters      Collette Liss           
13th - Javelin          Jamie Strieter          
14th - Discus           Angie Joy               
20th – 800              Hope Sanders            
21st – Long Jump        Frankie Young            
21st – 400H             Le'gretta Smith         
27th – 400H             John McAfee       
NH   - Pole Vault       Daren McDonough

The US Olympic Team Track & Field Trials will feature 14 hours of live television coverage on NBC and the USA network, during the eight days of competition in Sacramento, California.

2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field: www.usatf.org/events/2000/OlympicTrials-TF.

For additional information on the Indiana Invaders, please contact Greg Harger at 317 289-4018 or online at: (greg.harger@indianainvaders.com)   www.indianainvaders.com.