Posted: January 30, 2006

Athletics: Armory Offers Helping Hand To Tulane Women

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

NEW YORK (30-Jan) -- Lacking the financial resources to bring her women's track team here for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Friday and Saturday, coach Heather Van Norman thought her Tulane squad, kept out of their home base in New Orleans until recently because of hurricane damage, would have to stay home.

"It's still difficult to practice here," said Van Norman in a press release. "The track has cracks and bubbling caused by Hurricane Katrina."

But Dr. Norb Sander, the 1974 New York City Marathon champion and the president of the Armory Foundation which runs the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory, worked with an old friend, William Kammer, the head of Tulane's alumni, and meet director Jack Pfeifer, to find the funding to get Van Norman's team here.

"Jack and I knew the team was under duress," said Sander, a medical doctor. "They had no budget. We decided to put them up. It's something we really wanted to do."

Fourteen Tulane athletes will now make the trip, accompanied by six others. They will be part of the 170 teams from 95 colleges and universities which will be competing.

"We really appreciate the kindness of the Armory in putting up our women," said Van Norman whose university has no men's track team. "There is no way we could stay in New York without their help."

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