FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-65-02-03
Tuesday, February 11, 2003

Etown Sophomore Steve Sanko Shatters Program 3000m Mark at Susquehanna, Accepted Along with Jason Patterson to Compete in Boston University Fastrack Invitational Saturday in Effort to Qualify for NCAAs

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College sophomore Steve Sanko (Hazleton, PA/Bishop Hafey) ran what may well have been the best race of his life thus far over any distance at the Orange and Maroon Open at Susquehanna University Saturday, and it has earned him the chance to compete in the prestigious Fastrack Invitational at Boston University Saturday, February 15.

Steve Sanko (in black "E" singlet) will compete in the 5000m at Boston University Saturday.

About to run the 3000m at Susquehanna, Sanko and Etown head coach Chris Straub decided to approach the race a little differently than before. "I told him to start the race harder than normal and … see what happens," said Straub. What happened was a performance that caused "a lot of oohing and ahhing" at the meet, according to Straub. "I though he might slow down toward the end and finish somewhere around 8:50, but he just kept going," Straub added. Sanko won the 3000m in 8:33.80, a time that was over 27 seconds faster than the second place finisher, teammate Dustin Scott (Honey Brook, PA/Twin Valley). Sanko also smashed the previous Etown record of 8:54.7 in the indoor 3000m, beating the old mark set by Scott, a previous NCAA qualifier in multiple events, by almost 21 seconds.

For comparison's sake, Sanko's 3000m time translates into a 9:10 pace in a high school 3200m event. Sanko ran the race's opening 400m in 68 seconds. He continued to clip off 68 second splits en route to running the opening mile in 4:34, and he ran the entire second mile completely alone, far in front of the nearest competitors and managing to maintain his torrid pace.

There is just one problem with this performance: the 3000m is only contested at the NCAA Division I indoor championships, and Sanko competes in NCAA Division III. The closest Division III events to the 3000m are the 1500m and the 5000m, and the trick now is to qualify for the NCAA Division III indoor championships in either one or both of those events.

Aiding his attempt is the word received today of his acceptance to compete in the 5000m this Saturday in the prestigious Fastrack Invitational at Boston University. Boston University, as the invitational's name suggests, has one of the fastest indoor tracks in the country, utilizing a banked 200m configuration. Plus, there he will have the added boost of actually having a pack of runners to compete alongside, including some of the best competition in Divisions I, II and III.

The times Sanko will be shooting for in Boston are the NCAA Division III indoor 5000m qualifying standards. The provisional qualifying standard in the event on a banked track like Boston University's is 14:52.50, and the automatic qualifying standard is 14:34.00. Thus far this season, nine individuals in Division III have at least met the provisional standard.

Sanko will not be the only Blue Jay making the trek to Beantown to compete this weekend, however. Etown freshman jumper Jason Patterson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Bowie), who has already met the NCAA Division III provisional qualifying standard in the triple jump and currently has the seventh-longest distance in the nation in that event with 46'5-1/4", will also compete in the Fastrack Invitational as he looks to solidify his national standing.