FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-130-06-07
Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Preview of the 2007 Middle Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, May 3-5 

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College will host the Middle Atlantic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the first time in its history from Thursday, May 3 through Saturday, May 5, 2007. The Middle Atlantic Conference’s ten men’s and ten women’s track & field programs will be competing for the last time under the format that existed since 1994. After this year, Susquehanna University, Moravian College and Juniata College will be leaving the MAC for the newly-formed Landmark Conference.

On the women’s side, Moravian will look to bow out with one last MAC title after a surprising fourth place finish last year. Prior to last year, the Greyhounds had won every MAC outdoor title since 1993. Looking to stop that from happening will be the other nine MAC teams, among them the three that finished ahead of Moravian in 2006, defending conference champion Messiah College, second place finisher Elizabethtown, and third place finisher Susquehanna.

Going event-by event on the women’s side, the heptathlon, which begins competition at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, returns two medalists from 2006, defending MAC champion Amy Reed of Messiah and silver medalist Robin O’Hara of Susquehanna. In Thursday’s other event, the 10,000m run, no medalists from 2006 return to the event. Leading the field is Elizabethtown’s Erin Fisher, who posted the conference’s top seed time of 36:43.41 this season, followed by Sarah Clemmer and Jennifer Kooser of Messiah, who ran the race in 38:54.34 and 39:04.21 this year.

In the pole vault, returning medalists from 2006 include silver medalist Samantha Adams of Etown and bronze medalist Cassie Blass of Susquehanna. The 3000m steeplechase brings back 2006 champion Heather Matta of Susquehanna, as well as bronze medalist Amber Bennick of Widener. 2006 shot put winner and MAC Championship record holder Lauren Lucci of Widener returns. In the triple jump, the lone returning medalist is 2006 silver medal winner Chelsea Miles of Elizabethtown. In the 4x100m relay, Moravian enters the meet ranked first, while Messiah and Juniata College are ranked second and third. In the 100m high hurdles, MAC Championship record holder and 2006 champion Emily Lepley of Susquehanna returns, as does silver medalist Delilah Ruiz of Messiah and bronze medalist Robin O’Hara of Susquehanna.

The 400m dash is wide open with no returning medalists, while the high jump brings back 2006 MAC Champion and event record holder Kelsey Buffenmeyer of Juniata, silver medalist Miles of Elizabethotwn and bronze medalist Reed of Messiah. In the discus throw, 2006 gold medalist Lucci of Widener is back, while 2006 silver medalist Erin Recker of Moravian returns in the 100m dash. There are no returning medalists from 2006 in the 800m. The 400m intermediate hurdles sees MAC Championship record holder and 2006 gold medalist Lepley of Susquehanna return, while Recker of Moravian, who was a silver medalist in the 200m dash in 2006, comes back in that event.

Lucci from Widener holds a MAC Championship record and is the returning gold medalist in the hammer throw as well, and bronze medalist Tammy Balliet of Moravian is back in that event, too. In the long jump, Reed of Messiah is back after winning the gold medal last year, and respective silver and bronze medalists Buffenmeyer of Juniata and Miles of Elizabethtown return, too. The 1500m brings back its full slate of medalists from 2006, including champion Tiffany Kulp of Elizabethtown, second place finisher Heather Matta of Susquehanna, and bronze medalist Laura Beechy of Messiah. In the javelin throw, Reed of Messiah is last year’s champion, while silver medalist Kendall Luy of Susquehanna is back as well. In the 5000m, Messiah’s Beechy is the returning champion, while bronze medalist Fisher of Elizabethtown is back as well. In the 4x400m relay, Moravian College has the top time entering the championships.

On the men’s side, Widener is the defending MAC Champion, having edged out second place Susquehanna 175.5 to 143.5. The decathlon, which opens the championships Thursday at 1:00 p.m., has just one returning medalist – second place finisher Chris Steigerwalt of Widener. No medalists from 2006 return in the 10,000m run. In the high jump, 2006 MAC Champion Ozzie Brown of Moravian is back, as is bronze medalist Josh Smith of Susquehanna. The 3000m steeplechase field is wide open, while the discus throw brings back all three of 2006’s medalists: champion Nick Orfanella of Lebanon Valley, runner-up Nathaniel Dutile of Moravian and bronze medalist Gabe Gigliotti of DeSales. In the 4x100m relay, Moravian has the top-seeded team entering the meet.

In the 110m high hurdles, all three of last year’s medalists return: champion Nathaniel Tussey of Moravian, runner-up Brown of Moravian, and bronze medalist Bryon Laird of Lebanon Valley. In the 400m dash, the lone returning medalist from 2006 is bronze-winner Drew Graybeal of Elizabethtown, while Brown of Moravian, last year’s bronze medalist in the 100m dash, is the lone returning medal winner in that event. The shot put sees all three medalists return, including champion Dutile of Moravian, runner-up Blair Maginnis of Moravian, and third-place finisher Orfanella of Lebanon Valley. In the triple jump, last year’s runner-up, Josh Smith of Susquehanna, and bronze medalist Mike Marr of Susquehanna, both return. In the 800m, 2006 runner-up Patrick Donovan of Elizabethtown and bronze medalist Jon Kunhardt are both back. In the 400m intermediate hurdles, 2006 champion Tussey of Moravian and bronze medalist Joe Wassink return.

In the 200m, gold medalist Brown of Moravian is back, as is bronze medalist Randy Anderson of Juniata. Brown is also the returning MAC Champion in the long jump, and Matthew Booth of Juniata is the returning bronze medalist. In the hammer throw, MAC Champion Orfanella of LVC and runner-up Pat Keating of Susquehanna return, while Etown gold and silver medalist pole vaulters Kevin Clark and D.J. Lehr are both back. In the 1500m, silver medalist Joe Francisco of Widener is the only returning medalist from last year, and Ray Snarski of Susquehanna is the returning silver medalist in the javelin throw. This year’s 5000m field does not have any returning medalists from the 2006 outdoor championships. In the 4x400m relay, Elizabethtown, which was last year’s champion in the event, has the top seed time entering this year’s championships.