AU Men's and Women's Indoor Track Teams to Compete at Patriot League Championships This Weekend

Feb. 20, 2008

WASHINGTON - The American University men's and women's indoor track teams will travel to Lewisburg, Pa., this weekend for the Patriot League Indoor Track Championships being held on the campus of Bucknell University, Feb. 22-24. The men's and women's teams were chosen to finish fourth and eighth, respectively, in the PL Preseason Poll and will look to outperform those expectations.

The championships begin on Friday but the Eagles will not take the track until Saturday afternoon with the junior duo of Carlos Jamieson and Brandon Laks competing in the men's 5000 meter run. Jamieson is the top returning finisher in this race from last year, as he placed third with a time of 14:26.11. Jamieson is currently ranked second in the conference behind Jon Anderson of Army. Later that evening, the women's team will compete for its first time in the 4x800 meter relay, fielding a team of seniors Cathleen Ford and Kate Lilley along with freshmen Mary Jane Egan and Melissa Tabas. The men's 4x800 team will immediately follow the women and will look to defend its title from last year in the event.

Lilley and Tabas will return to action on Sunday first for AU in the women's mile. Lilley currently ranks fifth in the conference with a time of 5:04.90. Following the women's race, Brendan Fennell, Steve Hallinan, and Brian McCabe will take the track in the men's mile. This is expected to be the Eagles best event as the trio of seniors finished 1-2-3 last year at this meet. After the mile McCabe will look to defend his title from last year in the 1000 meter run. McCabe is the AU record holder in the event with a time of 2:24.96. Ford will also be back on Sunday for the women's team in the 3000 meter run, where she is ranked seventh in the conference with a time 10:16.56. The men will follow Ford with their own 3000 meter race, led by Fennell and Jamieson who will be accompanied by freshmen Colin Eustis and Nick Ryan. Finishing up the meet on Sunday for the Eagles will be the men's distance medley relay team of McCabe, sophomore Dan King, freshman Conor Sullivan, and Hallinan.