This Week at the Armory 2.2.2006

THIS WEEK AT THE NEW BALANCE TRACK & FIELD CENTER AT

THE ARMORY, WEST 168th STREET

 

*Olympic gold medalist Kelly Willie of Louisiana State University, a member of the victorious men?s U.S. 4x400 meter relay team in Athens, and Xavier Carter, also of LSU, the national high school and Collegiate Invitational record holder in the 200 meters, will be among many outstanding athletes competing in the Sixth Annual New Balance Collegiate Invitational Friday and Saturday at the New Balance Track and Field Center in Washington Heights. Saturday is the big day, with most of the finals and top high school athletes in action.

 

*In all, some 170 teams from 95 colleges and universities are expected at the Armory, 20 more teams than one year ago. More than 15 countries will be represented.

 

*All entries and the time schedule are now available at the Armory website: www.armorytrack.com. The meet will be reported on throughout the two days with up-to-the-minute photos and video on the Armory website as well as on the websites dyestat.com and trackshark.com. In addition, there will be a live webcast throughout Saturday on cstv.com, and the meet will be telecast on a tape delay by the YES network. 

 

*Tickets Friday are priced at $15 for adults and $5 for students. On Saturday, they are $20 for adults and $10 for students. All seats are unreserved and available at the Armory box office.

 

*With Tulane?s track team in financial turmoil and the athletes just back in New Orleans after being spread throughout the country by Hurricane Katrina, there was no way the school could afford to compete. So the Armory stepped in, and will host the women?s team this weekend. Tulane is bringing 14 athletes in addition to Head Coach Heather Van Norman and three other support personnel.

 

*Shot putter Adam Nelson, the World Championships gold medalist in 2005 and Olympic silver medalist in 2004, will dedicate the Armory?s new weight throw and shot put cage during ceremonies Saturday at 1 p.m.

 

*Willie is expected to compete in both the 60 and 200 meters as well as run the 4x400 meter relay. Carter, who set the Collegiate Invitational meet record in winning the 200 meters last year at 20.67, breaking Justin Gatlin?s mark, and set his national high school 200 mark (and Armory high school standard) at 20.69 in 2004, has entered both the 200 and 400 meters. He also was a member of the collegiate record-setting 4x400 team at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

 

*LSU?s women?s team has won the Collegiate Invitational four consecutive years. The Arkansas men?s team, NCAA outdoor and indoor champion last year and defending Collegiate Invitational champion, is also returning.

 

*Other top athletes in the meet include ? Caroline Bierbaum of Columbia, who won the 5000 meters here last year and was NCAA runner-up at 10,000 meters last year and in cross country this fall. She is entered in the 3000 on Saturday afternoon.

 

*Two starters on Texas? national champion football team: Brian Robison, a lineman competing in the shot put and the Big 12 outdoor champion, and Jamaal Charles, a freshman who started at tailback and was the best high school hurdler in the country last year. The sprint and hurdles preliminaries will be held at the Armory Friday, with the finals during the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden Friday evening. The shot put final is on Friday.  

 

*Andra Manson of Texas, who won the high jump here the last two years and opened his season at 7-5 ? two weeks ago. He won the NCAA title indoors and outdoors in 2004.

 

*Other Olympians competing will include Kelly-Ann Baptiste of LSU and Trinidad, who competed in the 4x100 meter relay at the age of 17 and is her country?s national record holder at 100 meters (11.17); Vikas Gowda of the University of North Carolina, who will compete in the shot put here and was a member of the Indian Olympic team in the discus (he attended high school in Maryland), and Laura Gerraughty, also from North Carolina and competing in the shot put, who competed in Greece, injured her wrist and almost retired after missing the entire 2005 season before trying acupuncture

 

*Additional leading athletes include 400 meter runner Erison Hurtault of Columbia, winner of the heps indoors and outdoors; Justin Byron of North Carolina A&T, another 400 meter runner who was the Middle Eastern Athletic Conference champion outdoors; J-Mee Samuels of Arkansas, who set the national high school 100 meter record outdoors, and Shana Cox of Penn State, who set the current national high school record for 300 meters at the Armory (37.59) while attending Holy Trinity in Hicksville.

 

*Among the top high school athletes competing will be Walter Henning of St. Anthony?s, who will compete in the first high school weight throw at the Collegiate Invitational and has come close to the national record; and Nicole Blood, the Saratoga Springs miler, a member of her school?s national cross country champion two years ago who will be competing in the open women?s mile.

 

Additional Upcoming Events:

Sunday, February 5: CHSAA Freshman/Sophomore Boys Championships, 9 a.m.

Sunday, February 5: CHSAA Girls Sectional Championships, 3 p.m.

Sunday, February 5: Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championships, 5 p.m.

Monday, February 6: New Jersey Varsity Classic, 5 p.m.

Wednesday, February 8: Hudson County Championships, 5 p.m.

Thursday, February 9: Thursday Night at the Races, 7 p.m.

Friday, February 10: Lafayette Rider Winter Games, 6 p.m.