The Larry Ellis/Princeton Inv. begins on Friday night with a series of
distance races. Saturday's session runs from 10:30-5:20, with the Golden
Spike running events, featuring Marion Jones in the 100-meters, taking place
from 2-3pm (pole vault, with Lawrence Johnson and Nick Hysong) starts at
1pm). Ticket information and an overview of the Golden Spike events is
included in the USATF release that follows the time schedule. Feel free to
contact me if you have any questions about the meet.
Walt Murphy
FRIDAY
7:00 Women's Steeplechase
7:20 Men's Steeplechase
7:40 Women's 5000
8:05 Men's 5000
8:25 Men's 10,000
SATURDAY
10:30 Women's 4x100 relay
10:45 Men's 4x100 relay
11:05 Women's400-hurdles
11:20 Men's 400-hurdles
11:40 Women's 400-meters
12:00 Men's 400-meters
12:25 Women's 100-hurdles
12:45 Men's 110-hurdles
1:05 Women's 1500-meters
1:25 Men's 1500-meters
LARRY ELLIS CEREMONY 1:45
GOLDEN SPIKE SESSION
1 p.m. Visa Men's Pole Vault
2:00 adidas Women's 100 Meter hurdles
2:10 GMC Envoy Men's 110 Meter hurdles
2:20 Women's Mile
2:30 Pontiac Grand Prix Men's 400 meters
2:40 Men's Mile
2:50 Men's 100 meters
3:00 Verizon Women's 100 Meters
3:15 Women's 100-meters
3:30 Men's 100-meters
3:45 Women's 800-meters
4:05 Men's 800-meters
4:25 Women's 200-meters
4:40 Men's 200-meters
5:00 Women's 4x400 Relay
5:20 Men's 4x400 Relay
FROM USATF
Big marks, top fields expected at GST Open @ Princeton Invitational
INDIANAPOLIS - With Olympic gold medalists Marion Jones, Angelo Taylor,
Antonio Pettigrew, Nick Hysong and Jerome Young; World Championships medal
winners and international Olympians highlighting the fields, the GST Open at
Princeton Invitational this Saturday (May 12) is shaping up as one of the top
international meets of the early 2001 season.
USATF on Tuesday announced the fields for the meet, the first stop on the
Golden Spike Tour, which will be held at William Weaver Stadium on the campus
of Princeton University. Collegiate events begin at 10:30a.m., with the
Golden Spike Tour events beginning at 1:00p.m. (field events) and 2:00p.m.
(track events - see schedule below). The meet will be broadcast June 3 from
4:30-6 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.
Marion Jones will compete in the Verizon Women's 100 meters, the first
100-meter race of her 2001 outdoor campaign. Angelo Taylor, the Olympic 400m
hurdles champion, will run the Pontiac Grand Prix Men's 400 meters against
Pettigrew and Young. Olympic gold medalist Nick Hysong will face silver
medalist and 2001 World Indoor champion Lawrence Johnson in the Visa Men's
Pole Vault.
Additional U.S. Olympic medal winners competing at the GST Open include
110m hurdles silver medalist Terrence Trammell, who will run the GMC Envoy
Men's 110m hurdles at Princeton, and bronze medalists Melissa Morrison (100
hurdles) and Passion Richardson (4x100m relay). Morrison will run the adidas
Women's 100m hurdles and Richardson is entered in the women's 100m on
Saturday.
U.S. indoor 200m champion and World Indoor 200 silver medalist LaTasha Jenkins
faces Jones in the 100m, and U.S. indoor mile champion Seneca Lassiter heads
the field in the men's mile. Olympians Chad Harting and Sharon Couch add
further luster to the pole vault and 100m hurdles lineups, respectively.
Top international athletes competing include Olympic 4x100m gold medalist
Savatheda Fynes of the Bahamas in the women's 100m, Olympic 4x100m silver
medalist Merlene Frazer of Jamaica in the women's 100, Jamaican Olympian
Michael McDonald in the men's 400m and Jamaican Olympian Michelle Freeman in
the 100m hurdles.
Tickets for the GST Open at Princeton Invitational will be available at
the gate. Ticket prices are: $15 (Adults); $5.00 (Students & Children).
Members of USA Track & Field will be admitted for $5.00 (Adults) & $3.00
(Students). USATF Memberships will be available at the gate. Special group
discounts are available through USA Track & Field (800-858-8184). USATF
prefers Visa.
Brought to you through the support of USATF sponsors Verizon, adidas, GMC
Envoy, Visa, SoBe Sports System and Pontiac Grand Prix, the 2001 Outdoor
Golden Spike Tour continues June 3 at the adidas Oregon Track Classic in
Portland, Ore., and June 9 at the U.S. Open in Palo Alto, Calif. It concludes
June 21-24 at the GMC Envoy USA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
For more information on the Golden Spike Tour, including additional press
releases on the GST Open at Princeton Invitational, visit the USATF Web site:
www.usatf.org.
GST Open @ Princeton Invitational At a Glance
(fields subject to change)
Visa Men's Pole Vault 1 p.m.
THE FIELD: Lawrence Johnson, Nick Hysong, Pat Manson, Chad Harting, Tim Mack,
Russ Buller.
THE SCOOP: America's best go head-to-head in the Visa men's pole vault.
Leading the field is Lawrence Johnson, the Olympic silver medalist, indoor
American record holder and 2001 World Indoor champion who has been the
hottest vaulter in the world so far this year. But don't count out Nick
Hysong, the Olympic gold medalist who has his sights set on more
world-beating performances this year. 2000 Olympian Chad Harting could upset
either Johnson or Hysong if they're not at the top of their games. Harting
beat out Pat Manson in a jump-off at the Olympic Trials to make the Olympic
Team, so Manson may be looking for redemption.
adidas Women's 100-meter hurdles 2 p.m.
THE FIELD: Melissa Morrison, Sharon Couch, Ellakisha Williamson, Dionne
Rose-Henry, Lacena Golding-Clark, Vonette Dixon, Kyla Shoemake, Michelle
Freeman.
THE SCOOP: American Melissa Morrison, the Olympic bronze medalist, returns to
the outdoor track to face a field that reads like a USA-Jamaica dual meet.
Among Morrison's top challengers are fellow U.S. Olympian Sharon Couch,
Olympic Trials fourth-place finisher Ellakisha Williamson, and top
international hurdlers Michelle Freeman, Lacena Golding-Clark and Dionne
Rose-Henry of Jamaica. Golding-Clark and Rose-Henry have both run under 13
seconds already this season, and Freeman is the 2001 World Indoor silver
medalist in the 60 hurdles.
GMC Envoy Men's 110-meter hurdles 2:10 p.m.
THE FIELD: Terrence Trammell, Dawane Wallace, Deworski Odom, Maurice Wignall,
Greg Richardson, Shannon Flowers, Charles Johnson, Jeff York.
THE SCOOP: Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell takes his undefeated
2001 indoor campaign to Weaver Stadium for his 2001 outdoor hurdles debut.
Since winning silver in Sydney, the 22-year-old has dominated his
competition, going undefeated indoors and winning the World Indoor 60m
hurdles title in March as well as his second consecutive U.S. Indoor title.
He is now the man to beat outdoors. Dawane Wallace was fourth at the Olympic
Trials and is looking for big things in 2001. He should be a factor here,
along with Deworski Odom.
Women's Mile 2:20 p.m.
THE FIELD: Amy Wickus, Cheri Kenah, Juli Henner, Jamie King, Carmen Douma,
Danielle Thornal. Additional athletes TBA.
THE SCOOP: The field is led by top American distance runners Cheri Kenah and
Amy Wickus. A World Championships finalist at 5,000 meters in 1999, Kenah
graduated high school from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and is married to
Montclair, N.J., native Rich Kenah, making her the local hero in this race. A
former NCAA champion, Wickus brings sharp 800-meter speed to the field. Juli
Henner, a 1996 Olympian at 1,500 meters, is entered as well.
Pontiac Grand Prix Men's 400 meters 2:30 p.m.
THE FIELD: Angelo Taylor, Antonio Pettigrew, Jerome Young, James Carter,
Michael McDonald, Jerome Davis.
THE SCOOP: Olympic gold medalists Angelo Taylor, Antonio Pettigrew and Jerome
Young will do battle with a fine field that also includes U.S. Olympian James
Carter (4th, 400m hurdles) and Jamaican Olympian Michael McDonald. Taylor won
the 400m hurdles at the 2000 Olympics, then ran in the rounds of the 4x400
relay at Sydney to win a second gold medal. After the Olympics, he won the
IAAF Grand Prix 400 hurdles and has world-class speed in the open 400. Young
also ran in the 4x400 rounds, while Pettigrew ran the second leg in the final
on the gold medal-winning Team USA relay. Pettigrew is the veteran in the
field and will use his famous stretch run to try to snare victory.
Men's Mile 2:40 p.m.
THE FIELD: Seneca Lassiter, Matt Holthaus, Karl Paranya, Daniel Caulfield,
Charlie Gruber, Scott Anderson, Sam Gebremarian, Brendan Rogers, Leonard
Mucheru, Muhammed Amyn. Possible additions TBA.
THE SCOOP: Seneca Lassiter had the best season of his sparkling career
indoors in 2001, posting the fastest indoor mile time by an American since
1985 when he ran 3:54.21 at the Tyson Invitational. Lassiter went on to win
his first U.S. Indoor mile title, then placed sixth in the 1,500 at the World
Indoor Championships. The deep field at the GST Open also includes top
Americans Matt Holthaus and Karl Paranya, Kenyan Leonard Mucheru, Moroccan
Muhammed Amyn and some of the East's best collegiate milers.
Men's 100 meters 2:50 p.m.
THE FIELD: J.J. Johnson, Patrick Jarrett, Marcel Carter. Additional athletes
TBA.
THE SCOOP: An international field of young up-and-comers should make for a
down-to-the-wire event. American J.J. Johnson ran a very quick, wind-aided
time of 10.10 seconds at the Texas Relays and should be a factor at
Princeton. Jamaican Patrick Jarrett and American Marcel Carter should also
mix it up.
Verizon Women's 100 meters 3 p.m.
THE FIELD: Marion Jones, LaTasha Jenkins, Sevatheda Fynes, Merlene Frazer,
Passion Richardson, Tonya Carter, Jennifer Wilson.
THE SCOOP: Marion Jones makes her 2001 debut in the 100 meters here at the
GST Open. The dominant 100m runner in the world since her return to
world-class track in 1997, Jones, has won two world championships (1997, '99)
and an Olympic gold medal in the event. Princeton marks the starting point of
her quest for an unbelievable third-straight world championship. LaTasha
Jenkins, who won the silver medal in the 200 at the 2001 World Indoor
Championships and was on the Team USA 4x200 relay that set the world record
last year, opened her outdoor season with an impressive time of 11.02 last
weekend at the Georgia Invitational. Jenkins should provide a challenge to
Jones, as well as Sevatheda Fynes of the Bahamas and Merlene Frazer of
Jamaica. Fynes was seventh in the 100 at the Olympics and won a gold medal in
the 4x100m relay, running lead-off for the Bahamas. Frazer won Olympic silver
by running in the first two rounds of the 4x100 relay for Jamaica. USA
Olympic 4x100m bronze medalist Passion Richardson is in the field as well.
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