Notre Dame Women's Track & Field Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Alan Wasielewski 219-631-7516

NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- 
WHO: Notre Dame women's track and field team
WHAT: First weekend of the 2001 outdoor season
WHERE: Stanford Invitational, Palo Alto, Calif.
Arizona State Invitational, Tempe, Ariz.
Purdue Open, West Lafayette, Ind.
WHEN: Fri., March 30  - Sat., March 31

	Irish will compete at three different venues this weekend: The
University of Notre Dame women's track and field team begins the 2001
outdoor season this weekend, splitting into three different groups to
compete across the country. A small group of distance runners will be going
to Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational, another limited group
will be traveling to Tempe, Ariz., for the Arizona State Invitational and
the rest of the team will be in West Lafayette, Ind., for the Purdue Open.
	The Irish are returning to outdoor competition after two
consecutive third place finishes (best in school history) in the 1999 and
2000 BIG EAST outdoor championships. Notre Dame is bolstered by a talented
group of young athletes - as most of the individuals who scored at the BIG
EAST championship last year return in 2001.
	Junior Liz Grow (New Braunfels, Texas) returns to lead the sprint
group once again. The indoor All-American holds the school record in the
400 meters (53.10) and posted the team's top times in the 100 and 200
meters as well last season. Grow finished seventh in the 400 meters at the
2000 NCAA outdoor championship.
	Grow will also anchor an improved 4x100 relay team this year.
Freshman sprinters Ayesha Boyd (Spartanburg, SC) and Kristen Dodd (Toledo,
Ohio) should contend to be on the top relay team along with sophomore
Tameisha King (Mableton, Ga.).
	King will be out to repeat her All-America finish in the long jump
from last season. The Irish school record holder, she also is expected to
put up some impressive times in the 100-meter hurdles. King finished second
in the long jump at the 2000 BIG EAST outdoor championship and took sixth
place in the 100-meter hurdles.
	Senior Carrie Lenz (London, Ontario) will help out with the
400-meter hurdles after placing fourth in the BIG EAST last season.
	In the distance lane, Jenn Handley (Barrie, Ontario) returns with
the top time in the 3,000 meters last season. Senior Chrissy Kuenster
(Wheaton, Ill.), who was one of the most consistent runners for the Irish
during the indoor season, should be a contender in the 5,000 meters on the
outdoor tracks. Freshman Megan Johnson (Seattle, Wa.), who ran the mile
during the indoor season, has the ability to be among the leaders all
season in the 1,500 meters.
	For the field events, the Irish will be counting on a deep roster
in the pole vault and King in the long jump to keep the team in contention.
School-record holder Jaime Volkmer (Kearney, Neb.) will make a push for an
NCAA consideration mark each time she steps on the runway this season.
Volkmer cleared 11-9 3/4 as a freshman last season and won the BIG EAST
outdoor pole vault title. Bethany Wilson (San Rafael, Calif.), Jill
VanWeelden (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Natalie Hallett (Huntington Beach,
Calif.) also possess the ability to win each pole vault competition they
enter this season.
	School-record holder Andre Duplechain (Port Barre, La.) returns for
her second season of competition in the javelin while heptathlon specialist
Emily Bienko (Tranquillity, NJ) can also provide some important meet points
for the Irish.
List of competitors for this weekend's meets:
	Stanford Invitational: Jennifer Handley, Chrissy Kuenster, Todd
Mobley, Sean McManus and Ryan Shay. 		Arizona State Invitational:
Ayesha Boyd, Kristen Dodd, Liz Grow, Megan Johnson, Tameisha King, Kymia
Love, Jill VanWeelden, Jaime Volkmer, James Bracken, Andrew Cooper, Travis
Davey, Derek Dyer, Tom Gilbert, Mike Madigan, Godwin Mbagwu, Matt O'Brien,
Kevin Somok, Sean Zanderson.


Alan Wasielewski, Publicity Assistant
University of  Notre Dame Sports Information
112 Joyce Center, Second Floor
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(219) 631-3397/(219) 631-7941 (fax)
cell phone: 219-315-5746
E-mail: [email protected]

Excelsior!