Five IUP track and field athletes have made the cut for the NCAA Division II national championship meet May 26-28 in Charlotte, N.C.

The IUP quintet will be led by reigning All-Americans Sean Strauman and Rob Conrad.  Strauman will compete in the 800 meters and Conrad will throw the javelin.  Pole vaulter Troy Litten gives the Crimson Hawks three men at nationals.

On the women’s side, Casie Williams qualified in the high jump and Maureen Newell earned a spot in the 1500 meters.  A third IUP woman, Nicole Blaesser, was ranked seventh in the nation in the 10,000 meters but will not compete due to an injury.

Strauman (right) is seeded fourth in the 800 with a school- and PSAC-meet record time of 1:49.63.  He has won six straight conference titles in the event (three indoor and three outdoor) and is a three-time All-America, including a second place finish at the NCAA indoor meet in March when he came within one second of the national championship.

Strauman was eighth at the 2006 NCAA indoor meet and seventh at the outdoor meet last spring.  He was the 2007 PSAC Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, is a two-time recipient of the PSAC Top 10 award which combines academic and athletic excellence and was an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II second team choice last year.

Conrad (left) is seventh in the nation in the javelin with a season-best throw of 207 feet, 4 inches.  He earned All-America honors last spring, finishing eighth with a throw of 208-9.  Conrad has scored in the event at the PSAC meet each of the past two seasons, including a third place finish in 2006 and a fourth place showing earlier this month.

Litten (right) is 13^th nationally in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 16 feet, ¾ inches.  He won the PSAC title at both the indoor and outdoor meets this season and was also third in the decathlon at the outdoor championships this spring.  Litten was IUP’s first ever indoor conference champion in the pole vault and first at the outdoor meet since Doug Johnson won it in 1991 and 1992.

Williams (left) is the 17^th-ranked high jumper in the nation, earning a spot at nationals on the final day of qualifying when she jumped 5 feet, 7 ¾ inches at the Allegheny Invitational last Thursday.  She won the PSAC outdoor title in the high jump last season and was third in the long jump and sixth in the high jump at the conference outdoor meet this year.

Newell (right) qualified for the 1500 meters in the 16^th spot with a best time of 4:40.08.  She scored in two events for IUP at this year’s PSAC outdoor meet, placing third in the 1500 and eighth in the 800.

<back to top>