INDIANAPOLIS – More than 800 of the nation’s finest masters athletes featuring 77 reigning World Indoor champions, 34 current World Outdoor champions and numerous Olympians will compete March 4-6 at the 2011 USA Indoor Masters Track and Field Championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M.  
 
The meet will feature athletes ranging in age from 35-96 in a display of speed, strength, and endurance for all ages. Track events will range from 60 meters to 3,000 meters, while field events will include the full range of indoor jumps and throws. 
 
All-time great Raschker headlines the field
Standout performers slated to compete at the championships include Two-time Sullivan Award Finalist, Philippa Raschker.  The Hall of Famer from Marietta, Georgia —twice over the past six years a Sullivan Award finalist as America’s top amateur athlete—along with Apolo Ohno, Lebron James, and Michael Phelps -- and the most decorated masters athlete in history — made news off the track in late 2010 by posing nude (tastefully) for ESPN the Magazine’s second annual Body Issue.  She won ten gold medals at the 2007 World Masters Championships and nine medals at the 2010 Indoor Worlds, which included seven gold medals. She’s entered here in the W60 age-group in seven events (60m, 200m, 60m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump and triple jump). 

Another featured athlete to watch this weekend is M60 Nolan Shaheed, who is a world class jazz musician that played lead trumpet for all-time greats Dizzie Gillespie, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye.  Shaheed earned Southern Californian male USATF Masters Athlete of the Year honors in 2010 (along with Ralph Maxwell) and should duck under the 5-minute barrier in the mile, where he holds the world indoor record of 4:57.06. He’s already run 4:58.21 this season. He’s also entered in the 800m and 3,000m.
 

Olympians entered in the championships include: 

W45 Patricia Porter of Albuquerque, who tied for eighth in the high jump in the Seoul Olympics in 1988 as University of Oregon alumna Trish King.  She is married to 1984 and 1988 10 km Olympian Pat Porter. Here she’ll compete in the shot put, high jump, long jump and 60m hurdles. 

M45 Christopher "Chris" Faulknor: An Olympian for Jamaica in 1988, Faulknor ran the leadoff leg of his 4x100 relay team, which took fourth and set a national record. He’s the founder of the Southern California Running Cougars youth track team and coaches at Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, Calif. 

Age is no factor!


The oldest athletes entered are both legends:  San Diego’s Leland McPhie, 96, and Betty Jarvis of Aberdeen, N.C, 95, who hold dozens of records between them. McPhie boasts world records in the high jump, long jump and triple jump in his age group. Jarvis holds 13 American age-group records in the throws. 

ATHLETES TO WATCH IN ALBUQUERQUE, By Age Group:  

M45 Chris Bates: Oregon resident set a stunning world indoor record of 3,979 points in the pentathlon at Kamloops a year ago. He’s entered in that event here as well as the 60-meter hurdles, high jump and long jump. 

M50 Bruce McBarnette: Virginia resident is the defending world outdoor and indoor champion. A 2010 inductee to the USATF Masters Hall of Fame, he has raised the age-group American record in the outdoor high jump at least 11 times. It’s currently at 1.94 meters/6 feet 4.25. He also holds the indoor M50 record of 1.93m/6-4. 

M60 Bill Collins: Moving into a new age group, the Texan who boasts several world masters sprint records, will go after new age-group bests in the 60, 200 and 400m. Outdoors, he owns world 100m records in three age groups. He’ll try to add the M60 indoor 60m record to his M55 world record. In 2007, Collins was named World Masters Athlete of the Year.  

M65 Stephen Robbins: An Ohio resident and business-management textbook author, Robbins is a 2005 inductee in the USATF Masters Hall of Fame, having won countless sprint titles on the world level and set many records. He’s entered in the 60m and 200m, and holds the American record in the 60m of 8.04 seconds. He is also entered in the 200m. 

M90 Ralph Maxwell:  Texan shared Male USATF Masters Athlete of the Year award in 2010 after setting world records in the indoor 60m hurdles and the outdoor 80m and 200m hurdles. At Albuquerque, he’ll run the hurdles as part of the pentathlon and also is entered in the 60m, 200m, high jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault and shot put. 

M90 Orville Rogers:  Another Texan will challenge Maxwell in the 60m, 200m and shot put, and also will compete in his better events — the 400m, 800m, mile and 3,000m. Rogers holds M90 world indoor records in the 800m (4:19.97) and mile (9:56.58). 

W45 Renee Henderson:  A New Jersey resident and a Lahti world champion in 2009, Henderson is the top-ranked America in all sprint events and is entered in the 60m and 200m. She holds American indoor records in the 60m, 200m and 400m and American outdoor records in the 100m and 200m.  

W50 Liz Palmer: Northern Californian set American outdoor record in the 80m hurdles last summer and will be going after Phil Raschker’s age-group American record in the 60m hurdles of 9.38 seconds.  At an outdoor all-comers meet in February, she ran the 60m hurdles in 9.36. She’s also entered in the 60m and 200m. 

W50 Oneitha “Neni” (pronounced knee-knee) Lewis: The New Yorker was named overall USATF Masters Athlete of the Year in 2010 on the strength of an incredible debut year in the W50 age group. She shattered world records in the hammer, weight and throws pentathlon. She also topped the American records in the superweight and ultraweight pentathlon. She’s entered in the shot put, weight throw and superweight — and will face competition from world champion Carol Finsrud. 

W55 Rita Hanscom: The San Diegan broke the world heptathlon record, won a fistful of gold medals at the Lahti world championships in 2009 and finished that season by being named IAAF Masters Athlete of the Year. She resumed her title chase in 2010, winning four gold medals and a silver at Kamloops. Here she’s entered in the 60m, 200m, 400m, 60m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump and pentathlon. 

W65 Nadine O’Connor: The suburban San Diegan and Hall of Famer holds the world record in the outdoor 100m, and her vault marks are so off the charts that she regularly beats women 15 years her junior. In 2009, she scored the highest point total in the decathlon of anyone on earth: 10,234 points under an old scoring system.  Here she’s entered in the 60m, 200m, 60m hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put and pentathlon. 

W70 Kathy Bergen: The Southern Californian and Hall of Famer set world records in the high jump in 2010. Better known for her prowess as a sprinter, Bergen is the fastest woman over 70 in the world and her 2010 world outdoor record for 100m (14.76 seconds) was run into a wind. Here she’s entered in the 60m, 200m and high jump. 

W75 Mary Harada: The Massachusetts resident and Hall of Famer ran an indoor mile in 8:21.50 in January — 5 seconds under the listed world record.  Her outdoor world age-group record of 7:55.74, set last June, shows she has potential to go sub-8 in Albuquerque. She’s also entered in the 800m and 3,000m. 

2010 WORLD MASTERS INDOOR CHAMPIONS (AT KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA) COMPETING IN ALBUQUERQUE (WITH ENTERED EVENTS):
 

W35 Dena Birade (60)W35 Helen Croskell (pole vault)

W35 Latrica Dendy (200, 400, 800)

W35 Isabelle Dierauer (60, 200, long jump, triple jump, shot put)

W35 Latashia Key (800, mile, 3000)W40 Lisa Daley (60, 200, 400, 60 hurdles)

W40 Maryline Roux (200, 400)W45 Sheryl Miller (mile, 3000)

W45 Gail Kuhnly (60, 200,400)

W45 Patricia Porter (60 hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put)

W45 Susan Wiemer (60 hurdles, shot put, pentathlon)

W50 Linn Dunton (shot put, weight, superweight)

W50 Julie Hayden (400, 800)W50 Liz Palmer (60, 200, 60 hurdles)

W50 Joy Upshaw (60, 200, 60 hurdles, long jump)

W55 Linda Cohn (60, long jump, triple jump, shot put, weight, superweight)

W55 Rita Hanscom (60, 200, 400, 60 hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, pentathlon) 

W55 Kathryn Martin (800, mile, 3000)W60 Brenda Matthews (60, 200, long jump, shot put) 

W60 Phil Raschker (60, 200, 60 hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump)

W70 Jeanne Daprano (60, 200, 400, 800)

W75 Christel Donley (high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put, pentathlon)

W75 Mary Harada (800, mile, 3000)

W75 Mary Roman (60, high jump, shot put, weight, superweight)

W85 Johnnye Valien (60, long jump, shot put, weight) 

M35 Andrew Hogue (400, 800, 60 hurdles, high jump, long jump, pentathlon)

M35 Alfy Pettes (60, 200, long jump, high jump, shot put)

M40 Nicholas Berra (800, mile)M40 Don Drummond (60, 60 hurdles)

M40 Robert Thomas (60, 200, 400)

M45 Chris Bates (60 hurdles, high jump, long jump, pentathlon)

M45 Francis Burdett (mile, 3000)M45 Jeff Bott (shot put)

M45 David Jones (60, 200, 400)M45 Marcus Shute (60, 200, 400)

M45 Aaron Thigpen (60, 200)M50 David Cannon (mile, 3000)

M50 James Chinn (200, 400)M50 Tony DiSalvo (60, 200)

M50 Kenneth Eaton (60, 60 hurdles)

M50 Brian Hankerson (high jump, long jump, triple jump)

M50 Bennie James (200, 400)M50 Ken Jansson (weight)

M50 Jeff Lindsay (800)M50 Bruce McBarnette (high jump)

M50 Dexter McCloud (60 hurdles)M50 David McFadgen (triple jump)

M50 Kenneth Thomas (200, long jump, pentathlon)

M50 Michael Waller (60, 200, 400)

M50 Michael Wolfe (400, 800)

M55 Kirk Bentz (pole vault, long jump, triple jump)

M55 Jim Broun (60 hurdles)

M55 Archie Glaspy (200, 400)

M55 George Haywood (200, 400)

M55 William Murray (60 hurdles, high jump, long jump)

M60 Bill Collins (60, 200, 400)M60 Vance Jacobson (60, 60 hurdles, long jump)

M60 Hank Konen  (weight, superweight)

M60 Tim Muller (shot, weight, superweight)

M60 Leo Sanders  (60, 200, 400, weight, superweight)

M60 Nolan Shaheed (800, mile, 3000)M60 Todd Taylor (weight, superweight)

M65 Robert Baker (60 hurdles, pole vault, triple jump, pentathlon)

M65 Howard Booth (60, 200, pole vault, long jump)M65 Robert Cahners (weight, superweight)

M65 Frederick Johnston (60 hurdles)

M65 Joe Johnston (200, 60 hurdles, high jump, pole vault)

M65 Roger Pierce (60, 200, 400)

M70 Robert Fulton (60 hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, pentathlon)

M70 Sid Howard (800, mile)M70 Richard McKisson (60, 60 hurdles, triple jump)

M70 James Paddie (60, 200, high jump)

M75 Robert Hewitt (400, 60 hurdles, long jump, triple jump)

M75 Dick Richards (60, pole vault, long jump)M80 Jerry Donley (60, high jump, pole vault) 

M80 Gerald Wojcik (shot put, weight, superweight)

M90 Orville Rogers (60, 200, 400, 800, mile, 3000, shot put) 

2009 WORLD MASTERS OUTDOOR CHAMPIONS (AT LAHTI, FINLAND) COMPETING IN ALBUQUERQUE (WITH ENTERED EVENTS): 

W35 Latrica Dendy (200, 400, 800)

W35 Maurelhena Walles (200, 400)W40 Lisa Daley (60, 200, 400, 60 hurdles)

W40 Charmaine Roberts (400, 800)

W40 Lisa Valle (800, mile, 3000)W45 Renee Henderson (60, 200)

W50 Carol Finsrud (shot, weight, superweight)

W50 Martha Mendenhall (60, high jump)

W55 Linda Cohn (60, long jump, triple jump, shot put, weight, superweight)

W55 Rita Hanscom (60, 200, 400, 60 hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, pentathlon)

W65 Darlene Backlund (400, 3K walk)

W65 Kathleen Frable (200, 400, 3K walk)

W65 Jolene Steigerwalt (800, 3K walk)

W70 Jeanne Daprano (60, 200, 400, 800)W75

Mary Harada (800, mile, 3000)

W85 Johnnye Valien (60, long jump, shot put, weight) 

M40 Karl Hawke (high jump, triple jump, pentathlon)

M40 Eric Prince (60, 200, 400)

M40 Robert Thomas (60, 200, 400)

M45 Eric Merriweather (60, 200)

M45 Marcus Shute (60, 200, 400)

M50 James Chinn (200, 400)M50 Bennie James (200, 400)

M50 Jeff Lindsay (800)

M50 Bruce McBarnette (high jump)

M50 Kenneth Thomas (200, long jump, pentathlon)

M55 William Murray (60 hurdles, high jump, long jump)

M60 Thaddeus Wilson (60, 60 hurdles, long jump, pentathlon)

M65 Richard Campbell (3K walk)

M65 Norman Frable (high jump, 3K walk)

M65 Glenn Sasser (shot put)

M70 Sid Howard (800, mile)

M70 Emil Pawlik (60, 60 hurdles, high jump, long jump, pentathlon)

M75 Dick Richards (60, pole vault, long jump)
 

For media trackside athlete interviews and more information, contact Bob Weiner, USATF National Masters Media Chair, at weinerpublic@comcast.net or cells 202-306-1200 or 202-329-1700. Media may arrange advance credentialing or see Bob trackside and show media organization credentials. Press release courtesy of Bob Weiner, Ken Stone and Pete Taylor. 

For Olympians and World Champions competing AND local NM athlete lists, see full release at http://www.weinerpublic.com/20110227.doc or PDF

 

For schedule of events, athletes list, and other information:  

http://www.usatf.org/events/2011/USAMastersIndoorTFChampionships/index.asp.