www.baa.org/

October 26, 2001
(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders women's team will face the defending national cross country champions, B.A.A. Running Club, in the 12th edition of the Boston Mayor's Cup at Franklin Park, Boston on October 28th. The match-up will be a prelude to the USA National Club Championships in Mobile, Alabama on December 1st.

The Mayor’s Cup is regarded as one of the East Coast’s premier cross country events. Now in its 12th year, the Mayor’s Cup annually draws a deep and competitive field of harriers. Teams competing also include Reebok Boston, Greater Boston TC, and the Syracuse Chargers along with a strong field of collegiate teams.

"For us it's a month out from nationals. Both teams are looking for a strong competitive effort in going after the title on both sides. We are going to be a very strong force to be reckoned with," said coach Chris Buhler. For the Invaders, Boston is going to be a bigger battle than in New York where the team dominated the Genesee Valley Harriers' Cross Country Invitational with a 17 point win in the women's 5,000 race.

Collette Liss, a 3-time national champion, will lead the Invaders. Liss won the 2001 indoor mile title, 2001 5K Road title, and the 1999 fall national cross country title.

Liss will be joined by a very strong core of teammates in Priscilla Hein, Kelly French, Susie Motl, Keisha Banks, and Kathy Kadziolka. Hein placed 10th at the 2001 World Cross Country Trials, French finished fourth at the 2000 Canadian Olympic Trials in the 1500, and Kadziolka won the 10,000 at the 2001 edition of the Drake Relays.

On the men's side, the Invaders will run five for the first time this season. Rick Sluder, Todd Moroney, Phil Hudnall, Gareth Wilford, and Eddie Nehus will represent the Invaders. The men finished fifth at the National Club Championship in 2000. The Invaders men's team, while off to a slower start than the formidable women's squad, expects to have an improved team in Mobile, Alabama on December 1st for the USATF Club National Cross Country Championships.

Rick Sluder, the 2000 6th place finisher at the USATF Club National Cross Country Championships, will lead the Invaders men's team.

TEAM BACKGROUNDS:
B.A.A. Running Club - The Boston Athletic Association, is New England's oldest running club and one of the country's first athletic organizations, founded in 1887. The majority of the U.S. team at the first modern Olympics, held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, was comprised of B.A.A. members, who won six gold medals. From its immediate early success to the present day, the B.A.A. Running Club has enjoyed a rich tradition of athletic accomplishment. http://www.baa.org/

Indiana Invaders - A field & track team founded in 1998, comprised of elite athletes, competing in USA Track & Field National Championship competitions in Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, and the marathon. In 2001, the team, in its third full year of competition, won the USA National Track & Field Club Championship and the Women's National Track & Field Club Title. In 2001, 22 Indiana Invaders' athletes qualified for outdoor nationals in 29 different events. The team is comprised of men and women in all track & field events and are residents of Indiana and in most cases live and train in Indianapolis.

For additional information on the Indiana Invaders, please contact Greg Harger at 317 289-4018 or online at: (email)