July 18, 2002
(INDIANAPOLIS) Twenty six clubs led by top contenders - Greater Boston, Indiana Invaders, Nashville Elite and North Carolina Elite - will battle for national team titles at the second annual USA National Track & Field Club Championships in Bloomington, Indiana on July 20, 2002.

In the men's competition, the projected point spread between top ranked Nashville Elite and Greater Boston is a mere 22 points. The final events of the USA Club Championships - the 4X100, 4X800, Sprint Medley, Distance Medley, and the 4X400 - are again most likely to be the determining factor in who will capture the men's team title.

Nashville Elite - the reigning men's team champion - returns to the Club Championships with an even larger and more dangerous roster in their quest to become the 2-time defending men's champions. The 2001 Men's National Team Title was won by Nashville Elite's mere 0.10 second win over Maryland Elite in the final relay, resulting in a slim four point margin of victory. Nashville Elite, with a growing roster of aspiring Olympians, became a formal club in 2001 due to their desire to compete at the Club Championships.

Greater Boston edged out the home team, the Indiana Invaders, in 2001 by 5 points to take third in the men's competition. Like Nashville Elite, Greater Boston has more than doubled their contingent of combatants and has the ability to more than quadruple their overall points total this year. Greater Boston's commitment to bringing the Traveling Helmet Trophy back to New England makes them an even larger factor in the men's battle. Greater Boston will be a dangerous force to be reckoned with this year and is the the top ranked team from the east coast.

The Indiana Invaders, the defending overall National Team Champion and Women's National Team Champion, have joined the growing arms race at the Club Championships with a significant build-up and escalation in their forces. In addition to adding Olympic Shot Putter Steve Ercegovac to the roster, the Invaders have added Drake Relays Triple Jump Champion Marc Dzradosi. Invaders' Olympian Kirt Thompson, the Top Male Performer from 2001, also returns to compete in the javelin.

Club Championships newcomer, Lords of the Rings from Wisconsin, have thrown their hat into the ring with their first appearance at the Club Championships and will be a significant challenger to returning Club Northwest, with both in contention for a spot in the top five overall along with North Carolina Elite. Club Northwest along with North Carolina Elite and the Indiana Invaders are in a three-way race, in the men's battle for third, with a projected point spread of a mere nine points.

In the women's title race, the Indiana Invaders' have a slim point spread of 35 points over Greater Boston. The race for the overall National Team Title appears to be between Greater Boston, with a projected point spread of 10 points over the Indiana Invaders.

Invaders' Team Director Greg Harger said, "All the cliche expressions apply as anything can happen at a championship and the growth efforts by several returning teams is going to make this meet a lot of fun for all of us that hold the dream of a viable, competitive club system. The emerging club system has enormous potential to grow. Athlete participation has increased 75% over the first year. Interest from both athletes and clubs along with support from local communities is the key to building a competitive club system that encourages and supports aspiring Olympians and their sport peers that may never reach those lofty levels of performance."

TOP 6 OVERALL PREDICTED POINTS LEADERS:
Greater Boston       289
Indiana Invaders     279
Nashville Elite      166
North Carolina Elite 162
Lords of the Rings   108
Club Northwest       99

TOP 6 MEN'S PREDICTIONS:
Nashville Elite      166
Greater Boston       144
Indiana Invaders     99
Club Northwest       99
North Carolina Elite 90
Lords of the Rings   56

TOP 5 WOMEN'S PREDICTIONS:
Indiana Invaders     180
Greater Boston       145
North Carolina Elite 72
Lords of the Rings   52
Firebird TC          24