June 15, 2006
(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders will compete at the 2006 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 22-25, 2006. This is the Invaders' eighth appearance at the USA Outdoor Championships where over the course of their first eight seasons of competition at USA Track & Field National Championships, the Indiana Invaders have produced 121 athlete appearances and 8 qualifying efforts for USA National Teams.

The Invaders are led into the 2006 championships by Adam Shunk (Delta, Muncie, Ind.), a graduate student at Ball State University, who is currently fourth on the United States performance list in the high jump for the national championships. Shunk is the reigning USA National Indoor Champion in the high jump and was a 2004 Olympic Trials finalist. Shunk currently competes under a NIKE affiliation.

Joining Shunk are teammates Dameion Smith (hammer throw), Jacob Koczman (800), Ricardo Bell (800), Garland Porter (hammer throw), Erin Nehus (10,000), and Stephanie Dueringer (10,000).

Dameion Smith, a graduate of the University of Indianapolis, was an Olympic Trials participant in 2004 and rolls into the championship competition with the 7th best entry mark. Jacob Koczman, a 2004 Olympic Trials Finalist, will compete in the 800 where he has a career best of 1:47.06. Ricardo Bell comes into the meet off of a breakthrough indoor season where he finished 6th in the USA Indoor National Championships.

Team Director Greg Harger said, "This is a great opportunity for our team to compete in front of our home community. It's exciting to have the championships in your own community and it should be a great week of competition for many from Indiana." Coach Harger added, "Indiana has a great pipeline of young athletic talent, and with focused support and encouragement they have as much as a right to expect future berths on US National Teams and US Olympic Teams as that of athletes from any other part of the country. As we continue to improve our recruiting efforts, sponsorship development efforts, and coaching efforts we look to have a larger impact when we return next year and especially as we head into the 2008 Olympic year. This is a great kick off to the beginning of a push to the Olympic Trials and Olympic Games of 2008."

2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2006/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/

The Indiana Invaders, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998, presents an innovative approach to track & field by providing a resident-based, athlete-centered support system unique to the sport in the United States.