Erin Nehus

May 6, 2007
(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders hit the roads and regional tracks this weekend with three top 10 finishes at the largest half marathon in the United States leading the notable efforts.

At the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon on May 5th, 2007, the Invaders’ three Top 10 athletes were Erin Nehus taking fourth with a time of 1:17:40 in the women’s race while Abdelaziz Atmani was sixth (1:06:18) and John Ngigi ninth (1:07:14) in the men’s race. John Poray, 14th place (1:08:38), and Ted Turner, 15th place (1:09:17), rounded out the Invaders’ notable performances.

On the track, the Invaders posted four wins over the weekend. At Friday evening’s Billy Hayes Invitational on May 4th, 2007, hosted by Indiana University, the Invaders were led by Hunter Spencer with a win in the 1500 (3:46.27) and the duo of Chris Thomas and Ron Andrews who went 1-2 in the 110 meter hurdles with times of 14.02 and 14.16 respectively. Saturday, May 5th at Butler University’s Twilight Meet, the hurdle pair of Thomas and Andrews faced negative winds for the second day, but posted their third consecutive 1-2 finish over the 110 meter hurdles with marks of 13.88 and 14.15 seconds respectively. Saturday efforts wrapped up for the Invaders with competition in the Jesse Owens Classic at Ohio State University. The Invaders were led by Julia Rudd with a win in the 3000 meter steeplechase (10:28.35). Marc Dzradosi was second in the triple jump and Ricardo Bell third in the 800.

Team Director, Greg Harger, said, "The eighth largest running event in the United States, the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, is a great Indianapolis community event to reference the talents of Indiana athletes against those of top international athletes. Three Top 10 finishes are good for our roster, but we're looking to make an even greater impact in the coming years." Harger added, "Indiana has in recent years continually generated a great up-and-coming pool of talent and we hope to help foster fulfillment of that talent after college by increasing the retention and support for long distance runners through coordinated Indiana efforts and resources."

The Invaders had 16 athletes qualify for both the 2000 and the 2004 US Olympic Trials. To date, seven Invaders’ athletes have posted Olympic Trials qualifying marks for the 2008 US Olympic Trials.

OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon:
http://www.500festival.com/marathon/

Since 1999 the Invaders have had one IAAF World Indoor Champion, one IAAF World Indoor Bronze Medalist, eight USA National Champions, one USA Olympic Team Member, nine USA National Team Members and 132 USA National Championship Qualifiers.

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.