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	May 15, 2002 Eight Haven Tracksters Set For National Championship Meet
	(l-r): Brianna Bair, Chris Cowan, Jennifer Farrow, Jana Kauffman, Sandy Ritz, Matt Sauls, Nick Slotterback, Matt Stinson
	(Lock Haven, Pa.) - A school-record eight student-athletes from the Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania men's and women's track and field teams have earned a trip to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. This year’s championships are from May 23-25 and are hosted by Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Eight is the most competitors Lock Haven has ever sent to the national meet, topping last year's record of six. The following athletes qualified in their respective events: Matt Sauls (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) (800 meters), Brianna Bair (Howard, Pa./Bellefonte) (javelin), Jennifer Farrow (Canton, Pa./Athens) (400 meters), Matt Stinson (Wescosville, Pa./Emmaus) (decathlon), Sandy Ritz (West Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) (long jump), Nick Slotterback (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) (javelin), Jana Kauffman (Strasburg, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) (1500 meters), and Chris Cowan (Horseheads, N.Y./Thomas A. Edison) (10,000 meters). Senior and two-time All-American Matthew Sauls returns to the national championships for his fourth year in pursuit of the 800 meter title. Sauls was the NCAA Division II national champion in the event in 1999 and is looking to recapture that crown. He is a three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion in the 800 meters, winning it his third time this season. His personal best in the 800 meters this year is 1:51.60, recorded at the LHU Qualifier.
	In the sprints, Jennifer Farrow is set to earn her second All-America honor in as many years in the 400-meter dash. Farrow is the three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion in the event, and set a new all-time PSAC and LHU mark (55.13) this season as well as breaking the PSAC championship record, running a 55.24 in the finals. Brianna Bair and Nick Slotterback will both be representing LHU in the javelin. Bair is a two-time All-American in the javelin and as a senior, will be looking to capture her third certificate. This season, her best throw was a distance of 141’9” at the Susquehanna Invitational. This is Slotterback's first showing in the championships. He is currently ranked third in the nation after throwing 217' 02” at the PSAC championship meet. Also making first-time appearances at the national championships are Sandy Ritz, Matt Stinson, Jana Kauffman, and Chris Cowan. Ritz has qualified in the long jump, leaping to a season-best distance of 19' 2.50". She won the PSAC title in the event this year in both indoor and outdoor track and field championships. Stinson will be competing in the decathlon for Lock Haven. He is currently ranked eighth in the nation, scoring a season-best 6,837 points. He did not compete in the event at this year’s PSAC meet, but earned the conference championship in the event in 2001. Lock Haven is sending two runners in the distance events. Jana Kauffman will be representing LHU in the 1,500-meter run. She won her first outdoor title in the event at this year’s conference meet in a winning time of 4:37.35. Cowan is continuing an outstanding freshman year with his performance in the 10,000 meters. He is currently ranked ninth in the nation with 30:05.76 recorded at the Penn Relays. He is coming off a second-place finish in the event at the PSAC championships. The Lock Haven men's and women's track and field teams ended the season at the PSAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships last weekend. There, the women's team won its first outdoor title, while the men took third overall.
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