UNPRECEDENTED SEVEN BLUEJAY ATHLETES COMPETE AT TRACK NATIONALS;
HARTMANN PLACES IN TOP 10 NATIONALLY FOR SECOND TIME THIS YEAR
FULL MEET RESULTS
           
     DECATUR, Ill - May 29, 2001 - A school-record seven members of the Elmhurst College track and field team qualified for and participated in the NCAA Division III National Championships last Thursday-Saturday (May 24-26), at Millikin University in Decatur.
     "We are very proud of each of our athletes who represented Elmhurst College at the national championships," Head Men's Coach Bob Schultz said. "With only 16 athletes in the country qualifying per event (on average), just getting there is a huge accomplishment."
    Unfortunately, several of the athletes were unable to conquer some monumental-meet jitters, and none of them placed in their respective events. Freshman high jumper John Hartmann (Island Lake-Wauconda) fared best for Elmhurst with a 10th-place finish. Hartmann, who placed seventh nationally at the Indoor National Championships four months ago, tied for 10th place, while senior Nelson Grant (Homewood-Homewood-Flossmoor) was 12th. Both of them cleared 6'7".
     In the 100-meter dash, freshman John McMillian (Miami, Fla.-South Miami) placed fourth in his preliminary heat, but failed to qualify for the finals. However, all three athletes who finished ahead of him in his heat advanced to the finals and were named All-Americans.
     Junior Jim Akita (Elmhurst-York) placed 16th in the 10,000 meters with a time of 33:36.46.
     "We only had one senior, so it was a great experience for our younger athletes who qualified," Schultz said. "The future looks very bright for our program."
     On the women's side, freshman twins Erin and Kathleen Brice (Elk Grove-H.S.) both finished 18th in their respective events. In the 5,000-meter run, Erin finished in 18:00.71, while Kathleen recorded a time of 10:17.91 in the 3,000 meters.
     In the 10,000 meters, sophomore Adrien Ricci (Sandwich-H.S.) placed 20th in 38:30.50.
     "Obviously I am disappointed in the outcome, but the good news is that all three women are young," Head Women's Coach Erik Guta said. "It was great to get the experience at their age so they can use it in the future. They know what to expect and will be ready the next few years."