05-10-2005

Contact:

Melvin Jackson II

Communications Coordinator

USA Track & Field

317-261-0478 x322

INDIANAPOLIS - Galen Rupp has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after he set an American 10,000m junior record Saturday at the Oregon Twilight Meet in Eugene.

A University of Oregon freshman, Rupp ran 28 minutes, 15.51 seconds to better the 29-year-old record of 28:32.7 set by former Duck Rudy Chapa.

Another record-setting performance was turned in by Lindsey Scherf, who set an American 10,000m junior record of 32:51.20 at the Heptagonal Games Association Championships in New York City. A freshman at Harvard, Scherf took to the lead from the start of the race with the goal of breaking the 26-year-old record held by Mary Shea (32:52.5).

At the 2005 Pan American Race Walking Cup in Peru, Maria Michta set an American junior record in the women's 10 km walk with her silver-medal time of 48:03. Her 5 km split of 23:44 also is an AJR, as was fellow junior Zach Pollinger's 5 km split in the men's race (22:14).

World-leading performers at the Jamaica International Invitational in Kingston were posted by 2004 World Junior Championships triple gold medalist LaShawn Merritt, who won the men's 400 meters in 44.66 seconds, and 2004 Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist Sanya Richards, who ran 49.96 to win the women's 400m. Other world-leading performances turned in over the weekend include 2004 Olympian Jillian Schwartz, who cleared 4.55m/14-11 in the women's pole vault at the Modesto Relays, while Phil McMullen scored 8,107 points in the men's decathlon in Salo, Italy.

Now in its fifth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2005 USATF Athlete of the Week Winners: January 4, Amy Rudolph; January 11, Dathan Ritzenhein; January 18, Janine Davis; January 25, Wallace Spearmon Jr.; February 1, Erin Gilreath; February 8, LaShawn Merritt; February 15, LaShawn Merritt; February 22, Walter Davis; March 1, Angela Daigle; March 8, Gov. Mike Huckabee; March 15, Kerron Clement; March 22, Lauren Fleshman; March 29, Deena Kastor; April 5, Deena Kastor; April 12, Tianna Madison; April 19 Alan Culpepper; April 26, John Godina; May 3, Amy Rudolph; May 10, Galen Rupp.

BEST MARKS WEEK ENDING MAY 8

MEN

100 - 10.06 Leonard Scott (Nike) - Kingston, JAM 5/7

200 - 20.34 Leo Bookman (Nike) - Kingston, JAM 5/7

400 - 44.66 LaShawn Merritt (Nike) - Kingston, JAM 5/7 World leader

800 - 1:45.35 Khadevis Robinson (Nike) - Modesto, CA 5/7

1500 - 3:41.64 John Jefferson (Indiana) - Bloomington, IN 5/6

3000SC - 8:20.04 Anthony Famiglietti (adidas) - Columbus, OH 5/6 U.S. leader

5000 - 13:22.23 Dathan Ritzenhein (Nike) - Eugene, OR 5/7

10,000 - 28:15.52 Galen Rupp (Oregon) - Eugene, OR 5/7 American Junior Record

110H - 13.23 Anwar Moore (Nike) - Modesto, CA 5/7 U.S. leader

400H - 48.42 James Carter (Nike) - Osaka, JPN 5/7 U.S. leader

HJ - 2.28/7-5.75 Adam Shunk (Unattached) - Kingston, JAM 5/7

PV - 5.85/19-2.25 Toby Stevenson (Nike) - Modesto, CA 5/7 U.S. leader

LJ - 7.93/26-0.25 Juaune Armon (UCLA) - Modesto, CA 5/7

TJ - 16.90/55-5.5 Kenta Bell (Holyfield Intl.) - Modesto, CA 5/7 U.S. leader

SP - 20.87/68-5.75 John Godina (adidas) - Modesto, CA 5/7

DT - 62.62/205-5 Jarred Rome (HPTC) - Modesto, CA 5/7

HT - 75.48/247-8 A.G. Kruger (Ashland Elite) - Columbus, OH 5/6 U.S. leader

JT - 85.75/281-4 Breaux Greer (adidas) - Athens, GA 5/7

Decathlon - 8107 Phil McMullen (decaimages.com) - Salo, ITA 5/8 World leader

WOMEN

100 - 11.08 Lauryn Williams (Nike) - Kingston, JAM 5/7 U.S. leader

200 - 22.74 Rachelle Boone-Smith (World Express) - Columbus, OH 5/7

400 - 49.96 Sanya Richards (Nike) - Kingston, JAM 5/7 World leader

800 - 2:01.17 Hazel Clark (Nike) - Kingston, JAM 5/7 U.S. leader

1500 - 4:16.32 Mary Jane Harrelson (Nike) - Knoxville, TN 5/6

3000 - 8:54.84 Shayne Culpepper (Nike) - Eugene, OR 5/7 U.S. leader

3000SC - 10:22.8h Amanda Kuca (Concordia WI) - Madison, WI 5/7

10,000 - 32:44.51 Caroline Bierbaum (Yale) - New York City, NY 5/7

100H - 12.78 Michelle Perry (Nike) - Modesto, CA 5/7

400H - 55.23 Lashinda Demus (Unattached) - Clemson, SC 5/7 U.S. leader

HJ - 1.83/6-0 Deirdre Mullen (Connecticut) - Piscataway, NJ 5/7

PV - 4.55/14-11 Jillian Schwartz (Nike) - Modesto, CA 5/7 World leader

LJ - 6.59/21-7.5 Tianna Madison (Tennessee) - Knoxville, TN 5/6

TJ - 13.26/43-6 Rosalind Goodwin (Ohio St.) - Columbus, OH 5/6

SP - 17.62/57-9.75 Kristin Heaston (Nike) - Northridge, CA 5/7

DT - 63.53/208-5 Becky Breisch (Unattached) - Lincoln, NE 5/7 U.S. leader

HT - 69.90/229-4 Erin Gilreath (NYAC) - Tallahassee, FL 5/7 U.S. leader

JT - 55.98/183-8 Kim Kreiner (Nike) - Houston, TX 5/7

Heptathlon - 5569 Julie Pickler (Washington St.) - Westwood, CA 5/8