James and Olson in national spotlight at USA Indoor Track & Field Championships

February 29, 2004

BOSTON, MA- Senior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) and junior Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy) have competed in several major meets and have seen some of the nation's best offerings over their storied track and field careers, but very few events have attracted the attention and magnitude of this weekend's USA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College.

James qualified for the concluding event of USATF's Indoor Golden Spike Tour in the 400-meter dash with a NCAA Division III-best time of 54.48, while Olson was awarded entry in the high jump by clearing 7' 2 1/2", a mark good enough for Division III's top performance. Both performances are current Wheaton school records. James is a 14-time national champion, including winning all six indoor and outdoor titles in the 400M dash, while Olson is a three-time champion in the high jump, as he has been victorious in each of the last three national meets.

Known as the world's oldest indoor track championship, with the first meet being held in 1888 in New York, the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships brought together America's top athletes as they vied for the right to represent the United States at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. Quite a bit at stake for James and Olson, as more than 600 of America's athletes competed in Boston, with the top two finishers in each event selected for the contingent of Team USA that will compete at the World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary on March 5-7.

Despite not advancing to the meet in Budapest, James and Olson if nothing else proved every bit as the next athlete that they belonged in a championship event featuring some of the nation's greatest athletes. Competing on Saturday afternoon in one of three four-member heats, James led her heat after 200 meters and was in contention after 300 meters. She ended up finishing the race fourth and 12th overall in 55.48, but her qualifying time of 54.48 would have advanced her to Sunday's finals. On Sunday, Olson posted the first height of 7' 1/2" among the 14 competitors but wasn't able to clear the bar at 7' 2 1/2". Finishing in a tie for 11th, Olson's qualifying jump of 7' 2 1/2" would have put him in a five-way tie for second place.

The tandem will continue their Olympic quest in the outdoor season, but for the time being James and Olson will now turn their attention to the upcoming NCAA Division III Championships at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on March 12-13. The women will look to defend their national championship run of five consecutive years, while the men hope to match or better their all-time best team finish of fourth place that was set in 2002.

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