FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EASTER PLACES SECOND AT JUNIOR NATIONALS, QUALIFIES FOR WORLDS

DENTON, Texas Ð Bates College first-year runner Justin Easter of Jay, Maine, placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. Junior National Championships today, earning him a berth at the World Junior Championships, to be held in Santiago, Chile, in October.

Easter, who was named an NCAA Division III All-American in the steeplechase earlier this year, finished with a time of 9:36.53. Easter was the only Division III runner in the race, which included eight Division I runners, three Division II athletes and a high-school runner. Athletes must be younger than 18 years old to be eligible for the World Junior championships.

"Justin is a rare athlete," said Bates head track and field coach Al Fereshetian. "His combination of strength, talent and determination has enabled him to make the most of his opportunities at Bates."

Easter was a three-time Class C boys cross country and Nordic skiing champion at Jay High School. In his rookie campaign at Bates, Easter qualified for three NCAA Division III championships. He helped the men's cross country team to a 10th-place finish in November, despite missing much of the season with an injury. Easter qualified for the NCAA Skiing championships in the final carnival of the regular season. In the spring, he earned his first All America award by placing seventh in the steeplechase despite losing one of his shoes midway through the race.

Easter is a 1999 graduate of Jay High School. He is the son of Randy and Jennifer Easter, Mountain View Rd., North Jay, Maine.

USATF National Junior Track and Field Championships
Denton, Texas
Men's 3,000-meter steeplechase

RANK COMP# ATHLETE NAME              TEAM                             TIME     
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1   592 Jeff Zeha                 Indiana Univ                  9:32.28     
2   141 Justin Easter             Bates College                 9:36.53     
3   457 John Shaffer              Butler University             9:39.70     
4   494 Jay Stephenson            Berry College                 9:55.72     
5   506 Matt Sweetman             Indiana Univ                 10:05.18     
6   323 Andrew Matina             Univ Arkansas                10:24.53     
7    63 Patrick Boyle             Truman State                 10:29.46     
8   336 Chris McWatters           Oklahoma State               10:29.79     
9   302 Stephen Loughlin          Stanford                     10:30.82     
10   124 Jeff Davis               Central Michigan Univ        10:39.68     
11    21 Erik Amdisen             LA Baptist HS                11:08.80     
-   216 Matthew Hart              Oklahoma State                    DNS     
-   440 Aaron Rowe                Edinboro Univ                     DNS     

Click here for complete results from the U.S. Track and Field Junior National Championships