Flanagan, Culpepper lead U.S. women’s distance corps at AT&T USA Indoor Champs
By Tom Surber, USATF
Posted Tuesday, 20 February, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS - Shalane Flanagan and Shayne Culpepper, two of the major players in the resurgence in U.S. women's middle distance running, will be favored in their respective events at the 2007 AT&T USA Indoor Championships, February 24-25 at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Boston.
The final event of USA Track & Field's 2007 Indoor Visa Championship Series, the AT&T USA Indoor Championships will be televised on Sunday, February 25, from 4-6 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN 2.
A 2004 Olympian and the 2005 USA Outdoor 5,000m champion, Shalane Flanagan shattered the indoor 3,000m American record when she ran 8 minutes 33.25 seconds on January 27 at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games. It was an epic run by the Marblehead, Mass., native, who ran off the shoulder of Meseret Defar as Defar went for the world record. Flanagan improved her own personal best by more than 20 seconds in that race. On Saturday, she'll return to the Reggie Lewis Center to take aim at her first national indoor title and her first Visa Championship. Flanagan is in the driver's seat for the overall Visa Championship, her performance at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games garnering 1,243 points in the Visa Championship Series standings, the highest point total ever by a woman.
A two-time USA cross country short course champion, Flanagan, who endured an injury-plagued 2006 season, finished impressively as the runner-up in the women's 8 km race February 10 at the 2007 USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder, Colo. Challengers to Flanagan in the 3,000m in Boston include 2006 USA 3,000m steeplechase champion Lisa Galaviz and Kara Goucher, who finished third in the 3,000 meters at the 2006 IAAF World Cup, and ended that season ranked #1 in the U.S. at 10,000m by Track & Field News. Also keep an eye on Sara Hall, who finished as the 3,000m runner-up at last year's AT&T USA Indoor Championships in Boston.
Culpepper continues post-maternity comeback
After taking last year off to give birth to her second son, two-time Olympian Shayne Culpepper has looked impressive thus far in 2007. Her second-place finish in the mile a few weeks ago at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games provided her with the fastest qualifying time (4 minutes, 31.35 seconds) in the Championships field. The 2003 U.S. women's short course cross country champion, Culpepper looked strong with her 12th place finish in the 8 km race Feb. 10 at the USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder.
The 2004 Olympic Trials 5,000m champion, Culpepper will face a strong women's mile field that includes 2006 USA Outdoor runner-up and #2 ranked American by T&FN, Lindsey Gallo, and Christin Wurth-Thomas, who placed fifth at the 2006 USA Outdoor Championships and ended the season ranked #4 in the U.S. Also keep an eye on Jenelle Deatherage, who ended the 2006 season ranked #10 nationally, along with veterans Amy Mortimer, Sarah Schwald and Sara Hall, who is also poised to run the 3,000 meters.
For more information on the AT&T USA Indoor Championships, including status of entered athletes, visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2007/USAIndoorTFChampionships/
For more information on the Visa Championship Series, visit http://www.visachampionshipseries.com
Contact:
Tom Surber
Media Information Manager
USA Track & Field
317-713-4690
Facebook 
Twitter
i