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Faith Thompson

BUFFALO, NY - Seven University at Buffalo track and field athletes, four women and three men, will participate in the NCAA East Regionals on Friday, May 27 and Saturday, May 28 at Icahn Stadium in Manhattan, NY with the chance to move on to the NCAA Championships next month at stake.

UB's seven regional qualifiers are: senior Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls), juniors Celestine Coney (Lyons, NY/Lyons), Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport) and Todd Joki (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville), sophomore Brian Heim (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) and freshmen Vanessa Roelofsen (Alma, Ontario/Norwell District SS) and Mike Giordano (Springville, NY/Springville). Each of UB's qualifiers are listed below along with their event, qualifying mark and where that mark currently ranks on the East Region performance list.

Celestine Coney: 400-meter hurdles, 1:00.63 (23rd)
Vanessa Roelofsen: javelin, 161-9/49.30m (4th)
Faith Thompson: hammer, 198-10/60.60m (7th)
Faith Thompson: shot put, 50-9.25/15.47m (9th)
Sarah Vance: shot put, 49-7/15.11m (12th)
Sarah Vance: discus, 157-4/47.97m (20th)
Sarah Vance: hammer, 182-6/55.62m (19th)
Mike Giordano: shot put, 54-10.25/16.72m (25th)
Brian Heim: 400-meter hurdles, 52.26 (25th)
Todd Joki: 110-meter hurdles, 14.31 (32nd)

Student-athletes qualify for the regional championships by reaching the standards established for each event or by earning automatic access as a conference event champion. The top five finishers in each event at this weekend's four regional meets (East, Mid-East, West, Mid-West), as well as a to-be-determined number of "at-large" selections based on the NCAA descending order list following the regional meets, will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, CA from Wednesday, June 8 through Saturday, June 11. Thompson and Roelofsen lead the Bulls on the current national descending order list. Roelofsen is 17th in the javelin and Thompson is 18th in the hammer throw, and each should have a shot at an at-large selection if they finish out of the top five at the regional meet.

This is the third year that the NCAA is using regional meets to determine the field for the outdoor national championships. In 2003, the Bulls sent eight athletes to regionals, and pole vaulter Laura Olson and triple jumper Biaunca McFarland advanced to the NCAA Championships. In 2004, the Bulls sent six athletes to the East Regional meet. Olson and Allison Laske (800-meters) moved on to the NCAA Championships along with Steve Esler, who earned an at-large bid in the decathlon, an event not contested at the East Regional meet.