Faith Thompson

BUFFALO, NY - For the third straight year, the University at Buffalo is sending an athlete to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as senior Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) will compete in the hammer throw later this week. The 2005 NCAA Championships are being held at Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, CA from June 8 through June 11. The qualifying round of the women's hammer throw will take place at 4 pm Eastern time on Thursday, June 9 with the final round being held at 4:30 pm Eastern on Saturday, June 11.

Thompson earned her first NCAA Championships appearance with a third-place finish in the hammer at the East Regional meet on May 27. Her mark of 199-6 (60.80m) broke her own school record and previous season high of 198-10 (60.60m). It currently stands as the 15th-highest mark on the NCAA's descending order list entering the national championship meet.

The top eight American finishers in each event at the NCAA Championships earn All-American status, an achievement that a Buffalo track and field athlete has earned once before, when Lockport native Shelly Hamilton finished eighth in the high jump in 1998.