March 12, 2009

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Sophomore Lucy Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand) will become the first student-athlete in Stony Brook school history to compete in the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend. Van Dalen, an automatic qualifier in the women's mile, will be one of 568 participants to compete at the Championships being held at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Her school-record time of 4:36.71 is the eighth fastest in the country.

Van Dalen has had one of the most successful seasons in school history, breaking three school records and winning two America East titles. She will compete against the nation's best on Friday at 4:00 p.m. in the second heat of the preliminary run of the women's mile. The top three finishers in the two heats will advance to the finals, along with the next four fastest times. If Van Dalen qualifies for the finals, she will run on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

ESPN360.com will stream portions of the championships live both days. Remaining coverage will be available on www.NCAA.com. Additionally, ESPN2 will air a 90-minute show at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, Monday, March 23. For more information regarding the indoor championships, please visit www.NCAA.com.