SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Two members of the Susquehanna University men’s track and field team will be in action at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held Thursday through Saturday at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Junior All-American Matt Deamer will compete at nationals for the third straight year in the javelin throw while senior Trever Fike earned one of 16 berths in the 110-meter high hurdles to become the first Susquehanna runner to participate at the NCAA Championships since Ian Smith finished sixth in the 100 meters in 1996.

The duo will be in action on Friday, as Deamer competes in the javelin finals at 10:30 a.m. while Fike will run in the 110 hurdles trials at 6:15 p.m. The top nine finishers in the hurdles trials will compete in Saturday’s finals at 2:20 p.m.

“We all knew coming into the season that Matt was capable of making a run at the championship this year,” said 24th-year head coach Jim Taylor, who has coached a total of 32 All-Americans and seven national champions during his illustrious career. “But I am just elated that Trever will be going to nationals as well. He has worked extremely hard this year and ran the race of his life to get there.”

Fike (Millerstown, PA/Greenwood H.S.) qualified for nationals by winning the Middle Atlantic Conference championship at Lopardo Stadium on May 4, edging fellow NCAA qualifiers Dusty Lehr of Juniata and Chris Boyles of Messiah to take the gold with a time of 14.77 seconds.

Just two of last year’s top eight finishers are in the 2002 field, with fourth-place finisher Chris Nehls of Emory University and sixth-place finisher Joe Poorman of McMurry University among this year’s top 10 entries.

Deamer (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley H.S.) will be making his third straight trip to the NCAA championships and enters as the favorite to win the gold after earning the top seed by setting a school, MAC and stadium record at the conference championships with a throw of 226 feet, 1 inch.

Last year, Deamer finished third at the NCAA championships with a throw of 203 feet, 11 inches to earn All-America honors after finishing 11th as a freshman following a throw of 183 feet, 8 inches. In each of those years, Deamer entered the competition as the number-two seed in the field.

His stiffest competition should come from Middlebury College senior Bryan Black, whose best throw of the season was 220 feet, 8 inches at the New England championships on May 11. Deamer is the only returnee among the top five finishers from last year’s competition.

The Crusaders have had at least one entry in the men’s javelin in each of the last six seasons, and Deamer is seeking to become Susquehanna third national champion in the event, following Adam Ressler in 2000 and Janee Shaner’s women’s title in 1998. Each of them have been coached by former Lewisburg High School and Susquehanna standout Cris Delbaugh, who is in his 11th year as throwing coach with the Crusaders.