SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Susquehanna University will send a total of 11 athletes to the 108th Penn Relay Carnival, which will be held from Thursday through Saturday at Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The Crusader men, coached by Jim Taylor, will field a 4x400-meter relay team in the Pop Haddleton MAC Relay, which will be held on Friday at 5:15 p.m. In addition, junior Matt Deamer will compete in the javelin throw on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

The Crusader women, coached by Craig Penney, will have a pair of relay teams in action on Thursday. The 4x400-meter relay team will compete in the annual MAC Relay at 4:55 p.m. while the record-setting 4x100-meter relay will run at 12:40 p.m.

Competing in the men’s 4x400 relay will be senior Jason Ward (Avondale, PA/Avon Grove H.S.), sophomore Geoff Dieck (Danville, PA/Danville H.S.), senior Beau Heeps (Allentown, PA/Parkland H.S.) and freshman Kyle Sanders (Danville, PA/Danville H.S.).

Last year, the Crusaders took second to Widener with a time of 3:21.89 in a field of 14 current and former members of the Middle Atlantic Conference. Ward will be running in the event for the fourth straight year while Heeps competed in both 1999 and 2000. Dieck and Sanders will be making their Penn Relay debuts for the Crusaders, whose 1985 team holds the event record with a time of 3:15.2.

Running in the women’s 4x400-meter relay will be junior Alison Ream (Mifflintown, PA/Juniata H.S.), sophomore Jordan Bolduc (Elkton, MD/Padua Academy), freshman Jen Lockman (Cumberland, ME/Greely H.S.) and junior Megan Patrono (West Milford, NJ/West Milford H.S.).

Susquehanna took sixth in last year’s event with a time of 4:10.66, as Western Maryland took first place with a time of 3:58.22. Ream will be competing in the 4x400 for the third straight year while Bolduc will be making her second straight appearance in the event. Patrono and Lockman will debut for Susquehanna in this race at the Relays.

Also entered for the Crusaders is the 4x100 relay team of Patrono, freshman Ashley Eyster (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove H.S.), Lockman, and freshman Jen Minnig (Mount Carmel, PA/Mount Carmel H.S.) that has set the school record in each of the last four weeks, including a time of 49.35 seconds against Albright and Mansfield last Saturday.

Last year, the University of Florida won the 4x100 championship with a time of 43.43 seconds. Fifteen of the 99 schools entered in 11 heats at last year’s Penn Relays were from Division III, including MAC members Widener and Albright.

Deamer (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley H.S.) will compete in the javelin after finishing third at the 2001 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field championships. He has already qualified for the 2002 championships with a throw of 207 feet, 3 inches at the Susquehanna Invitational on March 30 – the fifth-best throw in Division III this season.

More than 22,000 competitors will participate in 425 races at this year’s Penn Relays, which has been held annually without interruption since 1895 and is the largest and oldest relays meet in the world. Competitors range in age from 8 to 80 and represent 30 states and 60 countries.