SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The Susquehanna University men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams are preparing for the 2003 Middle Atlantic Conference Championships at Widener University’s Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Stadium which begin Thursday afternoon and run through Saturday.

The Susquehanna men, directed by 25th-year head coach Jim Taylor, are coming off a fourth-place finish at the MAC Indoor Championship on March 1 and a third-place finish at last year’s Outdoor Championships at Lopardo Stadium. A total of 65 of the 124 points earned at the 2002 outdoor championships are accounted for among this year’s entries for the Crusaders.

Susquehanna’s women’s team, led by interim head coach Marty Owens, will look to build upon second-place finishes in both March’s indoor championships and last year’s outdoor championships. The Crusaders have 66 of their 105 points from a year ago entered in this year’s meet.

On the men’s side, the Crusaders project to earn as many as six first-place finishes during the weekend. Sophomore Kyle Sanders (Danville, PA/Danville H.S.) will look to defend his MAC title in the 400 meters and is one of the favorites in the 200 meters, while senior All-American Matt Deamer (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley H.S.) is in search of his second straight conference title after breaking the MAC record in 2002 with a throw of 226 feet, 1 inch.

Junior Ryan Gleason (Johnstown, PA/Westmont Hilltop H.S.) is the favorite in the 3000-meter steeplechase as his entry time of 9:33.31 is nearly four seconds faster than the next-best runner.

A pair of freshman are the top seeds in their respective events for Susquehanna, as Rob Daniele (Wyncote, PA/Cheltenham H.S.) seeks to add the MAC outdoor title in the pole vault to the indoor gold he captured during the winter, while Shane Cartwright (Cranston, RI/Cranston East H.S.) is favored in the 800 meters with a seed time of 1:57.01.

Other Crusaders who will contend for medals are junior Adam Summers (Abbottstown, PA/Mercersburg Academy) and sophomore Dave DeVita (Lewistown, PA/Lewistown H.S.) in the discus, senior Mike Sobotor (Warwick, NY/Warwick H.S.) in the discus and shot put, and freshman Scott Haldeman (Wyomissing, PA/Wilson H.S.) in the triple jump.

Susquehanna’s women’s team is paced by senior Megan Patrono (Greenwood Lake, NY/West Milford Twp., NJ H.S.), who is the two-time defending champion in the 100 meters, the 2001 champion in the 200 meters, and was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the MAC Indoor Championships this winter after winning three gold medals.

Contending for medals along with Patrono will be sophomore Kaleena Lockard (Beach Haven, PA/Berwick H.S.) in the shot put, freshman Kelly Kennedy (West Chester, PA/Villa Maria Academy) in the triple jump, junior Liz Harker (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata H.S.) in both the 100 and 400 hurdles, sophomore Jen Minnig (Mount Carmel, PA/Mount Carmel H.S.) in the 100 and 200 meters, and junior Jordan Bolduc (Elkton, MD/Padua Academy) in the 800 meters.

Messiah captured the men’s champion last year for the first time since 1990, while Moravian’s women earned its 10th consecutive team crown a year ago. Elizabethtown won the MAC indoor championship earlier this year while Moravian cruised to its eighth straight women’s title.