Wednesday, February 18, 2009

MACON, Ga. (Feb. 18, 2009) - The weekend before the 2009 Atlantic Sun Indoor Track & Field Championships, senior Heidi Dahl (Orem, Utah) blasted the competition at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.  Her strides in the mile earned her a fourth Athlete of the Week award, the conference announced Wednesday.

Dahl has never failed to impress the Buccaneer faithful when it comes to running at any distance. On Friday afternoon, the transfer from Orem, Utah, went head-to-head against a stacked field when she took the line for the mile at the Tyson Invitational. When it was all said and done, Dahl was the first runner to finish the Olympic Development race, as the talented student-athlete posted a new school record and NCAA Provisional Mark with a time of 4:41.90.

Dahl, a interdisciplinary studies major, who has set two school records in the event prior to Friday, trimmed a few seconds off that mark and now ranks 25th in the country amongst collegiate athletes in the mile. She also blew away the eight-woman field, as No. 36 Michigan's Danielle Tauro was three seconds (4:44.27) behind Dahl in second and No. 42 Florida's Kaitlin Shiver was five seconds (4:46.30) off the pace.

The ETSU track and field team is beginning final preparations for the 2009 Atlantic Sun Championships, which will be held this weekend inside Memorial Center.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.