Aug. 18, 2003
The University of Notre Dame track and field program has been steadily improving over the past decade and has become one of the top units in the Midwest and the BIG EAST Conference. Along with the increased national exposure, two athletes with ties to Notre Dame’s program have appeared internationally this summer with yet another preparing for a World Championship.
A 2003 graduate and school record holder, Tameisha King represented the United States at the recently completed Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. King, a three-time All-American in the long jump for Notre Dame, finished fifth in the long jump competition in early August. King’s best effort was 6.09m on her second attempt (19-11 3/4). She was the top U.S. finisher in the competition, ahead of Rose Marie Richmond in sixth place. Canada’s Alice Falaiye placed first with a 6.43m (21-1 1/4) measurement.
A current Irish athlete also experienced some international action this summer. Sophomore Thomas Chamney, a native of Clonmel, Ireland, ran for his country at the European Junior Athletics Championship in Tampere, Finland (July 24-26). Chamney ran the 800 meters in 1:52.30, finishing 13th in 1:52.30.
The third athlete with ties to the Notre Dame program is marathon national champion Ryan Shay. Shay claimed the national championship at the USATF Men’s Marathon event in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 8. He is part of a three-man team that will run for the United States at the IAAF World Championship in Paris on Aug. 30.