March 11, 2006
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Junior Thomas Chamney (Tipperary, Ireland/St. Columba’s) became the third Notre Dame runner to earn All-America honors at this weekend’s NCAA Indoor Championships, picking up his first career citation with a sixth-place finish in the 800-meter run on Saturday night at the Randall Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. Chamney saved his fastest race of the season for the national finals, hitting the line in a personal-best 1:48.50 to register the top finish ever by an Irish thinclad in NCAA 800-meter competition (indoor or outdoor).
Chamney joins senior Stephanie Madia (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and the men’s distance medley relay unit — sophomore Adam Currie (Verdun, Quebec/Richelieu Valley), senior Ryan Postel (Lexington, Ky./Lexington Catholic), sophomore John Cavanaugh (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph’s) and junior Kurt Benninger (Chepstow, Ontario/Walkerton D.S.S.) — as All-America honorees at this year’s NCAA indoor meet. Benninger was looking to add a sixth career All-America plaque (fourth on the track) to his collection when he ran in Saturday’s 3,000-meter final, but the Canadian national (who had the nation’s third-fastest time in the event this year) did not finish the race.
Notre Dame now will turn its attention to the outdoor track & field season beginning March 17-18 with the Cal Poly Invitational at San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Irish are scheduled to play host to one home meet during the 2006 outdoor campaign — the Notre Dame Outdoor Opener, which will take place April 1 at Moose Krause Stadium.
NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
March 10-11, 2006 — Fayetteville, Ark.
Randall Tyson Track Center
Men’s 800-meter run preliminary (Thomas Chamney, 7th – 1:49.94 — qualifier)
Men’s 800-meter run final (Chamney, 6th – 1:48.50) (All-American)
Women’s mile run preliminary (Ramsey Kavan, 14th – 4:49.63 — did not qualify)
Women’s 5,000-meter run final (Stephanie Madia, 4th – 15:59.01) (All-American)
Men’s distance medley relay final (Notre Dame, 6th – 9:40.61) (All-American)
Men’s 3,000-meter run final (Kurt Benninger, DNF)
— ND —