FUMA Invitational Preview

WOW! WHAT A FIELD

FORK UNION, VA -- The little town of Fork Union will see a large increase in its population Saturday as the fifteenth FUMA Invitational takes place at the Estes Athletic Center on the campus of Fork Union Military Academy. In what might be the largest Indoor track meet held on a high school campus, ninety-five schools from Virginia and neighboring Maryland and North Carolina are set to battle it out for the coveted team title.

This year's field features no fewer than eight current U.S. top ten performers and dozens of stars from last year still looking to make an impact on this season. Look for defending boys champion DeMatha to get a serious challenge from Westfield. Westfield may be juggling the line-up this week but the Bulldogs are perhaps one of the most complete teams in recent memory. On the individual side, LaShawn Merritt will attempt a rare triple running the 55, 300 and 500. If successful a name change is in order, try Superman! Also Derrick Robbins, David Groff and James Scheiner could be in a run off for a spot in the Milrose Games High School mile to be run next month in New York City. This year's meet was honored in November with the awarding of a Milrose qualifier. The committee will give serious consideration to Saturday's winners thus the 1600 will be lengthened to one mile. FUMA has the distinction of having more Milrose qualifiers than any other school in America.

On the girls' side of the meet, look for powerhouse Bethel to add yet another team title. The Bruins are led by Brittni Spruill, the number two long jumper in the nation. The girls' mile will also be hotly contested and don't be surprised if the winner ends up in Madison Square Garden. Sarah Bowman, Natalie Sherbak and Kirsten Hagen figure to lead the charge.

In recent years poor weather took its toll on the FUMA Invitational but with a little luck from the weather man this meet could be back with a fury. To celebrate its Fifteen years the meet honored four past FUMA athletes that had the most impact on the meet. Kip Campbell was a hurdle standout in 98 and 99 and led FUMA to the title in 99. Braxton Davenport was a national champion in the pole vault and led the team to several titles in the early 90's. Ibrahim Aden was a Milrose qualifier and is currently a professional runner. He also ran in the 96 Olympics. Lastly, Kippy Keino won four FUMA Invite titles and is the current record holder in the 3200. He now runs for Villanova. Their images are part of this year's t-shirt design.

Fifteen years ago Fred Hardy created this meet after convincing the school to build an indoor track. Little did he know,that the meet would claim numerous Olympians and NCAA Champions as alumni. Fifteen years of wonderful crowds, Calvin's concession stand and Athletic Director Micky Sullivan's annual question. Why are we doing this?