June 13, 2003

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Three women from the Maryland track squad have qualified for the 2003 USA Track and Field Junior National Championships, held June 19-21 at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. Freshmen distance runners Rebecca Funk and Cori Koch, along with freshman long jumper Kierra Foster all rank among the top 10 juniors in their events nationwide.

Coch and Funk have qualified for the championships in the 10,000 meter run, currently holding ranks of eighth and 10th, respectively. Coch's time of 31:27.83 was set at the VCU Ram Invitational, where she took first in the event, while Funk's time of 37:53.46 was posted at the ACC Outdoor Championships. Both women also competed in other distance events this season, each taking in a top-three finish in the 5,000 meter run.

Foster set a school record in the long jump at this year's Alabama Relays, winning the event and qualifying her for the junior national championships. Her distance of 20-8 puts her ranked first in the nation among her peers. Foster also saw success this season in the triple jump and 100 meter hurdles, never finishing out of the top 10 in each event.

The junior championships meet is open to track and field athletes who meet specified qualifying marks and who are born in 1984 or later. The meet, held at Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field, also offers athletes the opportunity to qualify for the Pan-American Junior Championships in Barbados.