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Jill Geer
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Sunday, February 26, 2006

Indoor Champs

BOSTON -
In exhibition events, the Central Park Track Club won the women's
distance medley relay in 11:53.19, The Farm Team won the men's DMR
(9:46.98), Joy Upshaw-Margerum took the masters women's 200 meters
(26.57) and David Jones won the men's (23.30).


Barber, Trammell take Visa Championship titles at AT&T USA
The lead changed hands midway through the day, but in the end,
sprinter Lisa Barber came back to win the women's Visa Championship
Sunday at the AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Hurdler
Terrence Trammell's world-leading time in the men's 60-meter hurdles
gave him the men's Visa Championship over shot putter Reese Hoffa, the
series-long leader.

For their championship performances, Barber and Trammell each won
$25,000 from Visa to support their Olympic journeys.

Barber comes from behind to win women's title

Barber's victory was hard-earned. She had led the Race for the
Championship since week 1, the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, when her time
of 7.09 seconds in the women's 60m earned her 1,203 points. But on
Sunday, 2005 Outdoor Visa Championship Series winner Sanya Richards
briefly wrested the lead from Barber when she clocked 51.26 seconds to
win the women's 400 meters and score 1,210 points.

Barber had the last card to play in the final race of the day. The 2005
USA Outdoor 100m champion ran 7.06 seconds to win the AT&T women's 60
meters, scoring 1,212 points in the Race for the Championship. In the 60
she held off 2005 World Outdoor 100m champion Lauryn Williams (7.11) and
2003 World Outdoor 100m champion Torri Edwards (7.12) to win the race.

Barber had also posted a speedy time of 7.05 in the semifinal, but only
performances in final races were eligible for the Visa Championship.
Barber came through in the final, running exactly the time she needed to
win the overall title.

Trammell wins title; nearly doubles his pleasure

Reese Hoffa's shot put of 21.65m/71-0.5 (1,219 points) at the 99th
Millrose Games stood up as the men's Visa Championship Series leader
until the penultimate men's event of the AT&T USA Indoor Championships.

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell's win in the men's
60-meter hurdles on Sunday took the prize out of Hoffa's hands.
Trammell's wire-to-wire win in 7.46 seconds over Dominique Arnold (7.51)
gave him 1,123 points and the overall Visa Championship.

Trammell came within .01 second of being the first man ever to win the
60 hurdles-60 dash double, finishing just behind Leonard Scott in the
Hershey's men's 60 meter dash, the final men's event of the meet. Scott
won the race in a world-leading time of 6.52, with Trammell matching the
previous world leader with 6.53.

Men's 400 drama

The closest race of the day was the men's 400 meters. In the first of
two timed sections, 2006 world leader Milton Campbell (46.17) held off
2003 World Indoor champion Tyree Washington (46.18). In the second
section, LaShawn Merritt led nearly wire-to-wire, posting an identical
time to Campbell of 46.17, with Wallace Spearmon second in the section
in 46.67. Campbell was declared the 400m winner when his electronic time
was a scant 2 thousandths of a second (.002) fasters than Merritt's -
46.167 to 46.169.

Danielle Carruthers successfully defended her national indoor title in
the women's 60-meter hurdles, her time of 7.93 seconds putting her ahead
of Damu Cherry in second (7.95). Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes went
down in the semifinals with an apparent leg injury and did not compete
in the final.

In a closely contested men's 800 meters, USA Outdoor champion Khadevis
Robinson held off 2003 World Indoor champion David Krummenacker as the
two posted the #2 (1:46.98) and #3 (1:47.25) times by Americans this
year. Robinson's mark also set a Reggie Lewis Center facility record.

More winners

Outdoor American record holder Tiombe Hurd won the women's triple jump
with a U.S.-leading mark of 13.89m/45-7, and Shani Marks was second at
13.64m/44-9. Alice Schmidt likewise posted a U.S. leader in winning the
women's 800m (2:01.93) over Frances Santin (2:03.51). Other winners
included Kellie Suttle in the women's pole vault (4.55m/14-11) with
Jillian Schwartz second with the same height; and Joanne Dow won the
women's 3,000m race walk (12:45.05) with Jolene Moore second (13:03.90).

The AT&T USA Indoor Championships is the final event of USATF's Indoor
Visa Championship Series and serves as the selection event for Team USA
roster spots for the 2006 World Indoor Championships next month in
Moscow, Russia, with the top two finishers in each event making the
team.

For more information on the AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships,
visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2006/USAIndoorTFChampionships/

For more information on the Visa Championship Series, visit
www.visachampionshipseries.com

Sponsors of the AT&T USA Indoor Track & field Championships are AT&T,
Nike, Visa, Hershey's, 24 Hour Fitness, Gleukos, Gill Athletics and
Sport Court. Local sponsors include the Boston Herald Coca-cola,
Keyspan, Hilton Family of Hotel, MBTA and Hot 97.7FM.

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