MARC PALLOZZI & JOE GREENE ADVANCE TO NCAA TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

     Albany, N.Y.. - Marc Pallozzi and Joe Greene have been selected to compete at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, as announced on Tuesday, May 30 by the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee. The national championships will take place at California State University, Sacramento's A.G. Spanos Sports Complex on June 7-10. Pallozzi and Greene, who were both at-large selections, become the third and fourth UAlbany athletes to compete at an NCAA Division I outdoor championship.

     Pallozzi, a junior from Waterford, N.Y., broke his own UAlbany javelin record en route to a sixth-place finish at last weekend's NCAA East Regional. He shattered his previous mark with a throw of 228-feet, 2-inches, the16th-best mark in the nation this season. The top five regional finishers in each event automatically qualified for NCAA Championships, while six others earned at-large bids.

     Greene, a freshman from Geneva, N.Y., finished seventh overall in the 400-meter hurdles. His preliminaries' time of 50.83 seconds, which eclipsed a 16-year-old record by two-time NCAA Division III champion Wilfredo Rodriguez, placed him in the running for an at-large bid. That time ranks 22nd in the nation this year.

     "This is a tremendous accomplishment for both Marc and Joe and truly caps the sensational year that we have enjoyed," said UAlbany head coach Roberto Vives, whose men's and women's outdoor teams captured America East Conference championships. "They both represent the excellence that our program produces and will represent us well."

     Pallozzi, a track walk-on and punter on the school's football team, is just the second field athlete to compete for UAlbany at NCAAs. Brandon Howlett competed in the discus in 2004, finishing 21st overall. The junior will take on three 2005 All-Americans, including Eric Brown of Arkansas, the nation's top-ranked thrower.

     Greene, who will also take on three 2005 All-Americans, becomes the first UAlbany male track athlete to qualify the NCAA outdoor meet. Teresa Covert competed in the women's 100-meter hurdles in 2003 and 2004.

     Pallozzi competes in the qualifying round of the javelin on Thursday, June 7 at 1:15. Greene takes on the 400m hurdles field in the first round of the event at 4:30 that afternoon.