USA Track & Field announced the U.S. team for the 2005 International Chiba Ekiden, to be held in Chiba, Japan on November 23. In addition to Team USA, the marathon relay will feature teams from Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, France and Great Britain.

"We feel that both the men's and women's teams will improve on last year's finishes," said Fred Finke, USATF Long Distance Running Division Chair. "We have several athletes who are just out of college and are eager to compete in such a prestigious international event." In the 2004 edition the U.S. men finished seventh and the women finished tenth.

The relay teams will consist of six legs each, ranging in distance from 5 km to 10 km, Team USA is as follows:

Men:

Ian Dobson, 23, Palo Alto, Calif. Dobson qualified for the Team USA World Championships roster with his runner-up finish in the 5,000m at the 2005 USA Outdoor Championships in Carson, Calif., where he established a new personal time of 13:15.33. He went on to finish 10th in opening round at the World Outdoor Championships (13:27.16).

Ryan Hall, 23, Palo Alto, Calif. Hall capped off his collegiate career with an NCAA Championship and school record at 5,000 meters, just out-kicking his Stanford team-mate Ian Dobson, 13:22.32 to 13:22.54. Just two weeks later, the pair would again find themselves running personal bests as they finished second and third (Dobson 13:15.33, Hall 13:16.03) at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, also earning their places on the U.S. team for Helsinki, where Hall finished 16th in opening round (13:59.86).

Brian Sell, 27, Rochester Hills, Mich. This past May Sell won his first USA title at the USA 25 km Championships in Grand Rapids, Mich., (1:15:27), the seventh fastest 25 km time ever for a U.S. man. He also has numerous top-ten finishes in USA Championships and international races, including a ninth-place finish at this summer's IAAF World Championships Marathon.

Josh Moen, 23, Rochester Hills, Mich. A team-mate of Brian Sell at the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and graduate of Wartburg College, Moen is a five-time NCAA Division III national champion and ten-time All-American. Moen recently finished fourth at the USA Men's 10 km Championships, running a personal best of 29:13.

Matt Gonzales, 24, Santa Fe, N.M. A two-time cross country All- American and an All-American in the 10,000 meters on the track, Gonzales placed sixth in the 5,000m finals at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials running 13:41.25. He recently placed second at the USA Men's 10 km Championships ahead of Moen and Sell, running 28:39.

Fernando Cabada, 23, Bristol, Va. The 2005 NAIA 5,000 and 10,000 meter champion, Cabada has earned numerous All-American honors at Virginia Intermont College. He was a member of the championship U.S. team that won the inaugural NACAC Cross Country Championships in March. Cabada was fifth at the recent USA Men's 10 km Championships in 29:16.

Ryan Kirkpatrick, 27, Colorado Springs, Colo. The 2002 USA Men's 10 km Champion and graduate of West Point, Kirkpatrick was ninth in the 10,000 meters at the 2005 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 28:43.44. His recent sixth-place finish at the USA Men's 10 km Championships earned him a spot as the alternate for the Chiba squad.

Women

Laura Turner, 26, Tacoma, Wash. - A member of the 2005 Team USA Cross Country and World Half Marathon squads. Turner made her road racing debut this summer with a seventh-place finish at the USA Women's 10 km Championships, earning her a spot on the U.S. team for Chiba.

Alicia Craig, 23, Palo Alto, Calif. A two-time NCAA 10,000 meter champion while at Stanford, Craig is the collegiate record holder for the 10,000 meters at 32:19.97. Craig was 11th at this year's USA Women's 10 km Championships in 34:27.

Sara Bei, 22, Palo Alto, Calif. A seven-time All-American at Stanford, Bei was the runner-up in the 2004 NCAA 5,000 meters and the Pac-10 champion at 5,000 meters. Bei's sixth-place finish at the USA 5 km Championships in 16:32 earned her a spot on the Chiba team.

Sara Slattery, 24, Boulder, Colo. Slattery won the NCAA 10,000 meter championship in only her second attempt at the distance it was her second NCAA individual title and 10th All-American honor. Slattery has won multiple Big 12 championships in both indoor and outdoor track. She was also the 5,000 meter champion at the NCAA Midwest Regional in May.

Bethany Brewster, 25, Madison, Wis. An All-American at the University of Wisconsin, Brewster is the head women's cross country coach at Edgewood College. Brewster finished seventh at the 2005 USA 5 km Championships running 16:42 behind Chiba team-mate Sara Bei.

Missy Buttry, 22, Shenandoah, Iowa. A three-time NCAA Division III Cross Country champion and 11-time All-American at Wartburg College, Buttry was a member of the U.S. World Cross Country squad earlier this year.

Casey Owens, 23, Des Moines, Iowa. An All-American at Missouri State University, Owens is a multiple Missouri Valley Conference champion, with titles in cross country, the mile 3,000 and 5,000 meters. Owens finished 12th at the 2005 USA Women's 10 km Championships, running 34:30 to claim the alternate's position for the Chiba team.

For more information on the 2005 International Chiba Ekiden visit www.usatf.org.