Olympic medalists John Godina, Tim Mack and Toby Stevenson will headline a star-studded field Monday at the 2005 Payton Jordan U.S. Open at Stanford University's Cobb Track & Angell Field in Palo Alto, Calif. The third event of USATF's 2005 Outdoor Championship Series, the Payton Jordan U.S. Open will be televised May 30 from 10-11:30 p.m., on ESPN2.

The meet is named in honor of former Stanford track and field coach Payton Jordan, who brought the 1960 U.S. Olympic Trials and the famed 1962 U.S.-U.S.S.R. track meet to Stanford.

In addition to prize money, athletes will look to score points in the Race for the Visa Championship, where a male and female athlete with the top overall performance in the 2005 Visa Championship Series will be named Visa Champion and each receive a $25,000 bonus. In addition, each Visa Champion will be awarded an invitation of their choice to a premiere Visa-sponsored event. The top performances will be determined by assigning point totals to performances, using the IAAF Scoring Tables of Athletics.

The majority of the meet will take place on Monday, with six events contested Sunday evening (see the schedule below).

Pole vault battle royal

The men's pole vault on Sunday will feature a titanic battle between three of the top four competitors in the world, Tim Mack, Toby Stevenson and Derek Miles.

In 2004, Mack went from being ranked #10 globally the previous year to winning the Olympic gold medal and achieving the #1 ranking in the world. After sitting out the 2005 indoor campaign with a strained calf, Mack enjoyed an impressive performance in his second outing of the season last weekend in Chula Vista, Calif., where he cleared 5.85 meters/19 feet, 2.25 inches. With that performance, Mack now shares the fifth best mark in the world this year with Stevenson.

Like Mack, Stevenson also enjoyed a career year in 2004, where he won the Olympic silver medal, set a personal best of 6.00 meters/19 feet, 8.25 inches and ended the season ranked #2 in the world. Stevenson won the pole vault at the 2004 U.S. Open with a clearance of 5.85m/19- 2.25.

Others who'll provide a strong challenge include 2004 Olympic finalist Derek Miles, who entered this season ranked #4 in the world, and American record holder Jeff Hartwig, who ended the 2004 season ranked #10 globally.

Godina looks to extend Visa Championship Series lead

After winning the inaugural men's indoor Visa Championship Series in March at the 2005 USA Indoor Championships, two-time Olympic medalist and three-time world outdoor champion John Godina grabbed the lead in the 2005 Outdoor VCS Sunday at the adidas Track Classic with a personal best throw in the men's shot put.

Godina's winning toss of 22.20 meters/72 feet, 10 inches, was the 32- year-old's first personal best since 1999, and the best throw in the world so far in 2005. The performance gave him the VCS lead with 1,253 points (using the IAAF Scoring Tables of Athletics).

Godina, who won in Palo Alto last year with his season's best throw of 21.71m/71-2.75, will face two-time Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson, who for the second time in his career finished a season ranked #2 in the world in 2004. Nelson was the runner-up to Godina at last year's U.S. Open, with a best of 20.91m/68-7.25.

Other men's field events to keep an eye on include the discus throw featuring 2004 Olympians Casey Malone (6th in Athens), Ian Waltz and Jarred Rome. Also look for 2003 USA Outdoor champion and world outdoor championships finalist Carl Brown in the mix. Those four competed last week at the adidas Track Classic, with Rome winning the event with a best throw of 63.64m/208-9.

In other field events, 2004 Olympic finalist Kenta Bell will compete in the men's triple jump, and look for 2005 adidas Track Classic winner Brian Chaput (76.89m/252-3) in the javelin throw.

Scott looks for another win

Men's running events will feature the Visa men's 100 meters, headlined by Leonard Scott, who won the adidas Track Classic in this season's U.S.-leading time of 10.03 seconds. He'll be challenged by 2004 Olympic 200m silver medalist Bernard Williams, 2003 world 200m champion John Capel and up-and-comer Kaaron Conwright.

Two of America's best will do battle in the men's 800 meters as 2003 World Indoor champion David Krummenacker takes on 2004 Olympian Derrick Peterson. 2004 U.S. Olympian Charlie Gruber will have his hands full with Kenyan stars Paul Korir and Laban Rotich in the Nike men's 1,500 meters.

2004 Olympic finalist Tim Broe will lead a talented group of U.S. distance runners in the men's 5,000 meters, which includes 2004 World Indoor Championships team member Bolota Asmerom, 2004 U.S. Open third-place finisher Matt Lane and 2004 Olympic Trials finalist Jorge Torres.

Strong women's fields

In women's running events, look for a strong field in the 100m hurdles featuring 2001 World Outdoor champion Anjanette Kirkland, reigning U.S. Open champion Jenny Adams and 2005 USA Indoor 60m hurdles champion Danielle Carruthers. The Americans will face a strong challenge by Jamaica's Delloreen Ennis-London, who ended the 2004 season ranked #7 in the world.

2005 Indoor Visa Championships Series winner Angela Daigle will have her hands full in the women's 100 meters in facing 2004 Olympic Games 200m finalist Muna Lee, 1999 World Outdoor Championships 200m gold medalist Inger Miller and 2004 Olympian Angela Williams.

2004 Olympic Trials champion Carrie Tollefson and 2004 Trials runner- up Jen Toomey will lead the U.S. charge in the women's 1,500 meters, and 2005 Team USA World Cross Country Championships short course team bronze medalists Lauren Fleshman and Blake Russell headline the women's 5,000 meters.

Women's field events will feature many of America's best in the pole vault as 2004 Olympians Jillian Schwartz and Kellie Suttle take on veterans Mary Sauer and Tracy O'Hara, and 2004 Olympic finalist Grace Upshaw does battle with Olympic Trials fourth-place finisher and 2004 Olympian Rose Richmond in the women's long jump.

The Payton Jordan U.S. Open, a stop on the VISA Championship Series and IAAF Grand Prix, will be televised by ESPN2 from 7-8:30PDT.

2005 Payton Jordan U.S. Open Schedule (Subject to change)

11:20 a.m. Men's Olympic Development 800 Meters

11:25 a.m. Women's Olympic Development 800 Meters

11:30 a.m. Men's Discus

11:30 a.m. Men's Long Jump

11:30 a.m. Boys' 4 x 100 Meter Relay

11:35 a.m. Girls' 4 x 100 Meter Relay

11:40 a.m. Kids' Half-Lapper

11:50 a.m. Women's Pole Vault

11:55 a.m. National Anthem

12:00 p.m. Women's Shot Put

12:02 p.m. Guckenheimer Women's Long Jump

12:05 p.m. Stanford Federal Credit Union Men's Pole Vault

12:07 p.m. Men's Olympic Development 1500 Meters (Section B)

12:12 p.m. Men's Olympic Development 1500 Meters (Section A)

12:20 p.m. Nike Men's 1500 Meters

12:30 p.m. Women's 100 Meter Hurdles

12:35 p.m. Men's Javelin

12:40 p.m. Men's 110 Meter Hurdles

12:45 p.m. Tribute to Payton Jordan Video

12:50 p.m. Women's 800 Meters

12:57 p.m. Men's Triple Jump

1:00 p.m. Visa Men's Shot Put

1:02 p.m. Men's 800 Meters

1:10 p.m. Men's 3000 Meter Steeplechase

1:25 p.m. Women's Olympic Development 1500 Meters

1:32 p.m. Tartan Women's 1500 Meters

1:42 p.m. Nike Women's 100 Meters

1:50 p.m. Visa Men's 100 Meters

NOTE: The following events will take place on Sunday, May 29.

6:00 p.m. Women's Discus

7:00 p.m. Women's Hammer

8:00 p.m. Women's 10,000 Meters

8:40 p.m. Men's 5,000 Meters

9:00 p.m. Women's 5,000 Meters

9:20 p.m. Tartan Men's 10,000 Meters