Aug. 19, 2001

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - The Charlotte 49ers' Ian Dickinson officially became the first Charlotte athlete to represent the United States in international competition last night. He and the other members of the USA Junior National team took on Great Britain in a dual meet.

Dickinson, a sophomore from Alpharetta, Ga., placed fourth in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:29.28. Christopher Emme of Stanford led Team USA in the event, finishing second with an 8:22.05 time. The U.S. team went on to defeat Great Britain, 201-176, overall, with the U.S. men winning, 106-88, and the U.S. women winning, 95-88. This was the first dual meeting between junior athletes from USA and Great Britain.

Saturday's meet was the highpoint of a busy week. After the meet, Dickinson was set to return to Charlotte Sunday so he can begin classes when the other students return Monday morning.

Dickinson earned a spot on the team with a third-place finish in the 5,000-meter run at June's junior nationals in Richmond, Va. He posted a time of 14:44.69 to finish as the first alternate behind Stanford runners Ian Dobson and Christopher Emme. He then moved into the lineup after Dobson chose to sit out with an injury.

Dickinson's selection is an indicator of the progress the track program has made in recent years. He joins recent NCAA track All-Americans Rephel Martin and Will Montgomery, cross country All-American Kenneth Svendsen and Liberian Olympian Koiyan Morlu as 49ers who have reached national and international status in the last two years.