CANTON, N.Y. - Five Bates student-athletes earned All-America honors at the 2003 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships held last weekend at St. Lawrence University's Merrick-Pinkard Track.

Justin Easter (Jay, Maine) successfully defended his national title in the 3,000-meter steeplchase, finishing with a time of 8:54.27, a new school record. The senior co-captain held off a runner from Baldwin-Wallace College by just over one-half of a second. Easter is a seven-time All-American and has competed in 12 national championships in his four-year career.

Joe Northrup (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) became Bates' first All-American in the decathlon when he finished eighth with 6,371 points. After day one, Northrup was in fifth place, but after slipping during the second day, a third-place finish in the pole vault kept Northrup in the hunt for the award.

First-year thrower Kelly Godsey (Parker, Colo.) made an immediate impact in the hammer throw. Despite having only started the hammer throw earlier this year, she has become one of the best in the country in a short time. Godsey threw a school record 178-3 and finished third. She broke her own mark by more than five feet.

Senior co-captain Kelley Puglisi (Scotia, N.Y.) earned her third All-America honor in the 1,500-meter run after finishing fifth with in a school-record time of 4:31.91.

Junior thrower Liz Wanless (Belleville, Ill.) earned her second All-America award in the shot put, but first during the outdoor season. She finished second with a heave of 48-0 3/4.

The women's team finished tied for 14th out of 83 scoring teams, their best finish ever in an outdoor national championship meet. The men tied for 27th out of 71 teams.