BEREA, OH.  5/28/10 – Senior Peter Najem of Derry will conclude his Keene State running career by competing in the finals of the 800- and 1,500 races at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships at Baldwin-Wallace College on Saturday.

Najem qualified for the finals in the 800 on Friday by posting a time of 1:51.96 in his preliminary race.  His time was the sixth fastest among the eight competitors who advanced to the finals. He qualified for the 1,500 finals on Thursday with the second-best time of 3:50.99 in the preliminaries.

“I'm actually feeling pretty strong,” said Najem “I won't be 100 percent in the 800 final, but I feel I can have a good showing.”

The only runner in the two races looking to double, Najem will have roughly an hour and a half to recuperate between finals.  On Saturday, the 1,500 takes place at 1:30m p.m. while the 800 is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

“The 800 has always been my event, so I'm the new kid on the block when it comes to competing in the 1,500 at the national level,” said Najem. "I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Najem will be looking to become the first KSC men's athlete to successfully double at an outdoor championship since Scott Hatch finished fourth in the 10K and sixth in the 5K at the 1988 championships.

Najem, who earned All-American honors with his fourth-place finish in the 800 at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships, will be racing for his first outdoor All-America award. He didn't reach the finals of the 800 at last year's outdoor meet.