By Special to the Town Crier

Mountain View resident Nicole Teter is among those expected to compete at the 2002 Oracle U.S. Open Track & Field meet Saturday at Stanford University’s Cobb Track & Angell Field.

Teter will race in the women’s 1,500-meter run, an event in which she is ranked fourth in the world. Teter is also the national indoor champion in the 800 run, ranking No. 1 in the world. Teter trains at Stanford with the Nike Farm Team.

Saturday’s meet is a prelude to the national championships - to be held at Stanford later this month - and all the participants are national-caliber athletes, some of them Olympians.

Headlining the meet are Stacy Dragila, Marion Jones, Gail Devers and Regina Jacobs.

Dragila, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist in the pole vault, ranked as the world’s best female track and field athlete for last year. At last year’s U.S Open, she set two world records.

Jones, ranked No. 2 in the world last year among female track athletes, dominated the sprints at the 2000 Olympics. She became the first woman to claim five medals, including golds in the 100, 200 and 1,600 relay, at one Olympics.

Devers ranked No. 1 in the world in the 100-meter hurdles last season and holds the American record of 12.33 seconds. She owns two Olympic gold medals.

Jacobs won the women’s 1,500 at last year’s U.S. Open in a then world-leading 4:04.85.

On the men’s side, the 5K field could be one of the fastest on U.S. soil with a handful of Kenyans and Americans racing. The field will feature Luke Kipkosgei, Abraham Chebii, Albert Chepkirui and Shadrack Kosgei of Kenya, along with 2000 U.S. Olympians Brad Hauser and Nick Rogers.

Another event to watch is the shot putt, with U.S. Olympians John Godina and Adam Nelson among the favorites.

The U.S. Open will also include free sports clinics for ages 14 and under. Clinics will be held the afternoon of the meet, which runs 6-8 p.m.

For tickets to this meet and the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, set for June 21-23 at Stanford, call (800) STANFORD.