Bio

	Michael Christmas
	Class: Jr. Height/Weight: 6-3, 143     Hometown: Invercargill, New Zealand Position: Mid. Distance     High School: James Hargest College

2008 Cross Country: Finished 44th in the in 8K run in 27:34.9 at the America East Championships… Placed 51st in the 8K run in 25:22.60 at the Princeton Invitational… Finished fifth in the 8K run in 26:44 at the Towson Invitational… Started the season with a 16th-place finish at the Mount St. Mary’s 5K Duals in 16:39.64.

2008 Outdoor: Placed ninth in the 800-meter run and was part of the third-place 4 x 800m relay team at the America East Championships… Finished 15th in the 800-meter run at the Lou Onesty/Milton G. Abramson Invitational… Placed ninth in the 800-meter run at the Bucknell Team Challenge.

2007-08 Indoor: Was part of the seventh-place 4 x 800m relay team at the IC4A Championships… Finished third in the 800-meter run and was part of the first-place 4 x 800m relay team at the America East Championships… Was part of the eighth-place distance medley team at the Penn State National Invitational… Placed sixth in the 800-meter run at the Terrapin Invitational… Finished sixth in the 500-meter dash at the Gulden Relays… Placed fifth in the 1000-meter dash at the Bison Opener. 

Background: A national-caliber runner in New Zealand and the Oceania region… Crowned Oceania Champion in the U-18 800-meter run in 2004… Also took second in the 1500 at the same meet… Finished second in the U-19 800 at the New Zealand Championships in 2007, third in the 800 in 2006, and second in the U-17 800 in 2004… Also competed for James Hargest College on the secondary school circuit… Placed second in the senior boys’ 800 in 2005 and third in the senior boys’ 800 in 2004 at the New Zealand Secondary School Championships… School record holder in five different events and provincial record holder in three events… Has raced against Olympians Jason Stewart (NZ) and Stefano Mika (Samoa) at the New Zealand Commonwealth Trials, where he finished fifth in the 800… Was also a Provincial Representative for basketball… Earned Academic Blues awards at James Hargest in Science and Chemistry during 2003 and 2004… Earned academic honors from 2001-2005.

Personal: One of three sons to Peter and Sue Christmas… Has a sister, Felicity (17) and two brothers, Lewis (15) and Max (14)… Plans to major in biochemistry… Born August 6, 1987.