CLEVELAND‹ Jason Bradshaw of Perry, Ohio, and Erik Petersen of Las Vegas, students at Case Western Reserve University's Case School of Engineering, will carry the Olympic torch at 3:50 p.m., Monday, January 1, on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland.

The CWRU students will join 11,500 people nationwide who are carrying the Olympic torch across 48 states, culminating at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The duo won the opportunity to carry the torch through an essay contest sponsored by Coca Cola.

Bradshaw and Petersen got acquainted at CWRU through the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and on-campus events. Bradshaw is majoring in mechanical engineering at CWRU. He plans to graduate in Spring 2002. Petersen is a student in the department of electrical engineering at the university.

"I was watching TV one day last spring, and an advertisement came on to nominate someone to carry the Olympic torch" Peterson said. "I immediately thought of my fraternity brother Jason. He was nominated orientation leader of the year at CWRU last year for the exceptional way he helped make freshmen more comfortable on campus when they got here. He also has always supported me. Being an out-of-towner, he has made me feel a part of something special in Cleveland.

"So I wrote an 800-word essay about him and they wrote me back asking me to scale it down to 100 words," he added. "After I did that, they told me they selected Jason and asked me if I would run, too."

Bradshaw has been an active member of the CWRU community and says he is thrilled to have a chance to carry the torch before he graduates next spring.

"This is a fantastic opportunity," Bradshaw said."All my friends and family are coming out to cheer us on. We also get to keep our uniforms and purchase our torches for $350, so I'll have these things to remember this day by for a lifetime."

Petersen says it's an honor to be chosen to carry the Olympic torch even if there are more than 11,000 other runners who will take up the task.

"Coca Cola had 210,000 nominees, so I feel very lucky to be chosen," Petersen said.

"Erik and I will carry those torches high and run our best on New Year's Day with everyone at CWRU and in Cleveland in our hearts and thoughts as we make our way down Euclid Avenue," Bradshaw said. "It's a heck of a great way to kick off a New Year."

Jason Bradshaw can be reached directly at 216-408-2558. Erik Petersen can be reached at 216-754-2541 on December 30 and January 1.