June 7, 1998
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Villanova’s Carmen Douma capped an amazing sophomore campaign at the NCAA Championships, winning the national title in the 1500m to become the first Wildcat woman in history to capture the outdoor crown in the event. This years NCAA competition took place in Buffalo, N.Y., on the campus of University of Buffalo from June 3-6, 1998.
Doumas race was one of the most exciting of the day, as the Cambridge, Ontario, native won in 4:16.04, shattering her personal best by two seconds. Her time ranks No. 12 in Villanova history in the event, while her NCAA individual title is the Wildcats 11th on the womens side and 44th overall.
Douma stayed with the pack throughout most of the race, but surged ahead with 400 meters remaining. After taking the lead, Douma found herself in a battle with Colorados Kelly Smith. Smith, who had led for much of the competition, regained the No. 1 position with approximately 120 meters remaining, but Douma was not to be denied, capturing the title right at the finish line. Smith finished in the runner-up spot with a time of 4:16.23.
Doumas sophomore campaign could not have gone any better, as she captured national titles in the indoor mile and outdoor 1500m, won Big East Conference crowns in the indoor 1000m and outdoor 1500m, and has collected All-America awards on four different occasions already in her young career. Douma shaved 10 seconds off her 1500m time this season, making one of the most drastic jumps in improvement in Villanova history.
Villanova faithful saw another fine effort from Kareem Archer (Sr., Plainfield, N.J.) at the NCAA Championships, as the standout finished his career with All-America performances in both the 400m and 110m hurdles. Archer placed third overall in the 400m hurdles, running his fastest time this season (49.49) in the finals, and finished eighth in the 110m race with a mark of 13.85 in the finals. Archer leaves the Main Line as a four-time All-American and Big East Champion in the 400m hurdles for three-straight years.
Ann McGranahan (Fr., Pensacola, Fla.) made her debut performance for the Wildcats with a 14th-place effort in the 10,000m competition. The rookie looked strong in the event, and will get better and better as time progresses.
Other NCAA outdoor qualifiers for the Wildcats this season were Jermaine Deans (Jr., Kingston, Jamaica), Tamieka Grizzle (So., Bronx, N.Y.) and Charmaine Walker (Fr., Plainfield, N.J.). Deans placed 17th overall in the long jump competition, while Grizzle qualified in the 800m and Walker in the 100m.
In the team competitions, the Villanova women placed 25th overall with 10 points, while the men finished 35th with seven points. Texas won the womens national crown (60 points), and the Arkansas men captured their seventh-straight championship with 58.50 total points.
