Track and Field Competes at the ECAC and IC4A Championships

Wildcats who qualified will compete at the NCAA Championships.

May 27, 1999

FAIRFAX, Va. - One first place and two second place finishes by the Wildcat women highlighted Villanova's effort at the ECAC and IC4A Championships this past weekend on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The top performance by a Villanova female was turned in by Carrie Tollefson (Sr., Dawson, Minn.) who ran an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 4:19.84 to capture the 1,500 meter title. Tollefson, who was victorious in the 1997 ECAC 1,500 meter championship, outdistanced the second place finisher by more than four seconds.

In the 3,000 meter run, Kristen Nicolini (Sr., Annapolis, Md.) ran an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 9:29.99 to finish in second place. The Wildcats' other second place track finish was by Charmaine Walker (So., Plainfield, N.J.) in the 110 meter hurdles. Walker, who won both the preliminary (13.28) and the semifinal (13.39) rounds, ran an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 13.39 in the final, four-hundreths of a second behind the winner. Carmen Douma (Jr., Cambridge, Ontario) also performed well for the 'Cats, as she finished fifth in the 800 meters with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 2:07.26. In the 800 meter trials,Douma ran even better with a 2:06.90 clocking. Leashia Rahr (Jr., Syracuse, N.Y.) had a strong showing of her own as she ended up sixth in the 400 meter hurdles in a time of 59.89 seconds.

In the discus, Villanova had two top 10 finishers as Sarah Hunt (Jr., Langhorne, Pa.) had a throw of 46.18m for fifth place and Melinda Boykin (Jr., Bridgeton, N.J.) had a ninth place throw of 42.80m.

The Villanova men had some impressive performances of their own, as Barry Flicker (Sr., Pottstown, Pa.) launched the javelin 65.84 meters, a throw that gave him third place among the IC4A competition. Antoine Johnson (Fr., Tuckahoe, N.Y.) earned a fifth place finish in the 110 meter hurdles with a mark of 14.28 seconds, while Scott Tantino (Jr., North Wales, Pa.) also finished in fifth place n an event with a time of 14:27.35 in the 5,000 meters. Dean Smith (Jr., Baltimore, Md.) and Couly Dunn (Sr., Greentown, Pa.) rounded out Villanova's other top ten IC4A finishes with ninthplace in the 1,500 meters (3:48.34) and tenth place in the 5,000 meters (14:44.32), respectively.

From June 3-5, those Wildcats who qualified will compete at the NCAA championships in Boise, Idaho.

ECAC/IC4A Championships May 20-23, 1999 Fairfax, Va.

WOMEN'S 100 meter high hurdles Charmaine Walker 2nd 13.39&

WOMEN'S 400 METER HURDLES Leashia Rahr 6th 59.89

WOMEN'S 800 METER RUN Carmen Douma 5th 2:07.26&

WOMEN'S 1500 METER RUN Carrie Tollefson 1st 4:19.84&

WOMEN'S 3000 METER RUN Kristen Nicolini 2nd 9:29.99&

WOMEN'S SHOT PUT Melinda Boykin 11th 13.10m

WOMEN'S DISCUS Sarah Hunt 5th 46.18m Melinda Boykin 9th 42.80m

WOMEN'S HAMMER THROW Sarah Hunt 21st 39.44m

MEN'S 4X400m relay Villanova trials 3:20.51

MEN'S 110 METER HURDLES Antoine Johnson 5th 14.28

MEN'S 400 METER HURDLES Mike Brown trials 53.19

MEN'S 1500 METER RUN Dean Smith 9th 3:48.34

MEN'S 5000 METER RUN Scott Tantino 5th 14:27.35 Coulby Dunn 10th 14:44.32

MEN'S 10,000 METER RUN Coulby Dunn 14th 31:23.63

MEN'S JAVELIN Barry Flicker 3rd 65.84m Ryan Burns 21st 54.52m

& = NCAA Provisional Qualifier

Villanova University