March 18, 2004

VILLANOVA, PA. - As it was at the World Indoor Championships two weeks ago, Villanova University will be well represented at the World Cross Country Championships in Brussels this weekend. Wildcat senior Ryan Hayden and former Villanova star and current women's assistant coach Carmen Douma Hussar will compete for Canada at the 2004 Championships.

Each will run the short course which is 4 kilometers. Douma Hussar is just coming off a fine indoor world championships where she picked up a silver medal in the 1500m.

A native of Cambridge, Ontario, Douma-Hussar finished her Villanova running career a nine-time All-American with three NCAA individual championships and 15 BIG EAST Conference individual titles. Her three NCAA crowns came in the 1998 indoor mile, the 1998 outdoor 1500m run and the 2000 indoor mile. In addition, Douma-Hussar made her mark at the prestigious Penn Relays whre she was a member of three Championship of America teams. She graduated from Villanova in December of 2000.

A senior at Villanova, Hayden is a member of the two-time NCAA winning team in the DMR. He was the most Outstanding Big East Athlete at the 2003 Indoor Championships. In addition, Hayden finished fourth in the 1500m at the NCAA Championships in Arkansas.