With Kareem Archer (Sr., Plainfield, N.J.) the highlight, the Villanova men's and women's track and field squad participated in three different meets across the East on Saturday, April 5, 1998. Head coach John Marshall's sent individuals to the Miami Gatorade Invitational held at the University of Miami, the Duke Invitational held at Duke University, and the Penn Invitational, held at the University of Pennsylvania.

Archer, who automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles last weekend, nearly duplicated that effort in the 110m high hurdle event this weekend in Miami. The All-American won the indvidiual title in the race, posting a time of 13.92, to qualify for the IC4A Championships and earn a provisional NCAA mark.

Archer also paced the Wildcats' 1600m-relay squad, which placed first in 3:11.32. He teamed up with Greg Young (So., Wilmington, Mass.), Michael Brown (Fr., Mt. Holly, N.J.) and Shaun Stanton (Fr., Bronx, N.Y.) to record the championship finish.

Barry Flicker (Fr., Pottstown, Pa.) also put in an exceptional performance in only his second meet as a Wildcat. Flicker won the javelin throw with a mark of 59.94m, while Ryan Burns (Fr., Portland, Maine) placed third in the event with a throw of 56.20m.

Again showing well was Jermaine Deans (Jr., Kingston, Jamaica), who placed second overall in the long jump with a leap of 7.68m to qualify for the IC4A Championships. Young, in his first outing during the outdoor season, also qualified for IC4As with a run of 48.23 to place 11th in the 400m.

Charmaine Walker (Fr., Plainfield, N.J.) also competed at the Miami Gatorade Invitational, finishing second in the 100m hurdles in 13.81 to earn a spot at the ECAC Championships, while also running in the 200m event.

Meanwhile, national champion Carmen Douma (So., Cambridge, Ontario) got into the flow with a runner-up effort in the 1500m run, posting a time of 4:25.18 to qualify for ECACs. Kristen Nicolini (Jr., Annapolis, Md.) was right behind Douma in the 1500m, placing fourth in 4:30.30.

Tamieka Grizzle (So., Bronx, N.Y.) put in a solid effort in the 800m, pacing the Wildcats with a time of 2:12.10 to finish second overall. Lony'e Johnson (So., Wilmington, Del.), Nicolini, and Geraldine McCarthy (Fr., Listowel, Ireland) also competed in the event for Villanova.

In addition to the Wildcats in action at the Miami Gatorade Invitational, Villanova had representation from its' men's distance squad at the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C. Dean Smith (So., Phoenix, Md.) continued to run well, putting in an eighth-place performance in the 1500m run with a time of 3:50.83 that qualifies him for the IC4A Championships.

Brock Butler (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) competed in the 3000m steeplechase, finishing ninth in 9:49.11 to post the Wildcats' first entry in the event this season. Meanwhile, in the 5000m, Scott Tantino (So., North Wales, Pa.) and Coulby Dunn (Jr., Greentown, Pa.) each qualified for the IC4A Championships. Tantino recorded a ninth-place finish with a time of 14:18.66, while Dunn posted a run of 14:32.65 to place 21st overall.

Right down the road at the Penn Invitational in Philadelphia, eight Villanova student-athletes saw action. Gary Thau (Fr.) competed in both the 110m and 400m hurdle events, while Mark Kruszewski (Sr., Reisertown, Md.) placed 11th in the 400m dash. Eric Bind (Jr., Owings Mills, Md.) recorded an eighth-place effort in the 3000m steeplechase.

On the women's side at the Penn Invitational, Janielle Matthews (Sr., Elmont, N.Y.) saw her first action of the outdoor season with a leap of 34-11.75 in the triple jump to place fifth overall.

Villanova returns to action next weekend with a meet in El Paso, Texas, the UTEP Invitational, held at the University of Texas-El Paso.

MIAMI GATORADE INVITATIONALApril 5, 1998 ~ University of Miami
Villanova Men's Results110m Hurdles1.  Kareem Archer   13.92$
400m Hurdles8.  Michael Brown   55.0115. Shaun Stanton   59.78
400m11. Greg Young  48.23*
800m9.  Richard Morris  1:58.76
1500m14. Richard Morris  4:05.12
Long Jump2.  Jermaine Deans  25-2.5* (7.68)
Javelin Throw1.  Barry Flicker   196-8* (59.94)3.  Ryan Burns  184-4 (56.20)7.  Christopher Rice    160-2 (48.82)
4x400m Relay1.  Villanova   3:11.32*    Young, Brown, Stanton, Archer
Villanova Women's Results100m Hurdles2.  Charmaine Walker    13.81*
200m21. Charmaine Walker    25.18
800m2.  Tamieka Grizzle 2:12.108.  Lony'e Johnson  2:14.5810. Kristen Nicolini    2:14.9414. Geraldine McCarthy  2:17.89
1500m2.  Carmen Douma    4:25.18*4.  Kristen Nicolini    4:30.30*8.  Tamieka Grizzle 4:40.43
Shot Put10. Sarah Hunt  36-9 (11.20)
Hammer Throw5.  Sarah Hunt  147-11 (45.10)

DUKE INVITATIONALApril  5, 1998 ~ Duke University
Villanova men's Results1500m8.  Dean Smith  3:50.83*
3000m Steeplechase9.  Brock Butler    9:49.11
5000m9.  Scott Tantino   14:18.66*21. Coulby Dunn 14:32.65*
*ECAC/IC4A Qualifying mark; $NCAA Provisional Qualifier.

PENN INVITATIONALApril 5, 1998 ~ University of Pennsylvania
Villanova Men's Results110m Hurdles6.  Gary Thau   15.73
400m Hurdles14. Gary Thau   59.59
400m 11. Mark Kruszewski 52.67
3000m Steeplechase8.  Eric Bind   10:28.90
Villanova Women's Results800m 25. Susan Billings  2:33.68
Triple Jump5.  Janielle Matthews   34-11.75 (10.65)
Javelin Throw16. Jennifer Papay  89-11 (27.40)18. April Kottles   86-1 (26.24)
Discus22. Melissa Guinivan    92-6 (28.20)
Hammer Throw15. Melissa Guinivan    104-5 (31.82)