GAINESVILLE, Fla.--In a field that featured an Olympic gold medalist, a World record holder and one additional world-ranked hurdler, Villanova's Kareem Archer (Sr., Plainfield, N.J.) came out on top, running a time of 49.66 to win the 400m hurdles event at the Florida Relays this past weekend. The 55th annual running of the Florida Relays took place at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Fla.

Archer defeated world record holder Kevin Young, who placed second with a time of 49.80, and is currently running for Asics. Olympic gold medalist Derrick Adkins, formerly of Georgia Tech, placed third in 50.11, while Octavius Terry finished in fourth in 50.49. Both Adkins and Terry are currently running for Atlanta Light.

Archer's run marked his first entry in the 400m hurdles this season and is an NCAA Automatic qualifying time. The senior is a two-time All-American and three-time Big East Champion in both hurdles and sprint events throughout his career.

Villanova received another first-place performance from Jermaine Deans (Jr., Kingston, Jamaica), who captured the triple jump title with a leap of 50-11. Deans qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships this season and earned an IC4A qualifying mark with the jump.

Four Wildcats competed in the 1500m run, with Dean Smith (So., Phoenix, Md.) leading the charge. Smith placed fourth overall in the invitational division of the event, running a time of 3:48.76, while Scott Tantino (So., North Wales, Pa.) wasn't far behind, finishing seventh in 3:49.84. Both individuals earned a spot in the prestigious IC4A Championships with their efforts. In the collegiate division, Coulby Dunn (Jr., Greentown, Pa.) placed sixth in 3:59.38, and Brock Butler (Jr., West Chester, Pa.) finished 15th in 4:04.23.

Also performing well for the Wildcats was newcomer Barry Flicker (Fr., Pottstown, Pa.) who placed fourth in the javelin with an impressive toss of 208-02, and Steve Bienko (Jr., Tranquility, N.J.) who placed eighth in the discus. Both qualified for the IC4A Championships with their performances.

Kristen Nicolini (Jr., Annapolis, Md.) was the lone individual competitor for the Wildcat women, finishing third in the 3000m in an ECAC-qualifying time of 9:38.41. Nicolini also ran on the distance medley relay squad with Tamieka Grizzle (So., Bronx, N.Y.), Lony'e Johnson (So., Wilmington, Del.), and Geraldine McCarthy (Fr., Listowel, Ireland) that placed third overall in 11:40.94.

55th Annual FLORIDA COCA-COLA RELAYSMarch 28, 1998 ~ Percy Beard TrackGainesville, Fla.
Villanova men's INDIVIDUAL Results(Finals Only)
400m HH (Invitational)1.  Kareem Archer   49.66$
400m HH (Collegiate)15.  Michael Brown  53.00*39.  Mark Kruszewski    59.88
1500m (Invitational)4.  Dean Smith  3:48.76*7.  Scott Tantino   3:49.84*
1500m (Collegiate)6.  Coulby Dunn 3:59.3815. Brock Butler    4:04.23
Sprint Medley Relay6.  Villanova   3:28.83     Morris, Byron, Stanton, Young
Triple Jump (Invitational)1.  Jermaine Deans  50-11*
Discus8.  Steve Bienko    162-09*
Javelin4.  Barry Flicker   208-02*
VILLANOVA WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS(Finals Only)
3000m3.  Kristen Nicolini    9:38.41*
Distance Medley Relay3.  Villanova   11:40.94     Grizzle, Johnson, McCarthy, Nicolini
Sprint Medley Relay8.  Villanova   4:02.91     Rahr, Walker, Grizzle, Franks
400m Relay8.  Villanova   53.71     Kottles, Blackett, Rahr, Billings
$ NCAA Automatic Mark; *ECAC/IC4A Qualifying Mark.