March 14, 1998

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.--Villanova University sophomore Carmen Douma captured the national championship in the mile run on Saturday night at the 1998 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships held at the RCA Dome.

Douma, who had posted the fastest qualifying mark in the country entering the meet, torched the competition with a championship run of 4:37.74. She was nearly two seconds ahead of runner-up Angela Graham of Boston College, who posted a time of 4:39.62.

Douma is the first Wildcat national champion in the mile since Vicki Huber captured the title in 1988 in a run of 4:31.36. In addition to Huber, she joins Villanova standouts Marty Liquori, Eamonn Coghlan, and Dave Patrick as national champions in the event. Douma's run is the 15th-fastest in the history of Villanova women's track & field.

Also competing tonight for the Wildcats was junior Jermaine Deans in his first NCAA competition. The native of Jamaica placed 10th overall in the triple jump, earning a mark of 51 feet, four and one-half inches.