April 18, 1998

CHESTER, PA - With Tamieka Grizzle (So., Bronx, N.Y.) leading the charge, the Villanova women took the top four places in the 800m run at the Widener Invitational, held on April 18, 1998, on the campus of Widener University.

Grizzle paced the Wildcat assault with an ECAC-qualifying time of 2:07.62. Behind her was All-American Carmen Douma (So., Cambridge, Ontario), who earned the runner-up spot with a mark of 2:10.34. Lony'e Johnson (So., Wilmington, Del.) turned in the race's third-best time (2:15.14), and Geraldine McCarthy (Fr., Listowel, Ireland) placed fourth in 2:15.62.

The Wildcat women compiled five other first-place finishes on the afternoon. Leashia Rahr (So., Syracuse, N.Y.) won the 400m race in 57.63, followed closely by Jessica Franks (Fr., Lansdale, Pa.), who clocked a second-place run in 58.28.

Kristen Nicolini (Jr., Annapolis, Md.) captured the individual title in the 1500m competition, pacing the field with a time of 4:39.57, and Ann McGranahan (Fr., Pensacola, Fla.) won the 3000m in 9:50.13. McGranahan's run qualifies her for the ECAC-Championships. Marlena Robinson (Fr., Rochester, N.Y.) also looked strong, winning the triple jump with a leap of 38-5.75.

The women's 1600m relay team, comprised of Johnson, Franks, Rahr and Grizzle also performed well. The quartet earned a spot in the ECAC Championships with a first-place run of 3:49.25.

On the men's side, Steve Bienko (Jr., Tranquility, N.J.) was a double winner, capturing first place in both the shot put and discus competitions. Michael Brown (Fr., Mt. Holly, N.J.) continues to improve, winning the 400m hurdles race in a time of 52.54. His race qualified him for the IC4A Championships.

Scott Tantino (So., North Wales, Pa.) was another IC4A qualifier, earning runner-up honors in the 1500m with a time of 3:52.84.

The Wildcats will compete in the 104th Penn Relay Carnival from April 23-25, 1998, at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Widener InvitationalApril 18, 1998 ~ Widener University 
Villanova Men's Results200m19.  Mark Kruszewski     23.54400m5.   Maulan Byron        49.3511.  Shaun Stanton       50.6416.  Mark Kruszewski     53.06800m4.   Dean Smith          1:54.286.   Coulby Dunn         1:55.221500m2.   Scott Tantino      *3:52.848.   Brock Butler        4:01.839.   Richard Morris      4:02.0714.  Ryan Payne          4:06.293000m3.   Joe McNamara        10:00.05110m High Hurdles   2.   Gary Thau           15.37400m Hurdles1.   Michael Brown       *52.545.   Gary Thau            56.676.   Shaun Stanton        56.79Shot Put1.   Steve Bienko         47-3Discus1.   Steve Bienko         158-10
Villanova Women's Results200m10.  Chantell Parks       28.59400m1.   Leashia Rahr         57.632.   Jessica Franks       58.28800m1.   Tamieka Grizzle      *2:07.622.   Carmen Douma         *2:10.343.   Lony'e Johnson        2:15.144.   Geraldine McCarthy    2:15.6214.  Susan Billings        2:31.071500m1.   Kristen Nicolini      4:39.573000m1.   Ann McGranahan       *9:50.132.   Katie Blackett       10:36.571600m Relay1.   Villanova            *3:49.25     Johnson, Franks, Rahr, GrizzleTriple Jump1.   Marlena Robinson      38-5.75Discus2.   Melissa Guinivan      109-8
*ECAC/IC4A-Qualifying mark