June 5, 1997
Villanova's Jurga Marcinkevicuite, Kareem Archer, and Kristine Jost all advanced to the finals of their respective events at the 1997 NCAA Track & Field Championships, held on the campus of the University of Indiana in Bloomington, Ind.
Marcinkevicuite posted the fastest qualifying time of the day in the 800m run, registering a personal-best 2:03.62 to win her heat. The sophomore from Vilnius, Lithuania, will race in the final of the 800m on Friday, June 6, 1997, at 4:55 p.m. (ET). Teammate Tamieka Grizzle, a freshman from Bronx, N.Y., ran 2:07.90 in the event, finishing sixth in her heat, and did not advance to the final.
Archer qualified for the final of the 400m hurdles by winning his heat in 49.34, the third-fastest time of the day. The junior from Plainfield, N.J., registered a personal-best 48.80 in the event last weekend at the IC4A meet held in Fairfax, Va., becoming the fourth-fastest man in the world this year. Archer will compete for the national title in the 400m hurdles on Friday, June 6, 1997, at 4:25 p.m. (ET).
Jost, the defending NCAA Indoor Champion in the 3000m run, advanced to the final in the outdoor event with a time of 9:13.83 in the semifinals. Her time was the fastest of the day. A native of Baltimore, Md., the junior will run in the finals of the 3000m on June 6, 1997, at 5:50 p.m. (ET).
The NCAA Track & Field Championships began on Wednesday, June 4, 1997, and will run through Saturday, June 7, 1997.
