McWilliams Wins NCAA Indoor Championship
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Mississippi State University's Tiffany McWilliams is the 2004 NCAA Indoor Champion in the mile run. She crossed the finish line in her career-fastest time of 4:32.24 to win the race, edging out last season's champion Johanna Nilsson of Northern Arizona.
"I was happy with the race," said McWilliams. "It went well, but I was nervous coming into the race. My goal was just to make the rest of the girls run hard. And I tried to run the best that I could. It feels good to be the national champion and I'm happy for Mississippi State."
As a team, MSU finished tied for 17th, the school's highest finish in history. Florida's women took the team title with 47 points.
"It has been a tough season," said head coach Al Schmidt. "I am real proud of the way she hung in early in January and mid-February. Everything came around. She ran a great race today and responded when she had to. She made the other competitors run and run fast."
Next, the men's and women's outdoor squads head to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the Alabama Relays being held March 19-21.
| Mile Run Finals | |||
| 1 | Tiffany McWilliams | Mississippi State | 4:32.24 |
| 2 | Johanna Nilsson | Northern Arizona | 4:32.72 |
| 3 | Treniere Clement | Georgetown | 4:35.16 |
| 4 | Hilary Edmondson | Wisconsin | 4:39.21 |
| 5 | Natalie Hughes | Florida State | 4:39.97 |
| 6 | Lindsey Gallo | Michigan | 4:40.66 |
| 7 | Kerry Meagher | Notre Dame | 4:40.67 |
| 8 | Shannon Rowbury | Duke | 4:41.17 |
| 9 | Marlies Overbeeke | Virginia Tech | 4:46.23 |
| 10 | Lauren King | Notre Dame | 4:50.57 |