Dashing Davis

Friday, June 9, 2000 | 10:20 a.m.

Michele Davis left the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships with dual All-American honors and mixed emotions.

Davis, a sophomore sprinter from Lansing, Mich., placed fourth in the 200 meters final (23.14) and seventh in the 400 meters final (52.68) -- her specialty -- last weekend at Duke University's Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C.

"I was really hoping to go to nationals, but I didn't expect to place so high in the 200," Davis said. "The 400 is actually the event I'm better at, but the field is very, very good.

"The 200 was a big surprise and that was really great to be able to go in that event also ... but I was disappointed in my placing in the 400."

Nonetheless, the 19-year-old Davis said she enjoyed her experience at the NCAA Championships.

"It was kind of nerve-wracking but it was exciting," Davis said.

"There were a lot of good, quality athletes there. And (qualifying in two events) makes it worse and better because there's a lot more pressure, but when you qualify for two events you have two chances to make it to the finals."

Davis entered the NCAA Championships ranked 17th in the 400 and 20th in the 200, and said she was expecting to have her best showing in the 400. Her finish, however, did not surprise UNLV head coach Karen Dennis.

"The 400 is the race we've been primarily focusing on; she's more a long sprinter than a short sprinter," Dennis said. "But Michele also has good speed and that's one component of her training that I never wanted to sacrifice in her training for the 400.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure which is Michele's best race, so it didn't really surprise me."

It may not have surprised Dennis to see Davis walk away from the nationals with a pair of All-American honors, but Dennis admitted she didn't believe Davis would attain this type of success in only her sophomore season.

Despite earning Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year honors for both the indoor and outdoor seasons last year and qualifying for the U.S. Junior National Team, Davis was not exactly the most highly recruited sprinter out of high school.

"Michele was a quality runner, but at UNLV we haven't been able to attract the blue-chip kids because most of those kids like to go the Pac-10 schools (and) the top-five schools in the country," Dennis said.

"What we have to do is identify quality red-chip kids -- and Michele was one of those kids -- and we have to make them into blue chips."

By virtue of her time in the 200, Davis has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials next month in Sacramento, Calif. She said she would continue to run in meets before then in an attempt to qualify in the 400 as well.

"Just to go to the (Olympic Trials) is really a blessing," Davis said. "I don't expect to make it to the Olympics, but to be there and put my name into recognition as somebody to look for in the future would be nice."

Dennis, who serves as the head coach for the United States' women's national team that will compete in this summer's Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, said Davis still is maturing as a sprinter -- but did not rule out her making this year's Olympic team.

"I think Michele's Olympics are probably ahead of her right now, but what I do want her to have is the Olympic Trials experience in 2000," Dennis said. "I think as we go along, she's still going to drop (go faster) in the 400 meters. Michele has an outside shot, realistically, but I still think her Olympics still are ahead of her.

"But, usually there's a dark horse that comes through the Olympic Trials and makes the Olympic team and -- who knows -- Michele may be that dark horse because I still think she's capable of running faster.

"I'm not putting anything past her."