University of North Carolina Athletics
Gamble Wins NCAA Triple Jump Title
June 21, 1999 | Track & Field
March 7, 1999
University of North Carolina senior Nicole Gamble won the NCAA triple jump title Saturday evening with an ACC all-time record leap of 46-1 1/4 at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. Gamble is the first female in UNC history to win a national championship in a field event. She is just the second female to win a track & field national championship. Monique Hennagan won two titles (indoor 400m, outdoor 800m) in 1996.
Carolina's women finished 10th Saturday, UNC's third top-10 indoor finish in the last five years. Only four points separated third through 10th places.
"It was a great performance," said UNC head coach Dennis Craddock. "Nicole has been close to winning the last couple of years, and this was just an amazing effort."
A native of Sumter, S.C., Gamble defeated last year's defending triple jump champion, Trecia Smith of Pittsburgh, on her final jump of the competition. Smith was second Saturday with a jump of 46-0.
Gamble's leap was a new American collegiate record, eclipsing the previous mark of 45-9 by Sheila Hudson.
Gamble also finished second in the long jump on Friday, tying her personal best with a jump of 20-10 3/4. Gamble earned a total of 18 points for the Tar Heels on the weekend.
DeAnne Davis was sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 43-3, which ranks second in UNC history. LaShonda Christopher was ninth in the triple jump at 42-4 1/4. All three Tar Heels earned All-America honors. Gamble and Christopher have each earned 11 All-America honors in their UNC careers.
Joy Ganes was ninth in the high jump, tying her career best of 6-0.
In the men's competition, Carolina senior Allen Bradd finished 11th in the shot put but earned All-America honors as one of the top eight Americans in the event. Dominic Demeritte ran a time of 21.34 in the 200m and did not advance to the finals.
