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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Junior Alexandra Russo (Bellport, N.Y.) and freshman Sammy Bockoven (Hudson, Ohio) tallied wins in the Mile and the 1000 meters, respectively, during competition at the Villanova Open on Friday afternoon. The meet marked the first visit for the Wildcats to the brand new Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex in Staten Island and was also the first of six times that Villanova will compete at the venue this season.

The day was a successful one for the Wildcats, who returned to competition following a month layoff. Russo finished first in the Mile with a time of 5:08.33 and Bockoven paced a total of 48 competitors in the 800 meters with a winning time of 2:14.41. Villanova had more than 20 athletes competing in seven running events, six field events and the 4x400 meter relay during the meet.

In the Elite section of the 1000 meters, freshman Kaleigh Hughes (Needham, Mass.) finished second overall out of a dozen competitors in 2:55.73 and the Wildcats placed three runners in the top five. Redshirt freshman Erin Jaskot (Blauvelt, N.Y.) came in fourth (2:56.29) and sophomore Rebecca Del Rossi (Canton, N.Y.) was fifth with a personal best time of 2:57.65.

Several other Villanova athletes registered personal best marks in their respective events on Friday afternoon. Sophomore Katie HoSang (Bedford, N.H.) posted a time of 9.25 in the 60 meter hurdles and sophomore Katie Fisher (Uxbridge, Ont.) established a new top mark with a time of 10:05.45 in the 3000 meters. Fisher came in second out of 29 competitors in the 3K and junior Claudia Tishler (Medfield, Mass.) finished 13th with a time of 10:51.08 in her first collegiate race at the distance.

In the field events, junior Kristen Erickson (Princeton, Mass.) and freshman Alex Zimmerman (Lititz, Pa.) each recorded new personal bests in the shot put. Erickson was the runner-up in a field of 29 athletes with a throw of 12.65 meters, while Zimmerman was 18th and registered a mark of 10.13 meters.

More than 25 collegiate teams, plus athletes from a number of club teams in the area, made up the field for the meet. Next up for the Wildcats is a return trip to Ocean Breeze for the Gotham Cup next weekend.