Mile: Official Results | Splits

COLLEGE STATION, Texas--Junior middle distance runner Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (Dublin, Ireland) finished eighth in the final of the Mile at the NCAA Championships on Saturday evening, continuing Villanova's historical success at the national meet in both the Mile specifically and in extending the team's streak of scoring points in the team standings. This is the fourth straight year that the Wildcats have had a runner finish in the top eight of the mile at the national championships, and it is also the ninth consecutive year in which Villanova has scored team points at the NCAA meet.

Cleirigh Buttner recorded a time of 4:34.78 at Gilliam Indoor Stadium in a fast and closely-contested race. Less than a second separated the runners in the third through eighth finishing spots, and nine of the 10 qualifiers for the final were timed in 4:36 or lower in the championship race. Cleirigh Buttner was in seventh place at the start of the bell lap and closed strong to maintain her spot in the top eight at the finish line. She held off Amy-Eloise Neale of Washington by 0.24 seconds for the eighth spot, and was equally as close to fifth-place finisher Therese Haiss of Arkansas.

The race got off to a methodical start and Cleirigh Buttner initially slid towards the back of the pack. She was in eighth place after 500 meters, and the pace really started to get going after 800 meters. After the runners reached the halfway point of the race, Cleirigh Buttner had the fastest split (34.81 seconds) in the field on the next lap around the track. Her finishing time of 4:34.78 was her second-fastest this season, trailing her mark of 4:33.16 at the Columbia East-West Challenge on January 28. That time is the fifth-fastest in school history.

Cleirigh Buttner had advanced on time to Saturday evening's final after coming in sixth in her preliminary heat on Friday night. She registered a time of 4:35.79 in Friday's race, and each of the two on-time qualifiers for the final came from the faster opening heat.

This is the 22nd time that the Wildcats will have an All-American in the Mile at the indoor NCAA Championships. It is also the 31st time in the 35-year history of the national meet that Villanova has scored points in the team standings.

Cleirigh Buttner tallied the best individual finish at an NCAA Championship of her career. She was previously a second team All-American in the 800 meters both indoors and outdoors last season.

Villanova had a total of six athletes in competition at this week's national meet. Cleirigh Buttner and sophomore Nicole Hutchinson (West Vancouver, B.C.) each competed in the preliminary heats of the Mile on Friday night, and the Wildcats also recorded a 12th place finish in the distance medley relay.

A full list of All-America honors for the indoor championships will be announced next week. Villanova opens the outdoor season next Friday (March 17) when it competes in the Philadelphia College Classic at Penn.