Photo Gallery | Complete Results | Additional Quotes

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--If there is no meet that measures the legendary success of the Villanova track & field program better than the Penn Relays, then there is no race that encapsulates the Wildcats history at the world's most historic track meet better than the distance medley relay. Those qualifiers held true on Thursday evening as the latest generation of Villanova runners won the Championship of America title in the distance medley relay with a decisive and at times dominant performance.

A lineup that consisted of sophomore Nicole Hutchinson (West Vancouver, B.C.), freshman McKenna Keegan (West Grove, Pa.), junior Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (Dublin, Ireland) and fifth-year senior Angel Piccirillo (Homer City, Pa.) won the DMR with a time of 10:53.97, finishing more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Penn State and the rest of the field of 12 teams. The winning time matched the eighth-fastest in the 38-year history of the race. This is the 15th time that the Wildcats have won the DMR at the Penn Relays, and the title is the program's 38th overall in Championship of America races. Villanova continued a remarkable streak in recent years, winning for the 10th time since 2012.

"Everybody knows the tradition here and that the DMR is the most prestigious relay because you have four different disciplines in one race," head coach Gina Procaccio said. "Villanova has kind of been synonymous with the DMR as the most prestigious race. When you do have a team that's good enough you want to make sure you do it. I was saying before the race that this year I felt like we had a team that was good enough to win it."

The race was a historic one for Piccirillo. One year after redshirting the outdoor season with a foot injury, the Wildcats fifth-year senior returned to not only anchor a Championship of America victory but also match an all-time record in the process. Piccirillo won the seventh Penn Relays watch of her career, tying her for the most by a collegiate women's runner in meet history with two fellow Villanovans - Kathy Franey (1985-90) and Michelle Bennett (1988-91).

"It is an honor," Piccirillo said of running the anchor leg of the race. "It is honestly one of the biggest privileges I have had at Villanova to run anchor, and this is the second time I have anchored. I anchored the 4x8 a couple years ago. Coming up Emily [Lipari] was always the anchor when I was younger and I looked up to her probably more than anyone. To come into this position now is what I have been waiting for and what I have been preparing for the while time I've been here."

All four athletes in the Wildcats lineup on Thursday did their part to secure the win. Hutchinson led off with a split of 3:21.39 over 1200 meters and gave the baton to Keegan at the first hand-off with the Wildcats narrowly in front of Notre Dame. Keegan ran the 400 meter leg of the race in 54.05 and it was still Notre Dame and Villanova in front at the end of the second leg of the relay.

Cleirigh Buttner took the baton for the 800 meter leg and ran at a steady pace until there were 300 meters to go before the final exchange. She took off down the back straightaway and steadily put space between herself and the chase pack, winding up with a split of 2:05.78 and giving the baton to Piccirillo with a sizable advantage.

"I usually try to wait until 200 meters to go, but as it was today it was a bit too slow and right before 300 meters left my legs just wanted to go," Cleirigh Buttner said. "I started stretching out down the back straight and tried to excel a little bit more every 50 meters. I managed to do what we usually do, which was break away. I was able to give Angel a few meters and that was great. You can have a plan going in, but you can't really hold yourself back. If you're ready to go you have to go, and have to be confident when you do go."

Piccirillo ran a steady split of 4:32.76 on the 1600 meter anchor leg. In the final 250 meters of the race, first Notre Dame and eventually Penn State made a push to close ground on the lead, but Piccirillo comfortably held off the late charges.

"All I have to do is get them to the starting line," Procaccio said. "These girls know what the tradition is with Villanova and the Penn Relays. We definitely wanted this DMR and my hats off to the girls. They are the ones who go out there and do it. We create the opportunity for them, and I am just fortunate enough that I have great athletes who get out there and take advantage of the opportunities."

The first two legs of the relay were important ones for Hutchinson and Keegan in terms of putting the Wildcats in position to have Cleirigh Buttner and Piccirillo race at the front of the pack. Hutchinson had run on a winning relay last season, the 4x1500 meter relay, in her Penn Relays debut. Keegan was racing on Thursday for the first time in a Villanova shirt at the Penn Relays.

"It means so much," Keegan said of becoming a part of the Wildcats tradition at the meet. "I knew that the girls sitting next to me would do their job, and coming in as a freshman I had to do my job too. I knew the tradition Villanova had here and that I needed to keep up by end of the bargain. I did what I could and I am really proud of everybody sitting here next to me."

Procaccio and Hutchinson both talked about the importance of coming in with the lead at the first hand-off.

"I just listened to Gina," Hutchinson said. "She said to come in, run relaxed and do everything you can to bring it in with the lead. I didn't really put much more thought into it than that, other than obviously just the mental prep the same as I would any other race."

Another big day is on tap for Friday afternoon, as the Wildcats will compete in the Championship of America 4x1500 meter relay race at 1:20 p.m.

COMPLETE RESULTS - CHAMPIONSHIP OF AMERICA DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY

Villanova                      1st of 12                10:53.97
Nicole Hutchinson              1200 Meters              3:21.39McKenna Keegan                 400 Meters               54.05Siofra Cleirigh Buttner        800 Meters               2:05.78Angel Piccirillo               1600 Meters              4:32.76
Penn State                     2nd                      10:56.07Notre Dame                     3rd                      10:58.22Indiana                        4th                      11:02.25Columbia                       5th                      11:02.32Penn                           6th                      11:15.76Princeton                      7th                      11:16.41Maryland                       8th                      11:22.31Duke                           9th                      11:22.81Georgetown                     10th                     11:23.93Dartmouth                      11th                     11:28.16Pittsburgh                     12th                     11:40.79

ADDITIONAL QUOTES

Head Coach Gina Procaccio...

On the 800 meter leg run by Siofra Cleirigh Buttner: At first it was kind of slow. She has the amazing turn to go from zero to 60. I have never had an athlete that has been able to accelerate the way she has, so I was confident that once she went it would open things up.

On the importance of the first two legs of the relay: That was crucial. That's what we talked about. Nicole is only a sophomore but she was on that freshman 4x1500 relay last year. I was glad she had that experience, but I pretty much told her you have to bring in the lead because McKenna, as a freshman she is going to need some daylight to get going. When you come in all bunched up and tripping over each other, it messes up the 400 legs and you aren't going to get the best out of them. McKenna ran amazing. She had not been able to break 56 seconds this outdoor season. I grabbed her split and my watch told me 53.97. My sprint coach told me she was going to run 54 today and he was right.

Angel Piccirillo...

On getting the baton with the lead: That's what I love to see. Down the line from Nicole to McKenna to Siofra, they were all running really fast. Everybody's splits were on. I saw that and it got me excited. I said to myself that they were all going, so I was going to go and we were going to win it no matter what. Then to see Siofra open up a gap was even better, and I thought we could make it decisive. I just wanted to make sure I brought it tin the same way I got the stick, which was in first.

On the anchor runners from Penn State and Notre Dame gaining ground with less than 200 meters left: I knew they were there. I don't want to say I was nervous, but I knew nobody was going to give up. Everybody wants to win this, but in my head the whole time I was just thinking `whatever it takes.' If she [Penn State anchor] comes back on me then we're going to duke it out to the line, or if she doesn't then I'm going to keep running the way that I am. Like I said, everyone ahead of me ran so strong that we were going to win, whatever it was going to take.