MADISON, Wis.—Senior Nicole Hutchinson (West Vancouver, B.C.) led Villanova with a 40^th place individual finish and earned All-America honors for the first time during the cross country season at the NCAA Championships on Saturday morning.  Hutchinson ran the 6,000 meter course in 20:36.3 in what was easily the best of her four career races at the cross country national meet.  A lineup that included two freshmen among the Wildcats scoring runners came in 24^th overall at the meet in the team's 30^th all-time appearance at the national championships. 
 
Hutchinson's best previous finish at the NCAA cross country meet had been 97^th last season.  Villanova now has 56 cross country All-Americans in its history, and with this year's team berth at the meet the Wildcats are one of just nine women's program's all-time to qualify for the national meet 30 or more times.  Villanova won its 16^th title and second straight at the BIG EAST Championships, as well as its 15^th regional title this season along the way to earning an automatic NCAA bid.
 
Behind the senior veteran Hutchinson, three other four scoring runners for the Wildcats were underclassmen.  Sophomore Rachel McArthur (Bristow, Va.) came in 119^th overall with a time of 21:13.9, while the team's other scorers were junior Ann Campbell (Mission Hills, Kan.), freshman Taryn O'Neill (Lake Country, B.C.) and freshman Lydia Olivere (Wilmington, Del.). 
 
That trio was separated by just over six seconds at the finish line, with Campbell finishing 165^th with a time of 21:34.1.  O'Neill and Olivere posted times of 21:37.9 and 21:04.4, respectively.  They finished 174^th and 178^th in the overall results.  Rounding out the Villanova lineup were freshman Reilly Siebert (Syosset, N.Y.) and senior Caroline Alcorta (Springfield, Va.), who recorded times of 21:56.7 and 22:46.2, respectively. 
 
The best collegiate women's cross country program of all-time with a record nine national titles, the Wildcats have been on an upswing in recent seasons.  Villanova was ranked in the top 10 of all eight national polls released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) leading up to the NCAA Championships, including as high as sixth midway through the season.  In addition to their BIG EAST and NCAA regional titles, the Wildcats also won team titles at the Main Line Invitational and the Princeton Invitational.  Hutchinson and Alcorta combined to be named BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week three times during the year.