Complete Results

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--Junior middle distance runner Nicole Hutchinson (West Vancouver, B.C.) paced eight Villanova athletes who ran the 1500 meters with a first place finish and a winning time of 4:18.69 at the Penn Challenge on Saturday afternoon. The first meet of the outdoor season was a successful one for the Wildcats, who also got first place finishes from freshman sprinter Sarah Jones (Sewell, N.J.) in the 100 meter hurdles and freshman thrower Taryn Ashby (Pittston, Pa.) in the javelin.

Villanova had athletes competing in four running events and seven field events at Franklin Field on a chilly but sunny day for the team's outdoor debut. The depth of the Wildcats roster was on display in the 1500 meters, with Villanova claiming four of the top five spots and accounting for seven of the first 11 runners across the finish line. Hutchinson had a margin of victory of nearly five seconds over freshman teammate Rachel McArthur (Bristow, Va.) and the rest of the field.

McArthur crossed the finish line in 4:23.53 and was followed by junior Kaley Ciluffo (Le Claire, Iowa) in third place (4:25.43) and freshman Lauren Ryan (South Yarra, Australia) in fifth (4:27.64). Junior Bella Burda (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) was seventh (4:30.12), while freshman Alex Harris (Stony Point, N.Y.) and junior Ann Campbell (Mission Hills, Kan.) were 10th (4:32.53) and 11th (4:34.80).

The first two finishers in the 100 meter hurdles were also Wildcats, as Jones won with a time of 14.29 and sophomore Danielle Burns (Phoenix, Ariz.) came in second in 14.51. Burns also ran the 400 meter hurdles later in the afternoon and finished fifth with a time of 1:02.95. Other results from the sprints included sophomore McKenna Keegan (West Grove, Pa.) coming in third in the 400 meters with a time of 56.73, while sophomore Amari Onque-Shabazz (Plainfield, N.J.) was fifth in 57.65.

Ashby made her collegiate debut in the javelin with a winning mark of 43.81 meters as she topped a field of 11 throwers. Junior Alex Zimmerman (Lititz, Pa.) also competed for the first time in 2017-18, recording distances of 38.47 meters in the discus and 36.51 meters in the hammer. Sophomore Gloria Donou (East Brunswick, N.J.) led the Villanova jumpers with a second place finish and a mark of 10.60 meters in the triple jump.