PRINCETON, N.J. - Despite uncommonly cold temperatures for late April and windy conditions at Weaver Stadium on Friday night, several Villanova middle distance runners raced to fast times in their respective events at the Larry Ellis Invitational. Senior Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (Dublin, Ireland) and freshman Rachel McArthur (Bristow, Va.) each recorded personal best times in the 1500 meters as the Wildcats opened their weekend slate with the elite sections of the 800 meters and the 1500 meters. Two field events were also on the Friday schedule, with the meet set to resume on Saturday morning.

Group of Six Competes in the 1500 Meters

Cleirigh Buttner crossed the finish line in 4:16.71 and came in second in the fastest heat of the 1500 meters. Her time is the fastest that she has recorded in an open 1500 meter race, although she has run relay splits that have been as fast as 4:11 in previous outdoor seasons. Junior teammate Nicole Hutchinson (West Vancouver, B.C.) was right on her heels with a time of 4:17.05 and placed third overall in a field of 54 competitors.

One of the top freshmen distance runners in the nation, McArthur won the second heat of the 1500 meters and was ranked sixth overall with a personal best time of 4:22.13. She ran the event for the second time this season and beat the time of 4:23.53 that she had previously tallied at the season-opening Penn Challenge.

Villanova also had three of its longer distance runners competing in the 1500 meters. Junior Ann Campbell (Mission Hills, Kan.) recorded a time of 4:28.87 and was followed by junior Bella Burda (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) with a time of 4:29.28 and freshman Alex Harris (Stony Point, N.Y.) who posted a time of 4:33.35.

Keegan Leads the Way in the 800 Meters

Sophomore McKenna Keegan (West Grove, Pa.) and sixth-year senior Kelsey Margey (Huntington, N.Y.) each had strong races in the elite section of the 800 meters. They came in third and fourth while running in the fastest heat of the 800 meters, with Keegan crossing the line in 2:06.97 to notch her second-fastest time of both the current outdoor season and of her career. Margey followed in 2:07.58.

Also competing in the 800 meters were sophomore Amari Onque-Shabazz (Plainfield, N.J.) and junior Kaley Ciluffo (LeClaire, Iowa), who tallied times of 2:11.22 and 2:13.19, respectively.

Patrick and Ashby Represent Wildcats in the Field Events

Junior Alex Patrick (Media, Pa.) and freshman Taryn Ashby (Pittston, Pa.) were in action Friday in the long jump and the javelin, respectively. Patrick tallied a mark of 5.27 meters in the long jump, while Ashby came in third in the javelin with a throw of 42.96 meters.