PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—The outdoor track & field season got off to a chilly but successful start as Villanova won four events at the Penn Challenge on Saturday afternoon.  Sophomore sprinter Sarah Jones (Sewell, N.J.) and graduate distance runner Caroline Alcorta (Springfield, Va.) won the 100 meter hurdles and the 1500 meters, respectively, while freshman Ashley Preston (Franklinville, N.J.) and junior Gloria Donou (East Brunswick, N.J.) came in first in the pole vault and the triple jump. 
 
A total of 27 athletes competed in three running and seven field events for the Wildcats in Saturday's meet.  Villanova recorded 16 top-eight finishes for the day, including a one-two combo in both the 100 meter hurdles and the 1500 meters.  Jones and junior Danielle Burns (Phoenix, Ariz.) were the first across the line in the hurdles, with Jones tallying a winning time of 14.18 and Burns following in 14.27.  Burns later finished third in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:04.85. 
 
There were eight Wildcats in the top 12 finishers in the 1500 meters, with Alcorta leading a sweep of the 1-2-3-4 spots.  She won the fastest heat of the 1500 meters with a time of 4:28.58, while junior Sammy Bockoven (Hudson, Ohio) was the runner-up in 4:32.52.  Senior Ann Campbell (Mission Hills, Kan.) placed third (4:32.60) and freshman Reilly Siebert (Syosset, N.Y.) was fourth (4:32.97) to round out the team's leading group.  Freshman Lydia Olivere (Wilmington, Del.) and sophomore Lauren Ryan (South Yarra, Australia) were sixth (4:34.48) and seventh (4:35.01), senior Kaley Ciluffo (LeClaire, Iowa) came in ninth (4:42.11) and Kaleigh Hughes (Needham, Mass.) was 12^th (4:43.28).
 
Donou built upon a strong finish in the triple jump at the indoor BIG EAST Championships with an even better performance in the first meet of the outdoor season.  She had recorded a personal best mark of 11.50 meters when she tallied a fifth place indoor BIG EAST finish, and in Saturday's competition improved her distance to 11.78 meters.  The new mark elevates her to a tie for seventh place on Villanova's all-time performance list.  Donou also scored in the long jump, where she came was sixth overall with a jump of 5.50 meters. 
 
The quartet of Preston, sophomore Amanda McNelis (Commack, N.Y.), senior Adeline Scelzi (Glen Allen, Va.) and sophomore Cala Lejman (Ambler, Pa.) scored in the pole vault.  Preston and Katherine Schroeder of Penn were the only two athletes in the field of 10 competitors to clear the bar at a height of 3.76 meters, with Preston finishing in first place as a result of having fewer misses.  She was successful on her first try at 3.76 meters, with Schroeder making it over on her second attempt.  McNelis recorded a mark of 3.61 meters, Scelzi had a height of 3.31 meters and Lejman was over the bar at 3.16 meters. 
 
Sophomore thrower Taryn Ashby (Pittston, Pa.) got her season off to a successful start in the javelin.  She threw for a distance of 45.72 meters and was the runner-up in a field of 18 athletes.  The throw was the second-longest of her career, behind only a personal best mark of 46.16 meters which she established at the Penn Relays last year. 
 
Villanova continues the outdoor season with a number of meets on the schedule next weekend.