STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.—On a busy day for Villanova track & field there were 11 members of the women's team in competition at the Big Apple Invitational on Saturday evening. The highlights of the day for the Wildcats were personal best times in the 60 meters, the 800 meters and the 3000 meters as well as new top marks set in the shot put and the weight throw at Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex.
 
A quartet of Villanova runners competed in the 60 meter dash at the start of the meet, including junior Caroline Carlson (Miami, Fla.) who advanced out of the qualifying round and into the preliminary heats. Freshman sprinter Myonica Jackson (Bolingbrook, Ill.) registered a personal best time of 7.90 to lead the group of Wildcats in the prelims. She was followed by graduate student Jada Thomas (Kingston, Jamaica) in 7.91 and senior Alexis Martin (Gaithersburg, Md.) who posted a time of 8.00.
 
Carlson registered personal best times in consecutive races, first in the qualifying round when she ran 8.04 and later in the preliminary heats when she lowered her mark to 8.01. The multi-event performer for Villanova also competed in the long jump and measured a mark of 5.18 meters for the day. Each of the Wildcats who ran in the 60 meter dash were entered into a second event on the day. Jackson and Martin posted times of 25.51 and 25.96, respectively, in the 200 meters; Thomas advanced to the final of the 60 meter hurdles and wound up posting marks of 8.88 in her heat and 9.04 in the final.
 
Junior middle distance runner Kate Flynn (Gray, Tenn.) established a new personal best in the 800 meters with a time of 2:24.44. One other member of the Villanova distance group was in action and freshman Kinsey Pogue (Danville, Calif.) registered a season and personal best time of 10:10.51.
 
The top Villanova performer in the field events was graduate student Ashley Preston (Franklinville, N.J.) who notched a first place finish out of 28 competitors in the pole vault. She cleared the bar at a height of 3.81 meters and was the lone athlete in the competition to advance to make three attempts with the bar at 3.96 meters. Preston wrapped up the first place finish with just three total jumps. She came into the competition with the bar at 3.66 meters and was quickly over on her first try. She cleared 3.81 meters on her second attempt at that height.
 
Sophomore high jumper Taylor Woodeshick (Nescopeck, Pa.) finished sixth in her signature event with a height of 1.60 meters and Villanova later had a trio of throwers conclude the day. Graduate student Liv Morgan (New Rochelle, N.Y.) threw for a distance of 12.13 meters, while sophomore Faith Haught (Payson, Ariz.) and junior Teresa Rotolo (Warren, N.J.) measured marks of 10.82 meters and 9.80 meters.
 
Haught also competed in the weight throw and tallied her best performance of the season with a distance of 15.20 meters. She is currently ranked seventh in school history in the event.
 
Villanova will not be in action on the women's side until the BIG EAST Championships on February 24-25 in Chicago, Ill.