PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Villanova had 14 athletes in competition and 10 events on its schedule at the Big 5 Invitational hosted by Penn at Franklin Field on Saturday afternoon. The day produced three personal best marks for the Wildcats and five top-four finishes.
Freshman sprinter
Myonica Jackson (Bolingbrook, Ill.) had a pair of strong races in the 200 meters and the 400 meters during the day. She came in fourth out of 15 entries in the 400 meters with a personal best time of 57.53 and added a time of 25.34 in the 200 meters later in the afternoon. She was joined in both events by senior
Alexis Martin (Gaithersburg, Md.) who posted times of 59.88 in the 400 meters and 26.08 in the 200 meters. Fifth year
Jada Thomas (Kingston, Jamaica) posted a time of 26.15 in the 200 meters.
In the middle distance events, senior
Anna Helwigh (Soborg, Denmark) led a quartet of Villanova runners in the 1500 meters. She was the runner-up out of 28 competitors and finished with a time of 4:27.86. Fifth year
Ariana Gardizy (Lansdale, Pa.) came in fourth in 4:29.32, just fast enough to establish a new PR in the event. She crossed the finish line one hundredth of a second faster than the time of 4:29.33 she recorded – also at Franklin Field – during the Quaker Invitational last year. Freshmen
Amelia Arrieta (Kansas City, Mo.) and
Kinsey Pogue (Danville, Calif.) ran the 1500 meters for the first time as collegians and produced times of 4:48.37 and 4:49.56, respectively.
Junior
Kate Flynn (Gray, Tenn.) posted a time of 2:27.30 in the 800 meters and junior
Caroline Carlson (Miami, Fla.) ran the 100 meters in 12.78. Carlson was in action in the long jump as well where she measured a distance of 5.14 meters. Senior
Faith Robinson (St. Louis Park, Minn.) registered a mark of 4.99 meters in the long jump and sophomore
Taylor Woodeshick (Nescopeck, Pa.) cleared a height of 1.56 meters in the high jump.
The trio of sophomore
Faith Haught (Payson, Ariz.), junior
Teresa Rotolo (Warren, N.J.) and fifth year
Liv Morgan (Bronx, N.Y.) competed in the throwing events. Haught came in fourth in the discus with a throw of 38.84 meters and registered a personal best distance of 38.26 meters in the hammer. Rotolo finished third in the javelin with a mark of 39.60 meters and Morgan was sixth with a throw of 37.64 meters.
Villanova's schedule for the coming week includes competition at the Duke Invitational and the Miami Alumni Invitational.
