CORAL GABLES, Fla.—Fifth year pole vaulter Ashley Preston (Franklinville, N.J.) recorded her best performance since the end of the 2022 outdoor season during competition at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational on Friday afternoon. Preston and junior high jumper Roschell Clayton (Montego Bay, Jamaica) were each in action for Villanova on the first of two days of competition at the meet.
 
The pole vault was the final women's field event to conclude early Friday evening and Preston finished third out of 15 competitors by clearing a height of 3.95 meters. She took over the BIG EAST lead this season and is tentatively tied for 28^th on the East region descending order list pending the outcome of other meets around the country this weekend.
 
Preston came into Friday's competition when the bar was at a height of 3.65 meters and she quickly made it over on her first attempt of the day. The field had already been whittled down to eight competitors when the bar was raised to 3.80 meters; Preston cleared that height on her final attempt and was one of six athletes who continued on to attempt jumps at 3.95 meters.
 
It was at that height where Preston recorded her highlight of the year to date. She cleared 3.95 meters on her first try and briefly moved into the lead for the evening. The last time Preston cleared 3.95 meters came at last year's outdoor BIG EAST Championships when she recorded a second place finish to earn what was then the sixth BIG EAST medal of her career (she now has seven in all).
 
Preston has cleared heights above four meters on four occasions during her collegiate career, including twice each indoors and outdoors. She was eliminated on Friday evening when the bar was raised to 4.10 meters which would have represented a four-centimeter personal best. Preston is tied for third in school history in the pole vault and has been a two-time qualifier for the East Preliminary meet outdoors.
 
Earlier on Friday afternoon Clayton finished sixth out of 14 athletes in the high jump with a successful jump at a height of 1.71 meters. She entered the competition with the bar at 1.68 meters and made it over on her first try at that height. Four of the 10 athletes remaining in the field were eliminated at 1.68 meters. Clayton moved on to a height of 1.71 meters and was successful on her third and final attempt to advance further in the competition. She missed on three attempts at 1.74 meters.
 
Villanova has a full day of action at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational on Saturday and will also wrap up competition in the Duke Invitational to close out the weekend.