PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Three consecutive Villanova finishers in the mile and a first place result in the high jump highlighted several strong results for the Wildcats during competition at the Penn Classic on Saturday afternoon. Fifth year high jumper Roschell Clayton (Montego Bay, Jamaica) tallied her second win in as many weeks to open her indoor season while senior distance runner Emma McGill (Lebanon, N.J.) led the Villanova contingent in the mile.
 
McGill finished third in the fast heat of the mile with a time of 4:42.84, finishing ahead of teammates Margaret Carroll (Mount Wolf, Pa.) and Tilly O'Connor (Spring Lake, N.J.) who each lowered their lifetime PRs for the second time this season. Carroll crossed the line in 4:45.86 and O'Connor finished in 4:47.14, while junior distance runner Amelia Arrieta (Kansas City, Mo.) also registered a PR with a time of 5:01.25.
 
The race featured two-time collegiate All-American and former Wildcats standout Lydia Olivere as well as current Villanova fifth year runner Nikki Vanassse (Martinsville, N.J.) who ran unattached. Olivere now runs professionally for UA Mission Run Baltimore and was the runner-up in Saturday's mile with a PR of 4:40.18. Vanasse posted a time of 4:52.70 in her first race since the end of the Fall cross country season.
 
Clayton cleared the bar at 1.76 meters to finish first out of eight competitors in the high jump. She passed at the next two bar raises before taking three attempts at 1.81 meters as she continues to round into shape for the indoor season. She made her 2025 debut at Penn State a week ago. Clayton is a three-time All-American in the high jump and competed at the Jamaican Olympic Trials this past summer.
 
Villanova freshman Lucy Moran (Branford, Conn.) ran her first collegiate track race after making one start in cross country in the Fall. She posted a time of 1:17.57 in the 500 meters. The only other track event on the Wildcats schedule Saturday was the 60 meter hurdles in which freshman Stephanie Ogunbiyi (Bronx, N.Y.) posted a time of 9.58.
 
Freshman long jumpers Emily Staerk (Phoenixville, Pa.) and Jenny Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa.) measured distances of 5.11 meters and 5.00 meters, respectively. It was a season-best mark for Smith, while sophomore triple jumper Gina Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa.) recorded a mark of 11.14 meters in her second outing of the year.