PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Junior middle distance runner Dan Watcke (Hinsdale, Ill.) and redshirt freshman Jack Fenlon (Laois, Ireland) were the winers of the 1000 meters and the mile, respectively, during competition at the Quaker Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The meet was the de facto indoor season opener for Villanova, which had 21 student-athletes in competition throughout an overall successful day at The Ott Center.
 
Fenlon paced the field in the mile in the first event on the track early in the afternoon. He posted a winning time of 4:06.34 and comfortably cruised to a margin of nearly three seconds at the finish line in the first and fastest heat. Fenlon lowered his lifetime best by nearly four seconds and was one of two Wildcats to PR in the event. Graduate student Matt Bogdan (Howell, N.J.) recorded a time of 4:13.99 in his first track race in a Villanova singlet.
 
In the 1000 meters, Watcke toyed with his own indoor school record before tying the No. 2 indoor time and No. 6 absolute time in the program record book. Saturday's race was paced by Wildcats alum Charlie O'Donovan through the first 600 meters before Watcke took the field through the final two laps. He finished with a winning margin of just over two seconds and claimed his second straight event title after winning the 800 meters at Penn last week. Junior Ryan Beegle (Chatham, N.J.) came in fifth out of the 30 total competitors in the 1000 meters with a personal best time of 2:24.96.
 
Villanova had strong results across the board from its contingent of distance runners on Saturday. Junior Brian Theobald (Wall, N.J.) cut more than 18 seconds off his PR in the 3000 meters and was the runner-up with a time of 8:28.51 in the final individual event of the day.
 
Earlier in the afternoon it was the Wildcats sprinters who took their turn in the limelight. Senior Luke Rakowitz (Dallas, Texas) led five Villanova entries in the 500 meters with a fourth place finish and a time of 1:04.13. Sophomore Liam Gluck (Beavercreek, Ohio) came in ninth and posted a time of 1:04.86, followed by the veteran trio of senior Jimmy Milgie (Wildwood, Mo.), junior Matthew Griffin (Whippany, N.J.) and senior Ronan O'Neill (Wilmette, Ill.).
 
Freshmen Christos Batalias (New York, N.Y.) and Andy Geiser (Aldie, Va.) each made their collegiate debuts. Batalias opened the day with the Wildcats leading time in the 60 meters with a mark of 7.15. He later posted a time of 22.49 in the 200 meters and Geiser was just one-hundredth of a second behind him in 22.50. Junior Parker Turner (Los Angeles, Calif.) finished ninth in the 200 meters in 21.86.
 
The meet wrapped up with the 4x400 meter relays in which two Villanova entries placed third and sixth out of 15 relay teams. The 'A' squad of senior Sal Barretta (Whitestone, N.Y.), Gluck, Rakowitz and Milgie finished in 3:15.00. The second team included Turner, Geiser, junior Imevar Justice (Summit, N.J.) and O'Neill, and posted a time of 3:18.50.