COMPLETE RESULTS
GENEVA, Ohio – Teams endured lightning delays and pouring rain at Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, on the final day of the 2018 BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships presented by Jeep, but in the end Marquette men and Villanova women finished as champions. The Golden Eagles finished with 230.50 points, the highest total since MU won its first title in 2016 (246), while the Wildcats posted 196 points, most since 2016.
Marquette’s title is its second overall, winning the 2016 BIG EAST Championships the first time the event was held at the Spire Institute. The Villanova men finished runner-up (183.50) in team scoring for the second time in three years and third time overall. VU men earned a championship-high seven gold medals. DePaul, which won four events, finished third with 132 points, while Georgetown followed in fourth (111 points) despite winning five events. Butler (two event wins, 103 points) finished fifth, followed by Providence in sixth (49 points) and Xavier in seventh (32).
Villanova women’s trophy is its 11
th and first since 2015. The Wildcats won six events on the weekend, tying runner-up DePaul for the most gold medals. The Blue Demons’ finish is their highest since joining the BIG EAST after finishing second with 171 points. Marquette followed in third after two event wins and 162 points, with St. John’s in fourth with three gold medals and 141 points. Georgetown won three events and placed fifth with 90 points, followed by Butler (one event win, 36 points), Providence (one event win, 29 points) and Xavier (27 points).
Marquette men made the biggest impact in scoring in the field events, totaling 140.5 points across eight events and the decathlon. The biggest points haul came in the pole vault, with the Golden Eagles totaling 29.5 points in that event alone thanks to snagging four of the top-five spots. Joel Swanberg took home the gold medal in the pole vault, marking the third year in a row a Golden Eagle has stood atop the podium. MU had its most success in the running events in the 100-meter dash and 110-meter hurdles, combining for 31 points across those two events. In the 100m, Marquette saw three earn points, with Joshua Ward, Connor Boos and Andrew Chabon finishing third, fourth and eighth, respectively. Villanova’s Sterling Pierce won the event for the second time in three season. In the hurdles, the Golden Eagles swept spots second through fourth, with Mathew Peter leading the pack with runner-up honors. DePaul’s Kyle Decker won the event (14.56) for the third straight year.
Villanova women also capitalized on a hot performance in the pole vault, totaling 28 points highlighted by the gold-medal win by Amanda McNelis. The Wildcats claimed five of the top-six marks in the event. Villanova earned the bulk of its points in middle distance events, however, including 25 in the 800 meters and 28 in the 1,500 meters. The Wildcats took the top three times in the 800m, including Siofra Cleirigh Buttner’s second title in three years. In the 1,500m, Nicole Hutchinson took home gold and did so in the 5,000-meter run as well. Georgetown’s Taylor Williamson also took home two individual event wins (100m, 200m). The Wildcats solidified their win down the stretch in the relays, winning the 4x800-meter for the first time since 2014.
Other notable repeat winners include DePaul’s Brian Mada, who took gold in the triple jump for the third straight season, the Blue Demons’ Kyle Hedge winning the shot put for the second year in a row and Marquette’s Daniel Armstrong claiming his second straight high jump title. On the women’s side, Maya Stephens of St. John’s won the 400m for the second year in a row, teammate Erica Graham won the long jump for the second championship in three years, and Terica Harris of Marquette won her second consecutive triple jump title.
Marquette men, led by head coach Bert Rogers, and Villanova women, led by Gina Procaccio, were voted BIG EAST Coaching Staffs of the Year. Georgetown’s Amos Bartelsymer and Villanova’s Nicole Hutchinson were voted Outstanding Track Performers; Outstanding Field Performer honors went to Jade Gates of DePaul and Wade Walder of Butler. Walder claimed High Point Performer accolades as well after totaling 23 points, while Georgetown’s Taylor Williams earned the honor on the women’s side with 21.5 points. Bartelsymer won the 800-meter run and was part of the winning 4x800-meter relay; Gates competed in four throwing events, including a gold-medal showing in the hammer and silver-medal honors in the javelin; Walder won the decathlon for the second year in a row and earned points in the 110-meter hurdles, pole vault and javelin.
2018 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Team Scores
Men’s
1. Marquette – 230.5
2. Villanova – 173.5
3. DePaul - 124
4. Georgetown - 105
5. Butler - 98
6. Providence - 46
7. Xavier - 32
Women’s
1. Villanova - 196
2. DePaul - 171
3. Marquette - 162
4. St. John’s - 141
5. Georgetown - 90
6. Butler - 36
7. Providence - 29
8. Xavier - 27
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Men’s: Marquette
Women’s: Villanova
BIG EAST Championship Outstanding Track Field Performer
Men’s: Amos Bartelsmeyer, Georgetown
Women’s: Nicole Hutchinson, Villanova
BIG EAST Championship Outstanding Field Performer
Men’s: Wade Walder, Butler
Women’s: Jade Gates, DePaul
BIG EAST Championship High Point Performer Award
Men’s: Wade Walder, Butler - 23 points
Women’s: Taylor Williams, Georgetown – 21.5 points
2018 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Event Winners
Men’s
100-meter Dash: Sterling Pierce, Villanova – 10.60^
200-meter Dash: Nate Alleyne, Georgetown – 21.11
400-meter Dash: Brian Faust, Villanova – 47.28
800m-meter Run: Amos Bartelsmeyer, Georgetown – 1:49.50
1,500-meter Run: Johnny Leverenz, Butler – 4:02.93
5,000-meter Run: Casey Comber, Villanova – 14:23.57
10,000-meter Run: Nicholas Golebiowski, Georgetown – 30:10.36
110-meter Hurdles: Kyle Decker, DePaul – 14.56*^
400-meter Hurdles: Keegan Hughes, Villanova – 53.13
3,000-meter Steeplechase: Nick Steele, Villanova – 9:10.39
4x100-meter Relay: DePaul – 41.17
4x400-meter Relay: Villanova – 3:12.12
4x800-meter Relay: Georgetown – 7:38.39
High Jump: Daniel Armstrong, Marquette – 2.16m*
Long Jump: Samuel Johnson, Marquette – 7.00m
Triple Jump: Brian Mada, DePaul – 15.38m*^
Pole Vault: Joel Swanberg, Marquette – 4.95m
Hammer Throw: Brendan McKinney, Marquette – 56.88m
Javelin: Jack Judge, Villanova – 65.28m
Shot Put: Kyle Hedge, DePaul – 16.64m*
Discus: Bryan Bjerk, Georgetown – 54.57m
Decathlon: Wade Walder, Butler – 7020 points*
Women’s
100-meter Dash: Taylor Williams, Georgetown – 11.81
200-meter Dash: Taylor Williams, Georgetown – 24.17
400-meter Dash: Maya Stephens, St. John’s – 53.40*
800-meter Run: Siofra Cleirigh Buttner, Villanova – 2:06.79^
1,500-meter Run: Nicole Hutchinson, Villanova – 4:19.87
5,000-meter Run: Nicole Hutchinson, Villanova – 16:18.07
10,000-meter Run: Catarina Rocha, Providence – 33:39.43
100-meter Hurdles: Alexia Brooks, DePaul – 13.50
400-meter Hurdles: Allie Vogeler, Butler – 58.25
3,000-meter Steeplechase: Margie Cullen, Georgetown – 10:33.42
4x100-meter Relay: DePaul – 46.14
4x400-meter Relay: DePaul – 3:43.98
4x800-meter Relay: Villanova – 8:50.10
High Jump: Caroline Muller, DePaul – 1.65m
Pole Vault: Amanda McNelis, Villanova – 3.55m
Long Jump: Erica Graham, St. John’s – 5.86m^
Triple Jump: Terica Harris, Marquette – 12.60m*
Shot Put: Emily Eller, DePaul – 14.44m
Javelin: Taryn Ashby, Villanova – 45.28m
Hammer Throw: Jade Gates, DePaul – 53.73m
Discus: Keely Knobbe, Marquette – 42.81m
Heptathlon: Eboni Birch, St. John’s – 4462 points
*2017 BIG EAST Outdoor Champion
^2016 BIG EAST Outdoor Champion