Villanova, Georgetown And Marquette Share #BIGEASTtrack Weekly Accolades
BIG EAST Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Joseph White, Georgetown, Grad., Middle Distance (Clifton, N.J.)
Grad student Joseph White won the 800-meter run at the Penn State National Invitational on Jan. 26. He set the facility record with a time of 1:46.91. White’s time leads the BIG EAST and is fourth on the NCAA leaderboard. Texas A&M junior Devin Dixon has the top time in the NCAA, 1:44.97. It is White’s second weekly honor of the season.
BIG EAST Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Daniel Armstrong, Marquette, Jr., Jumps (Michigan City, Ind.)
Marquette junior Daniel Armstrong earns his second weekly honor of the season as he won the men’s high jump at the Iowa Black and Gold Premier meet. Armstrong set the meet record with a height of 2.15 meters. Armstrong currently leads the BIG EAST with a mark of 2.21 meters, recorded on Dec. 7, which ranks 10th in the NCAA. His mark of 2.15 still ranks 21st nationally.
BIG EAST Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Nicole Hutchinson, Villanova, Sr., Distance (West Vancouver, B.C.)
Villanvoa senior Nicole Hutchinson won the invitational section of the mile at the Dr. Sander Invitational/Columbia Challenge with a time of 4:33.47. The time lowered her PR by almost three seconds and is the seventh-fastest time in school history and ranks fourth nationally. Hutchinson also anchored the distance medley relay to a first place finish (10:59.98) with a split of 4:31.35 over the final 1,600 meters. Villanova’s DMR also ranks fourth nationally. It is Hutchinson’s second weekly award this season.
BIG EAST Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Sanaä Barnes, Villanova, Fr., Jumps (Keller, Texas)
In her collegiate track & field debut at the Columbia Challenge, Sanaä Barnes broke a 36-year old school record in the high jump as she cleared the bar at 1.82 meters and surpassed the previous Villanova standard of 1.81 meters, which had stood since March 12, 1982. Her height ranks fifth nationally. Barnes played volleyball during the 2018 fall season.
Notable Performances
- Butler’s Wade Walder won the IU relays heptathlon with a score of 5,067 points which ranks 25th nationally.
- Marquette freshman Ben Konopka broke a 19-year old Marquette freshman record with an 8.23 second mark in the 60-meter hurdles at the Iowa Black and Gold Premier meet. Konopka’s time leads the BIG EAST and is the second best time in Golden Eagle history.
- Providence’s Millie Paladino finished first in the 1,000-meter run at the John Thomas Terrier Classic with a time of 2:42.13. Although the 1,000-meter run is not a BIG EAST championship event, Paladino’s time ranks No. 10 all time in the NCAA and is second fastest in the NCAA so far this season. Her time broke a 29-year old school record which was previously held by Irish Olympian Sinead Delahunty.
- St. John’s freshman Ja’Tae Joyner jumped to a BIG EAST leading mark of 12.06 meters at the Dr. Sander Invite/Columbia Challenge. The jump was 10th in the event.
- Villanova’s Andrew Marston finished third in the 3,000-meters at the Dr. Sander Invite/Columbia Challenge with a BIG EAST leading time of 8:04.00. His time is 36th in the NCAA. Marston teammate Malik Cunninghan also ran to a top mark in the BIG EAST with a third place finish in the triple jump (15.41 meters).
2018-19 Indoor Track & Field Weekly Honors
Men's Track: Joseph White, Georgetown (Dec. 11, Jan. 29); Euan Makepeace, Butler (Jan. 15); Michael Wyman, Providence (Jan. 22)
Men's Field: Daniel Armstrong, Marquette (Dec. 11, Jan. 29); Thomas Conboy, Villanova (Jan. 15); Terrance Howard, Marquette (Jan. 22)
Women's Track: Breanne Marchan, Marquette (Dec. 11); Nicole Hutchinson, Villanova (Jan. 15, Jan. 29); Leah Anderson, St. John’s (Jan. 22)
Women's Field: Jennifer Odoemene, St. John’s (Dec. 11); Ja’Tae Joyner, St. John’s (Jan. 15); Catherine Sherwood, Marquette (Jan. 22); Sanaä Barnes, Villanova (Jan. 29)