Briana Illarda, Providence.
Villanova Women, Marquette Men Lead After First Day of #BIGEASTtrack Championships
Results from Day One (PDF)
GENEVA, Ohio – After the first day of the 2019 BIG EAST Track & Field Championships Presented by Jeep, held at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, Villanova leads on the women’s side with 71 points with three event wins, while the Marquette men lead with 68 points and four individual titles.
For the women, Marquette is in second with 54 points, while St. John’s and Butler are tied for third with 26 points. For the men, Villanova is second with 60 points with Butler in third with 27 points. Finals for Friday included the pole vault, weight throw and long jump, 5,000-meter run, Distance Medley Relay and women’s pentathlon.
For the women, Providence’s Brianna Ilarda won the 5,000-meter race, crossing the tape at 16:47.85. Coming in second was Villanova’s Caroline Alcorta (16:48.66) with Providence’s Regan Rome in third (17:07.15).
The Villanova women won the DMR with a time of 11:37.53. The Wildcat team consisted of Reilly Siebert, Sammy Bockoven, Lydia Olivere and Ann Campbell. Butler earned eight points with a runner-up finish in the DMR (11:43.19). Running for the Bulldogs was Angelina Ellis, Allie Vogeler, Mia Beckham and Josephine Thestrup. Providence’s Millie Paladino, Olivia Dickinson, Alex DeCicco and Maria Coffin earned the bronze with a time of 11:46.97.
For the women’s pentathlon, Wildcat freshman Morgan Olivia earned BIG EAST gold with 3,555 points. Her results included: 60-meter hurdles- 9.00 seconds; high jump – 1.51 meters; shot put – 11.27 meters; long jump – 5.39 meters and 800-meter run – 2:26.90. In second was teammate Sofia Calabrese with 3,408 points. Butler freshman Karmen Koch came in third with 3,387 points.
In the women’s weight throw, Marquette senior Keely Knobbe came in first with a throw of 18.01 meters. St. John’s senior Jennifer Odoemene came in second with a toss of 17.85 meters, while Marquette sophomore Allie Flando came in third at 17.81 meters.
Villanova rookie Ashley Preston earned gold for the Wildcats in the pole vault with a height of 3.85 meters. Teammate Adeline Scelzi, a senior, tied with Marquette freshman Rachel Seraphine at 3.75 meters for second place.
For the women’s long jump, DePaul senior Jade Nolan finished first with a distance of 5.67 meters. St. John’s freshman Ja’tae Joyner came in second at 5.47 meters, while Marquette’s Breanne Marchan came in third at 5.43 meters.
On the track for the men, Villanova finished No. 1 and No. 2 on the podium in the 5,000-meter run as junior Andrew Marston won the race at 14:18.32. Right on his heels was classmate Casey Comber at 14:18.59. Completing the podium was Butler junior Euan Makepeace, crossing the finish line at 14:20.60.
Villanova men won the DMR with Josh Phillips, Konrad Bayer, Trevor Potts and Nick Steel earning gold for the Wildcats with a time of 9:50.45. Just two seconds behind was the Georgetown team of Jack Salisbury, Ethan Delgado, Maazin Ahmed and Jack Van Scoter at 9:52.55. Providence came in third at 9:54.29. The Friar squad was comprised of Nick Carleo, Jared Grossi, Jack Carleo and Marcus Kemp.
The men’s long jump was won by Marquette’s Samuel Johnson with a distance of 7.15 meters. Butler’s Luke Russell came in second at 7.09 meters and Marquette’s Joseph Keys came in third at 7.05 meters.
The Golden Eagles finished first and second in the men’s weight throw with senior Brendan McKinney taking gold with a throw of 19.29 meters. Last year’s champ, senior Terrance Howard, silvered with a distance of 18.52 meters. Rounding out the podium was DePaul’s Dominic Marshall with a toss of 16.34 meters.
In the men’s pole vault, Marquette sophomore Cameron Jemison came in first with a height of 4.85 meters. Villanova junior Thomas Conboy finished second at 4.75 meters and Wildcat freshman James Keys was third at 4.55 meters.
Championship action on the track begins at 11 a.m. with the men’s heptathlon 60-meter hurdles. The full event schedule and meet program can be found on the
BIG EAST Track & Field Championship Central.
Meet program for Championship Saturday (PDF)
Women’s Results (6 Events Scored)
1. Villanova – 71 pts.
2. Marquette – 54
T3. St. John’s – 26
T3. Butler – 26
5. DePaul – 23
6. Providence – 22
7. Xavier – 9
8. Georgetown – 1
Men’s Results (5 events Scored)
1. Marquette – 68 pts.
2. Villanova – 60
3. Butler – 27
4. DePaul – 14
5. Providence – 11
6. Georgetown – 10
7. Xavier – 3