The indoor track team opened its season Dec. 5 with the Jack Pyrah Invitational, which it hosted at Haverford College. The men’s team had three Big East qualifiers, as well as achieving six first-place finishes. The women’s team had 10 Big East qualifiers and recorded seven first-place finishes.

The women’s 4×400-meter relay team set a Jack Pyrah Invitational record with a time of 3:55.45.

For the men’s team, in the 1,000-meter race, senior Sean Tully won with a time of 2:28.94.

Senior Bryan Harris took second place in the pole vault with a vault of 4.35 meters.

In the triple jump, sophomore Robert Sainvil recorded a distance of 13.93 meters for the win.

Senior Austin Casey also showcased his superior running skills with two first-place finishes. In the 55-meter race, he ran a time of 6.60 seconds. In the 300-meter race, he ran a time of 36.32 seconds. Eliot Whaley placed second in that race with a time of 36.50.

In the 500-meter race, Christopher Kearney won first place with a time of 1:06.33, and Garrett Kroner placed second, finishing in a time of 1:06.48.

In the 1,000-meter race, Jason Apwah and Daniel Tully placed second and third with times of 2:30.08 and 2:30.42, respectively. Cody Harper was fourth with a time of 2:30.71.

High jumper Shane Loh cleared 1.90 meters, placing second.

On the women’s side, in the 55-meter hurdles, Audrey Gariepy Bogui finished first with a time of 8.21 seconds, while freshman Shericka Ward placed second at 8.37 seconds.

Junior Mary Kate Phelan ran a 7.23 in the 55-meter race, which placed her first in that race.

The Wildcats had a very strong showing in the 500-meter race, where Villanova had runners finish first, second and third with milliseconds between the times. Kristen Mahon placed first at 1:16.06, Makalia Griffith ran a time of 1:16.1, and Jordan Sarruda finished third with a time of 1:16.22.

The pole vault saw three Villanovans qualify for the Big East. Ashlyn Llerandi vaulted 3.5 meters, high enough for first. Melissa Meggiolaro placed third with a jump of 3.40 meters and Kelly Hannon finished fourth with a 3.40-meter vault.

In the triple jump, Jackie Christie recorded a jump of 11.39 meters and finished first.

In the 1000-meter race, Theresa Rush placed first with a time of 3:00.17, and Emily McMillan finished second in 3:00.56.

Coming in second in the 3,000-meter run was Lindsay Kos. She ran a time of 10:34.50. Teammate Kristen O’Dowd was fourth with her time of 10:48.12.

After these great performances, the men’s and women’s indoor track teams have a promising season ahead of them. The Wildcats will look to extend their success of the cross-country season onto the indoor track.

The men’s and women’s indoor track team will not have another meet for the rest of the calender year. They will be back in action on Jan. 10 when they participate in the Penn State Relays. They will be held on the Penn State campus located in State College, Pa.