Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Succeed at Villanova Invitational

On Saturday, Jan. 20, the men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to the Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. to compete in the Villanova Invitational.

For the men, the event was highlighted by the mile and 60 meters.

Sophomore Marco Langon and sixth-year veteran Evan Addison ran sub-four-minute miles at the invitational.

Langon ran the mile in 3:57.88, setting a facility collegiate record at the complex. Langon’s performance came with a first-place finish to tie it all together.

Addison joined the list of Villanova elites, becoming the 46th member of the sub-four-minute milers. His performance in the mile also set a lifetime best of 3:59.57. Addison posted a 4:00.08 at Widener last outdoor season, just missing the sub-four time.

Head coach Marcus O’Sullivan now has coached 20 sub-four minute mile runners.

This was just the start of a long list of top performances by Villanova.

Sophomore Amiri Prescod matched the second-fastest time in school history in the 60 meters. Prescod finished in 6.82 seconds and placed second overall in the 60-meter sprint. Senior Jakob Kunzer finished first in the 1000 meters with a time of 2:23.07. Fifth year Sean Dolan finished first in the 1000 meters with a time of 2:23.07.

Prescod’s freshman season was one of mention. He tied the fifth-fastest time in the 60 meters in Villanova history and finished sixth in the Big East final. In just his first race of this season, he already has passed his 60-meter best from last season. Prescod is closing in on the school record of 6.65, which has been held by Salaam Gariba since 1992. With almost three years of eligibility left, that record could be broken.

The 4×400 meter men’s ‘A’ team placed 2nd with a 3:16.50 time. The team was made up of Nicholas Mollica, Luke Rakowitz, Jakob Kunzer and Jimmy Milgie.

The women also saw a strong performance. Three women placed first in their respective events: fifth-year hurdler Jane Livingston, fifth-year sprinter Madison Martinez and junior distance runner Sadie Sigfstead.

A trio of throwers all made their Villanova debut Saturday. Graduate student Alex Payne and fifth-year athletes Adria Retter and Jordan Williams moved into the Wildcats’ lists of top-10 performers in the shot put and the weight throw.

Fifth-year hurdler Jane Livingston, fifth-year sprinter Madison Martinez and junior distance runner Sadie Sigfstead each won their events. (Courtesy of Villanova Athletics)

Payne, a transfer from Washington State, registered the fifth-longest weight throw in school history with a 16.85-meter throw and is now second in school history in the event. Sade Meeks holds the school’s four farthest throws in the Villanova record book.

Retter was the Division III national champion in the discus at Swarthmore University before joining Villanova for the 2023–2024 season. Retter posted marks of 13.78 meters in the shot put and 15.09 meters in the weight throw on Saturday. Those throws now rank her seventh in school history in the shot put and ninth in the weight throw.

Williams also competed in both the shot putt and the weight throw. She threw 13.24 meters in the shot putt and 14.75 in the weight throw. Williams’ throws move her onto the Wildcats performance lists in 10th place in each event. Junior Faith Haught is currently eighth in the weight throw and threw for a distance of 15.14 meters on Saturday night.

For the running events, Jane Livingston and first-year sprinter Ajanae Thompson were the top two finishers in both the preliminary heats and the final of the 60-meter hurdles. Livingston gained the fastest time of the event with a winning time of 8.32 seconds in the final. Thompson followed her in with an 8.43 second time in her collegiate debut. The time puts her in a tie for eighth place on the Wildcats’ all-time performance list in the hurdles.

Sadie Sigfstead and Margaret Carroll placed first and second in the mile. They had times of 4:50.85 and 4:51.53, respectively.

In the 500 meters, Martinez led four Villanova entries among the top five finishers with a winning time of 1:12.60. She was followed by freshman Olivia Allen (1:14.06), sophomore Micah Trusty (1:15.12) and junior Maya Dorer (1:16.36 ) who finished consecutively in third through fifth places.

The 4×400 meter women’s ‘A’ team placed 2nd with a 3:47.15 time. The team was made up of Alex Stasichin, Micah Trusty, Olivia Allen and Madison Martinez.

Next up for indoor track and field is the Penn State National Open this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 26 and 27, in University Park, Pa.