Despite the frigid cold in Philadelphia to start the new year, Villanova track and field has started to heat up.
On Saturday, Jan. 18, sophomore middle distance runner Dan Watcke broke Villanova’s indoor record in the 1000 meter at the Quaker Invitational, with a performance of 2:20.10.
In just the second meet of the track and field season, Watcke beat the 46-year-old record set in 1979 by Don Paige. With this accomplishment, Wackte now holds the indoor record, as well as the No. 4 absolute record in school history.
“Coach O’Sullivan wanted to have a soft opener,” Watcke said. “He wanted me just to run a really controlled 600 [meter race] and then try to close hard. But then Monday, before we found out that [professional Josh Hoey] was going to be there, and he was going to try to go for the American record. So that kind of shifted the focus, like, ‘Oh, we should try to run fast.’ It was kind of like a quick change from being like a 2:25.0 race to it being like a 2:18.0 to 2:20.0 race.”
Though Hoey did achieve the American record, with a time of 2:14.48, Watcke’s performance on Saturday comes at just the start of his career at Villanova.
Hailing from Hillsdale, IL, Watcke was a Duck before he became a Wildcat. He spent his freshman Fall Semester at the University of Oregon in 2023.
“I went to Oregon for the first semester, and I just didn’t like it that much,” Watcke said. “When I went into the transfer portal, I had a couple of schools that I was interested in. Villanvoa was one of those, just because of the rich history. Then I came on a visit and I knew I wanted to go here within 15 minutes.”
For head coach Marcus O’Sullivan, Watcke was a key addition to the Villanova roster through the transfer portal.
“We were happy to see him come here, he appears to be flourishing,” O’Sullivan said. “We don’t do a lot of transfers and they are usually graduate students that are coming in from us. A transfer in the middle of freshman year is very unusual but he seemed very determined. It’s been good. It’s great to see him do so well last week.”
After arriving at Villanova in spring 2024, Watcke had not officially competed as a Wildcat. He spent most of the time warming up and getting used to the new atmosphere. Though he is listed as a sophomore, in terms of eligibility, Watcke essentially started over and is now considered a freshman when he runs for Villanova.
Watcke’s training has been intensifying from the time he committed to Villanova almost a year ago. In late August, Watcke represented the United States in the 800 meter race at the U20 World Championships in Peru. He placed eighth, finishing the race at 1:50.55.
“[Peru] was really cool, just getting that experience and representing the country,” Watcke said. “I ran pretty well there. I didn’t run as well as I would have liked to in the final, but I was really happy that I made it. There were also a lot of former Olympians from 2012 and 2008 that were on the staff, so that was cool to see how USA Track and Field is still a big part of their life.”
With the guidance of O’Sullivan, Watcke is becoming a star on one of the strongest track and field programs in the Big East and the nation.
“Coach O’Sullivan approaches [running] very aerobically, which is a system I lack in,” Watcke said. “The fall was just a building period for me and now I can just sharpen up a little bit, get to run a little bit faster and prepare for later on in the winter and then the spring.”
Watcke is on track to leave a similar impact to Don Paige and graduate Liam Murphy, with a school record under his belt in his first race as a Wildcat.
“I just think he’s going to get better,” O’Sullivan said. “I’m very excited about his future, and I think he’d like to try the mile at some point. He’s got a good natural speed so you don’t want to lose that when you’re doing the slower stuff, that builds on the aerobic system. So you always want to keep him versed in all his attributes and strengths, and his strength is speed.”