“If you’re in a war and your arm’s shot off, what decision do you have? Do you just go to sleep and feel sorry for yourself, or do you shoot back and survive? It’s the same thing to me, it’s the same exact concept,” Villanova track and field senior Marco Langon said.
The word “no” is not a part of Langon’s vocabulary. He will not accept a second-place finish or a sub-par performance due to the flu. Diving at the finish line is a true “Marco-esque” move, even if it impedes another competitor.
The Villanova senior aspires to be the best, but not even the best collegiate distance runner. Langon aims to beat the pros while still wearing a Villanova singlet. Winning a national title is his main goal. Once he does that, he says he’ll be ready to leave Villanova.
Langon first redshirted his sophomore year outdoor season in 2023, then indoor in 2024, and most recently the 2025 cross country season. Villanova’s coaching staff plans out athletes’ schedules very carefully. Langon still has a full year of eligibility at Villanova after he graduates in May. However, if Langon wins a national title in either March or May, he will not return for a fifth year.
“It doesn’t matter if you break a record because that’s going to be broken,” Langon said. “But if you win a national title, that can’t be taken away from you, and in your time in the sport, on that given day, you were the best athlete in the NCAA.”
Langon currently holds not one, but four school records, for two relays and two individual events. On April 27, 2024, Langon, alongside Sean Donoghue, Charlie O’Donovan, and Liam Murphy, broke the NCAA 4xMile record in 15:51.91 at the Penn Relays. Langon ran the third leg in 3:58.18. The relay time broke the Villanova school record and came second to head coach Marcus O’Sullivan’s world record of 15:49.08 back in 1985 in Dublin, Ireland.
“I think it’s just been a very special few years,” O’Sullivan said.
Last December in Boston, Langon ran the 5k in 13:05.21 to break another school record, this time at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Two months later, Langon broke the 3K school record on Friday, Feb. 13, in Boston.
Last Friday, Villanova broke the DMR record at the Philadelphia Metro in 9:16.60, with Langon as the anchor. Sean Donahue, Ethan Walls and Dan Watke comprised the team that put up the NCAA’s third-best time.
Langon placed third in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Nationals in the 5K and sixth place in the same event at the indoor nationals that same year.
“I’m the highest-ranked athlete in the school, and I’m making no money,” Langon said. “I just know how to run, and that’s all I care about.”
Langon has an NIL deal with Diadora and recently signed with Maurten. However, he does not receive any money from the school, no matter how much success and media attention he gives to Villanova. Langon has made headlines not only for his records but also for his “brashness” in interviews. He is unfazed by all competitors in his field, and losing only fuels his determination to win.
The Big East Championships are set for this weekend, starting on Friday, Feb. 27, in Chicago, IL. NCAA Indoor Nationals is set for mid-March in Fayetteville, AK, where Langon will be determined to win his long-awaited national title.
“I wanted to become worth something in my eyes and my family’s eyes,” Langon said. “I needed to get to college, and athletics was my way to do that. So, I really had no other choice, and I was 100% confident in everything I was doing.”
