HAVERFORD, Pa. - The season started off on a strong note at the Jack Pyrah Invitational on Saturday afternoon, as Villanova registered eight first-place finishes at Alumni Gym on the Haverford campus. This is the 12th straight year that the Wildcats have hosted the local meet, which is named in memory of the program's longtime assistant coach.

Villanova competed in 12 different events and registered a total of 20 top-three finishes. The eight events won by the Wildcats included four sprints, three field events and one of the distance races. Junior Shanice Grant (Kingston, Jamaica), a transfer from LIU-Brooklyn, made a terrific Villanova debut by winning both the 60 meter hurdles and the 300 meters. Grant took first in the hurdles with a time of 8.67 and posted a winning mark of 40.36 in the 300 meters.

Senior Emerald Walden (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) posted strong results in the sprints, finishing second in the 60 meter hurdles (8.68) and fourth in the 300 meters (41.37). Senior Varonica Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) won the 60 meters with a winning time of 7.72 and was the runner-up in the 300 meters (40.45). Johnson led a 1-2-3 sweep for the Wildcats in the 60 meters, as freshman Melissa June (Massapequa, N.Y.) and sophomore Kalissa Caesar (Port Jervis, N.Y.) came in second (7.87) and third (7.95), respectively. Freshman Sidney Hayes (Spring Grove, Pa.) rounded out the list of Wildcats winners in the sprints, coming in first in the 500 meters with a time of 1:16.94.

Redshirt freshman Julie Williams (Wilmington, Del.) and senior Leanne Tucker (Tewksbury, Mass.) ran well in the distance events. Williams won the 3000 meters with a time of 10:96.98 and sophomore Alexandra Russo (Bellport, N.Y.) was the runner-up in 10:08.17. Tucker came in second in the 1000 meters with a time of 3:01.15. She was followed by freshman Rebecca Del Rossi (Canton, N.Y.) in fourth place (3:02.99), sophomore Veronica Scott (Plymouth, N.H.) in fifth place (3:06.58) and freshman Yazmin Wilson-Jones (Staten Island, N.Y.) in seventh place (3:19.40).

Hayes, Wilson-Jones, Scott and freshman Chloe Winn (San Francisco, Calif.) combined to finish second in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:59.40. A second relay entry featured June, Del Rossi, Tucker and Russo, and came in fifth out of 10 teams (4:10.83).

Senior Kathleen McPhillips (Carlisle, Pa.) led the Wildcats to a 1-2-3 sweep in the pole vault, finishing first with a personal best mark of 3.86 meters. She cleared that height on her first attempt to surpass her previous top mark of 3.85 meters from the 2013 indoor BIG EAST Championships. Juniors Virginia LaMacchia (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and Abigail Nolte (Branchburg, N.J.) came in second (3.60m) and third (3.45m), respectively, in the pole vault, while sophomore Alexandra Elder (Moorestown, N.J.) was fifth (3.15m).

McPhillips was also one of four Villanova competitors in the long jump. Junior Anne Yahiro (Downers Grove, Ill.) finished fourth in the event with a distance of 5.36 meters, sophomore Ekiah Lewis (San Bernardino, Calif.) was fifth (5.32m), McPhillips placed sixth (5.20m) and junior Katherine Petruzzellis (Annandale, N.J.) came in seventh with a personal best mark of 5.19 meters.

Rounding out the list of results for the Wildcats were excellent performances in the throwing events, which were held in Butler Annex on the Villanova campus prior to the start of running events further down Lancaster Avenue. Sophomore Kristen Erickson (Princeton, Mass.) won the shot put with a personal best throw of 12.16 meters, while junior Alita Ostapkovich (Bensalem, Pa.) finished first in the weight throw with a distance of 14.75 meters. Ostapkovich added a third place finish in the shot put (11.83m), while junior Claudia Tishler (Medfield, Mass.) came in third in the weight throw with a personal best mark of 13.28 meters.

There will now be a break for final exams and the holiday period for the Wildcats, who will next compete at the Gotham Cup on January 16.

COMPLETE VILLANOVA RESULTS

60 Meters

Varonica Johnson               1st of 34              7.72Melissa June                   2nd                    7.87Kalissa Caesar                 3rd                    7.95

60 Meter Hurdles

Shanice Grant                  1st of 23              8.67Emerald Walden                 2nd                    8.68Katherine Petruzzellis         9th                    9.45Danielle Wheatley              14th                   9.76

300 Meters

Shanice Grant                  1st of 44              40.36Varonica Johnson               2nd                    40.45Emerald Walden                 4th                    41.37Melissa June                   6th                    41.94Kalissa Caesar                 10th                   42.29Chloe Winn                     12th                   42.73Katie HoSang                   13th                   42.88Danielle Wheatley              18th                   43.78

500 Meters

Sidney Hayes                   1st of 9               1:16.94Arielle Massillon              8th                    1:25.93

1000 Meters

Leanne Tucker                  2nd of 7               3:01.15Rebecca Del Rossi              4th                    3:02.99Veronica Scott                 5th                    3:06.58Yazmin Wilson-Jones            7th                    3:19.40

3000 Meters

Julie Williams                 1st of 7               10:06.98Alexandra Russo                2nd                    10:08.17

4x400 Meter Relay

Villanova `A'                  2nd of 10              3:59.40Sidney Hayes                   1st LegYazmin Wilson-Jones            2nd LegVeronica Scott                 3rd LegChloe Winn                     Anchor
Villanova `B'                  5th                    4:10.83Melissa June                   1st LegRebecca Del Rossi              2nd LegLeanne Tucker                  3rd LegAlexandra Russo                Anchor

Pole Vault

Kathleen McPhillips            1st of 7               3.86mVirginia LaMacchia             2nd                    3.60mAbigail Nolte                  3rd                    3.45mAlexandra Elder                5th                    3.15m

Long Jump

Anne Yahiro                    4th of 16              5.36mEkiah Lewis                    5th                    5.32mKathleen McPhillips            6th                    5.20mKatherine Petruzzellis         7th                    5.17m

Triple Jump

Samantha Francis               3rd of 12              11.39mCourtney Caldwell              8th                    10.56m

Shot Put

Kristen Erickson               1st of 8               12.16mAlita Ostapkovich              3rd                    11.83m

Weight Throw

Alita Ostapkovich              1st of 4               14.75mClaudia Tishler                3rd                    13.28m