FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - In the final of the Mile at the NCAA Championships, junior Angel Piccirillo (Homer City, Pa.) and senior Stephanie Schappert (Delray Beach, Fla.) came in seventh and ninth, respectively, at Randal Tyson Track on Saturday night. They wrapped up competition for Villanova at the national meet and Piccirillo becomes the 17th athlete from the Wildcats to score a top-eight finish in the Mile.

Saturday night's race featured 10 competitors who advanced to the final from the preliminary heats a day earlier. Piccirillo crossed the finish line with a time of 4:37.96 in the final and Schappert was close behind with a time of 4:38.63. Villanova was the only school to have two athletes in Saturday night's race.

A leading group of five runners had formed by the end of the first 400 meters in the final. Piccirillo was just a few strides behind that group and was then in seventh place after 800 meters. There was little change in the leading positions as the pack began to string out during the second half of the race. Leah O'Connor of Michigan State ran with the lead for the entirety of the race to claim the national title.

The indoor season represented somewhat of a breakthrough for Piccirillo, who firmly established herself as one of the top middle distance runners in the nation. She had been a part of the Wildcats lineup at the NCAA Championships in the distance medley relay in each of the past two years but this season was the first time indoors that she qualified for the national meet in an individual event. Piccirillo ran the ninth-fastest Mile in school history at the Iowa State Classic earlier this season, where her time of 4:34.28 shattered her previous personal best.

She also won the BIG EAST title in the 800 meters after winning the conference championship in the Mile last year. Piccirillo is the first Villanova athlete with career BIG EAST titles in both the 800 meters and the Mile, and she also anchored the Wildcats championship 4x800 meter relay team to help Villanova win its second straight BIG EAST team title.

This is the second straight season that Schappert has been an NCAA qualifier in the Mile. She also set a personal best in the event this season with a time of 4:36.31 at the Penn State National in January. Schappert also ranked in the top 25 nationally during the regular season in both the 1000 meters and the 3000 meters. She won the BIG EAST title in the Mile this year to claim her first career individual conference crown. Schappert has won seven career conference titles in the 4x800 meter relay, including four straight years indoors and each of the past three seasons outdoors heading into her final year of outdoor eligibility.

Piccirillo and Schappert will each earn All-America honors in the Mile this season, with Piccirillo set to garner first team honors for her top-eight finish. The official announcement of All-America accolades will be made by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) next week.

This is the fourth time in the past six years that the Wildcats have had at least one All-American in the Mile. Villanova has more all-time All-America honors in the Mile (20, including 17 first-team) than in any other individual indoor event.

COMPLETE RESULTS - MILE (FINAL)