Complete Villanova Results

CORAL GABLES, Fla.--A dominant performance in the 800 meters and a second straight school record in the 4x100 meter relay highlighted an exciting day of competition for Villanova, which competed in the Hurricane Alumni Invitational at Cobb Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Senior middle distance runner Stephanie Schappert (Delray Beach, Fla.) recorded a personal best time in the 800 meters as the Wildcats swept the top three spots in the race.

Schappert, junior Angel Piccirillo (Homer City, Pa.) and freshman Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (Dublin, Ireland) combined for a 1-2-3 finish in the 800 meters. Schappert crossed the finish line in 2:05.22 and cut more than a full second off her previous top time in the event. Piccirillo was close behind in second place (2:05.45) and Cleirigh Buttner ran her best race of the young outdoor season with a time of 2:06.76.

Three other Villanova runners also finished in the top 12 of the 800 meters. Freshman Nicole Armstrong (Sydenham, Ont.) had a terrific race and finished sixth in 2:11.24, while senior Leanne Tucker (Tewksbury, Mass.) was eighth (2:14.24) and freshman Erin Jaskot (Blauvelt, N.Y.) placed 12th (2:16.78). Jaskot's time was also a new personal best and eclipsed the time of 2:18.38 that she ran at the Colonial Relays last week.

For the second time in as many weeks, the Wildcats set a school record in the 4x100 meter relay. Villanova registered a time of 45.95 to finish in fifth place in Saturday's race, a margin of 0.39 seconds faster than last week's record time of 46.34. Prior to last week, the old school record of 46.48 had stood for 16 years.

Junior sprinter Shanice Grant (Kingston, Jamaica) and senior Emerald Walden (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) were at the center of several noteworthy performances by the sprint group. Grant came in fourth in the 100 meter hurdles and lowered her best time of the season to 13.61 in the process. Walden also ran her best time of the season in the 100 meter hurdles and crossed the finish line in 13.85 to finish seventh.

Walden also recorded a personal best time in the 200 meters with a mark of 24.88. She was one of six Wildcats in the 200 meters, with senior Varonica Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) leading that group with a fourth place finish out of 54 runners and a time of 24.06. Grant came in seventh overall (24.28) and Walden was 20th. Sophomore Kalissa Caesar (Port Jervis, N.Y.) finished with a time of 25.11 and was followed by junior Michaela Wilkins (Ellicott City, Md.) with a time of 26.04 and freshman Melissa June (Massapequa, N.Y.) with a time of 27.12.

In the 100 meters, Johnson finished in 12th place out of 35 runners with a time of 11.93. She was followed by sophomore Caesar with a time of 12.23, while June recorded a time of 12.30.

Senior Katherine Petruzzellis (Annandale, N.J.) led Villanova in the field events with a personal best height of 1.75 meters in the high jump. She had run the first event of the heptathlon on Friday afternoon and set a personal best time of 14.41 in the 100 meter hurdles.

In the pole vault, senior Alexandra Wasik (Medina, Ohio) made her outdoor season debut with a height of 4.05 meters. She came in second out of 10 competitors, while senior Kathleen McPhillips (Carlisle, Pa.) was sixth (3.80m). Juniors Abigail Nolte (Branchburg, N.J.) and Virginia LaMacchia (Bloomsburg, Pa.) followed in eighth (3.65m) and ninth place (3.50m), respectively.

Senior Samantha Francis (Kingston, Jamaica) came in second in the triple jump with a mark of 11.96 meters and also finished eighth in the long jump with a distance of 5.24 meters.