As a countdown ends, a celebration begins. For the past two months, Villanova counted down the days to the 2016 Olympics by featuring a different one of the university's all-time Olympians each day. The countdown reaches its culmination today, as Villanova celebrates the newest chapter of its Olympic story on the day that the opening ceremonies for the Rio Olympics are held in front of a worldwide audience. Australian runners Sam McEntee and Patrick Tiernan will represent their country in the 5000 meters at the Olympics, while American basketball player Kyle Lowry will play for Team USA in Rio. Jamaican sprinter Monique Morgan was among the athletes named to her country's initial Olympic squad.

VILLANOVA AND THE OLYMPICS
There has been at least one Villanovan at every Summer Olympics since 1948. With the addition of this year's athletes to the university's all-time list, there have now been 65 Olympians from the university. As a group, they have represented 16 countries and four continents while competing in nine different sports. The tradition started more than a century ago with the 1908 Olympics in London and has continued to the present day. There have been 14 medal winners along the way, including nine golds and five silver medals. Statistics aside, the stories and memories of each Olympian who had the chance to represent their country are countless.

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KYLE LOWRY - 2016 (UNITED STATES) - BASKETBALL
SAM MCENTEE - 2016 (AUSTRALIA) - ATHLETICS (5000 METERS)
PATRICK TIERNAN - 2016 (AUSTRALIA) - ATHLETICS (5000 METERS)
The latest chapter in Villanova's Olympic history will take place at the Rio Olympics over the next two weeks. Men's basketball player Kyle Lowry, a 10-year NBA veteran, makes his USA Basketball debut on the Olympic team this summer. Australian runners Sam McEntee and Patrick Tiernan will each represent their country in the 5000 meters. Click here to read a full story about each of the Wildcats Olympians in Rio, including their schedules of competition.

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ANDREW SULLIVAN - 2012 (GREAT BRITAIN) - BASKETBALL
At the 2012 Olympics in London, Andrew Sullivan was a part of the host nation's basketball team and played in five games for Great Britain during pool play at the Olympics. In the five games, he totaled 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while shooting 55 percent (11-of-20) from the floor. His best came came in Great Britain's lone victory, a 90-58 win over China in the last of five games. Sullivan played 23 minutes in the victory and had 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 three-pointers, to go along with five rebounds, three assists and a steal. He also had eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, two rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes against Australia. In addition to the win against China and a loss to Australia, Great Britain lost games to Russia, Brazil and Spain at the Olympics.

After playing his college basketball at Villanova from 1999-03, Sullivan has gone on to a successful professional and international career back in Europe. He played for England's national team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia and averaged 18.3 points while playing in four of five games. He scored 23 points in a 95-53 win over South Africa and England went on to defeat Nigeria for the bronze medal. Sullivan was a part of the inception of Great Britain's national team in 2006 and was the team's captain for several years. He played for the team at Eurobasket 2009 and was a part of the squad's elevation out of Division B in 2006-07 when he averaged 10.6 points per game. At the start of the 2012 season, Sullivan ranked as Great Britain's second-most capped player behind teammate Nate Reinking, the only other original player remaining at the time from the inception of the Great Britain team.

Sullivan is a two-time British League MVP as a pro and currently plays for the Leicester Riders. He began his professional career by playing one season (2003-04) in the Netherlands before returning home and playing for the Newcastle Eagles in Britain in 2004-05 and 2005-06. He also played for Newcastle in 2008 after stints in Spain and the Netherlands, as well as in 2010 following stints in Russia and Cyprus. Sullivan has since played for the Mersey Tigers (2010-11) in Britain, as well as the Riders (2011-14, 2015-present) and the London Lions (2014-15). Sullivan was the MVP of the British Basketball League (BBL) playoffs in 2004-05 after scoring 27 points in a championship game win over Chester, and in 2005-06 he led Newcastle to both the BBL Trophy and the BBL Cup.

Prior to coming to Villanova, Sullivan moved from London to the United States and attended St. Augustine Prep in New Jersey. He averaged 19.8 points per game as a senior and earned first team all-state honors while helping his team go 24-6 on the year. Sullivan played two years each for Steve Lappas and Jay Wright while with the Wildcats, who went 72-55 (.567) during his career and reached the NIT all four seasons. Sullivan's collegiate totals included 423 points, 375 rebounds, 112 assists, 64 steals and 55 blocks. He averaged 5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a junior, and contributed 5.1 points and 4.6 boards his senior year.

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SHEILA REID - 2012 (CANADA) - ATHLETICS (5000 METERS)
Just two short months after wrapping up her record-setting collegiate career for Villanova, Sheila Reid competed for Canada at the 2012 Olympics in London. She was chosen under her country's "Rising Star" program to be its representative in the 5000 meters in London, and Reid tallied a time of 15:27.41 to finish 15th in her preliminary heat of the event. This year, Reid had the fastest Olympic qualifying time in the 1500 meters - 4:03.96 - of any Canadian athlete but was forced to withdraw from the country's Olympic trials due to an injury.

Since making her Olympics debut in 2012, Reid has continued to have success on an international stage. She competed at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow in 2013 and posted a time of 4:10.90 in her heat of the 1500 meters. Reid also placed 12th in the 3000 meters with a time of 9:19.67 at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Ore. earlier this year. She had already established herself on the international scene prior to coming to Villanova. Reid ran in the Junior Race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in both 2006 (Fukuoka, Japan) and 2007 (Mombasa, Kenya). Reid's lifetime bests include 2:44.39 in the 1000 meters (2010), 4:02.96 in the 1500 meters (2013), 4:27.02 in the Mile (2013), 8:44.02 in the 3000 meters (2013) and 15:23.64 in the 5000 meters (2012).

Few runners in the Wildcats storied track & field history can match Reid's list of accomplishments. She was a five-time individual NCAA champion for Villanova and also racked up 11 All-America honors and 12 BIG EAST titles during her collegiate career. Reid helped the Wildcats win consecutive national championships in cross country in 2009 and 2010, and Villanova won three consecutive BIG EAST and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region titles from 2009-11. Reid was also the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the indoor BIG EAST Championships in 2010 when she helped lead the Wildcats to the team title at the conference meet.

At the height of her collegiate career, Reid had an incredible stretch of performances during the 2010-11 academic year. It started with her winning her first national title in cross country and leading Villanova to its second consecutive national championship. During the indoor season, Reid anchored the Wildcats to an NCAA title in the distance medley relay and finished second individually in the 3000 meters. Her best was still to come, as she became the first woman in history to win both the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters in the same year at the outdoor NCAA Championships. Reid also doubled up in winning both events at the BIG EAST Championships that year. She swept the Mid-Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year awards in cross country, indoors and outdoors in 2010-11, and was also named the winner of the prestigious Honda Sports Award for both cross country and track & field. Reid was one of three finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. She repeated as the Honda Sports Award winner in cross country as a senior in 2011.

As a cross country runner, Reid was a three-time All-American and three-time BIG EAST champion in addition to winning the two national titles. She was a three-time champion at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional and earned both All-Mid-Atlantic and All-BIG EAST honors all four years of her career. Reid won BIG EAST titles indoors in the 1000 meters, Mile and 4x800 meter relay in 2010, as well as the 1000 meters, 4x800 relay and distance medley relay in 2011. She was an All-American in both the distance medley relay and the 3000 meters in consecutive years.

Reid added to her legacy as a senior in 2012 when she anchored Villanova to a Championship of America title in the distance medley relay at the Penn Relays. It wound up being the first of four consecutive titles in the race for the Wildcats. Reid was a four-time All-American outdoors, earning the honor twice each in the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters. She was also a BIG EAST champion in the 800 meters (2010).

Reid is Villanova's outdoor school record holder in the 5000 meters with a time of 15:23.64 which she recorded at the Mt. SAC Relays in California during her senior season in 2012. She also helped the Wildcats set an indoor school record in the distance medley relay of 10:52.52 in the team's national championship race in 2011. Reid owns the fastest time in school history on a 6000 meter cross country course as well, with a mark of 19:34 which was recorded at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional her junior year.

There was another list of accomplishments for Reid during her time at Villanova which was equally impressive to her efforts in competition: her academic achievements. Reid was a first team Academic All-American for both the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years. She was also named the USTFCCCA National Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both cross country (2010, 2011) and track & field (2011). Reid was named to USTFCCCA national All-Academic teams a total of four times between the cross country and track & field seasons, and she was also a five-time selection to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team. She was the winner of the BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award in cross country in both 2010 and 2011, and was the conference's selection as Villanova's Institutional Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the 2009-10 academic year. Reid was a two-time Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Performer of the Year in cross country, and was named Villanova's Female Senior Student-Athlete of the Year in 2011.

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MARINA MUNCAN - 2012 (SERBIA) - ATHLETICS (1500 METERS)
Marina Muncan represented her native Serbia at the 2012 Olympics in London. She competed in the 1500 meters and recorded a time of 4:11.25 in the first round to place 11th in her heat. Muncan has had a great deal of success internationally in addition to starring at Villanova during a terrific collegiate career. She has twice represented Serbia at the IAAF World Championships, competing in the 1500 meters in both 2007 (Osaka, Japan) and 2009 (Berlin, Germany). Muncan advanced to the semifinals at the 2007 World Championships and recorded a time of 4:08.02 to place seventh in the semifinal heats. She also posted a time of 4:15.18 in the preliminary heats at the 2009 World Championships.

Muncan has competed twice at the European Athletics Championships and three times at the European Indoor Championships. She came in eighth in the 1500 meters at the indoor championships in Turin, Italy in 2009 with a time of 4:20.01, and finished ninth in 2007 with a time of 4:14.60 recorded in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Her best finish at the outdoor European Championships was a 10th place finish in the 1500 meters in 2012 in Helsinki, Finland, when she posted a time of 4:15.63 in the final. In 2009, Muncan won a gold medal on her home turf when she won the 1500 meters in 4:14.13 at the World University Games (Universiade) in Belgrade. Prior to coming to Villanova, Muncan won a gold medal in the 3000 meters at the 1999 European Youth Olympic Festival in Esbjerg, Denmark. That same year, she also placed 13th in the 3000 meters with a time of 9:27.44 at the first IAAF World Youth Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

As a collegiate runner, Muncan was a nine-time All-American and an 11-time BIG EAST champion for the Wildcats. She excelled in all three seasons during the year and earned multiple All-America honors in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field. Muncan earned All-America and All-Mid Atlantic Region accolades three straight years in cross country from 2003-05, and was also a four-time All-BIG EAST performer from 2002-05. She was named the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year for the 2005-06 indoor track & field season. Muncan was the BIG EAST champion that year in both the 1000 meters and the Mile, and went on to earn All-America honors in the Mile with a fifth place finish at the NCAA Championships. Muncan also anchored the Wildcats to consecutive All-America finishes in the distance medley relay indoors in 2004 and 2005. She won three conference titles at the BIG EAST Championships in 2005, doubling up individually in the 1000 meters and the Mile in addition to anchoring the conference champion 4x800 meter relay. During the outdoor track & field season, Muncan was a three-time All-American in the 1500 meters (2003, 2004, 2006) and was also the BIG EAST champion in the event in 2005. She won the BIG EAST title in the 800 meters in 2004 and 2006, while anchoring the Wildcats to conference titles in the 4x800 meter relay three straight years from 2004-06. Muncan also anchored Villanova to a Championship of America title in the distance medley relay at the Penn Relays in 2006.

Muncan owns the second-fastest time in school history in the 1500 meters with a mark of 4:11.23 which she ran at the NCAA Championships on June 14, 2003. She also ranks ninth in school history in the 1000 meters (2:45.40) and the 3000 meters (9:08.44). Her lifetime bests include 2:02.86 in the 800 meters (2009), 4:06.48 in the 1500 meters (2012) and 4:31.52 in the Mile (2012).

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JILLIAN LOYDEN - 2012 (UNITED STATES) - WOMEN'S SOCCER
Jillian Loyden was named as one of four alternates for the United States team which eventually won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. The former Villanova All-American made 10 career appearances in international competition for the United States and was part of the team which won a silver medal at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. Loyden was not activated during the 2012 Olympics but did appear in a game against Costa Rica during the team's "Victory Tour" following the Olympics when she subbed in at goalkeeper in the 55th minute. Loyden's first career international appearance came on October 2, 2010 in a game against China. Her selection as the third goalkeeper on the World Cup squad in 2011 marked her first spot on a world championship roster.

In addition to her international career, Loyden also had a successful professional career in the United States. After wrapping up her collegiate career with the 2007 season, Loyden made 21 appearances for Jersey Sky Blue in the W-League 2007-08. She was later drafted in the sixth round of the inaugural WPS draft in 2009 and played for Saint Louis Athletica during the 2009 season. She made three appearances, including recording six saves in a 2-0 win on May 23, 2009 which earned her WPS Player of the Week honors. Loyden also played for Chicago Red Stars and magicJack in WPS, and most recently made 20 appearances for Sky Blue FC in the National Women's Soccer League in 2013-14.

Loyden starred for Villanova during a collegiate career which saw her become the only soccer player in school history to earn NSCAA first team All-America honors. She achieved that distinction during a record-setting 2006 season and was also a four-time NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region pick during her career. She earned first team all-region honors in 2006 and was a second team selection in 2004, 2005 and 2007. Loyden is also the only BIG EAST women's soccer athlete to be a three-time conference Goalkeeper of the Year. She was selected for that honor three straight years from 2005-07 and earned first team All-BIG EAST honors in each of those seasons, in addition to being a third team all-conference selection as a redshirt freshman in 2004. She was also named to the 2005-06 BIG EAST All-Academic Team.

Villanova reached the peak of the program's success during Loyden's career. She was a true freshman in 2003 when she redshirted for a team which went 15-5-5, won a BIG EAST title and advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament for the only time in school history. During Loyden's active playing career from 2004-07, the Wildcats tallied a 51-19-14 (.690) record and made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2004 and 2006. Villanova advanced to the second round of the national tournament in each of those two seasons.

Loyden holds five career records and three single-season records in the Wildcats all-time record book. Most noteworthy, she is the program's record holder with 48 career victories and 37 career shutouts in goal, in addition to records of 82 games played, 81 games started and playing a total of 7542:04 in the net. Her playing time ranked in the top 10 in NCAA history for goalkeepers at the time of her graduation. Loyden also ranks second in school history in career goals-against average (0.68), career save percentage (.866) and career winning percentage (.679; 48-19-14). She is fifth in career saves (370). Loyden set three single-season Villanova records in 2006 when she recorded a 0.45 goals-against average and posted 16 victories with a .773 winning percentage (16-4-2).

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LISA KARCIC - 2012 (CROATIA) - BASKETBALL
Former women's basketball player Lisa Karcic was a part of an upstart Croatian team that reached the 2012 Olympics in London. Karcic played in four games and had five rebounds during the Olympics. She had previously played for Croatia at the 2011 European Women Basketball Championship in Poland. During that tournament, Karcic led the team in rebounds against Latvia with seven and also grabbed eight rebounds in a game versus Montenegro.

Karcic played at Villanova from 2005-09 and is one of 25 players in Wildcats history to reach 1,000 career points. She ranks 24th in school history with 1,031 points and is 13th with 576 rebounds. Her career totals for Villanova also include 211 assists, 132 steals, 105 blocks and 190 three-pointers. She led the team in three-pointers made in consecutive seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Karcic was a two-time second team All-Big 5 selection and twice earned a spot on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.

Following the end of her collegiate career, she went on to a successful international playing career. Karcic debuted with AEL Limassol (Cyprus) in 2009-10 and also played for Leones Ponce (Puerto Rico) in 2010. She played in Finland for Keravan (2010-11) and in Iceland for Keglavik (2011) prior to being part of the Croatian team at 2011 EuroBasket. Karcic also played internationally in Spain for Zamarat (2011-12) and Hondarribia-Irun (2012-13), as well as for ZKK Novi Zagreb in Croatia in 2013-14. She was named the best defensive player in her Spanish league while playing for Hondarribia-Irun in 2012.

Karcic starred scholastically at New Hyde Park (N.Y.) High School prior to coming to Villanova. She scored 1,897 points during her scholastic career and was twice named the Nassau County Player of the Year. Karcic earned three All-Long Island and three all-state honors in high school, and was the MVP of the state tournament when she led New Hyde Park to a state championship.

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DOTSIE BAUSCH - 2012 (UNITED STATES) - CYCLING (TEAM PURSUIT)
Villanova alumna Dotsie Bausch represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London. She competed as part of the women's pursuit cycling team and won a silver medal. Team pursuit cycling involves two teams of three or four riders competing against each other on a banked indoor track. The teams start on opposite sides of the track and compete over a distance of three kilometers. If one team catches the other, the race is over.

At the 2012 Olympics, 10 teams competed in an initial qualifying round. The top four teams in the qualifying round remained in gold medal contention, while the fifth through eighth place teams could compete for a possible bronze medal. The other two teams were eliminated. The remaining eight teams advanced to first round heats, with the fastest qualifiers competing head-to-head for the right to advance to either the gold medal final or the bronze medal race.

During the qualifying round, the United States ranked second overall with a time of 3:19.406. In the first round heats, the United States defeated Australia by less than nine-hundredths of a second. The time for the United States of 3:16.853 was an American record and again ranked second overall. In the gold medal race, the United States team competed against world record holder Great Britain and lost by a margin of five-plus seconds to earn a silver medal. The other members of the United States squad werer Sarah Hammer, Jennie Reed and Lauren Tamayo.

Bausch, who did not begin cycling until the age of 26, is a seven-time USA Cycling national champion and a two-time Pan-American champion. In addition to winning a silver medal at the Olympics, Bausch also won a silver medal at the 2011 World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands.

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KRISTINA LENNOX - 2008 (PUERTO RICO) - SWIMMING (200 METER BUTTERFLY, 400 METER FREESTYLE)
Kristina Lennox swam for Puerto Rico at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where she competed in the preliminary heats of the 400 meter freestyle and the 200 meter butterfly. She came in fourth in her heat of each event and tallied times of 4:20.17 in the freestyle and 2:17.27 in the butterfly. Lennox also represented Puerto Rico at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Italy. Her brother, Doug, also swam for Puerto Rico at both the 2008 Olympics and the 2009 World Aquatics Championships.

Lennox, who was named the MVP of the Villanova team as a senior in 2007, qualified to be on the Puerto Rico's team after racing in a FINA sanctioned meet in 2008. She swam for the national team and also competed at the national meet in Puerto Rico prior to heading to the Olympics. As a collegiate swimmer, Lennox was a BIG EAST champion in the 200 yard butterfly and a seven-time All-BIG EAST performer overall.

As a senior in 2007, Lennox won the BIG EAST title in the 200 yard butterfly. Her winning time of 2:00.49 was a personal best and she also recorded NCAA "B" cut times in both the 500 yard freestyle (4:49.60) and the 100 yard butterfly at the BIG EAST Championships that year. Lennox earned All-BIG EAST honors in the 200 fly, 200 free and 500 free in 2005, including coming in second and registering a then-personal best time of 2:01.83 in the 200 fly. She came in third in the 200 free as a freshman at the 2004 BIG EAST Championships, and also led off the 800 yard freestyle relay which came in third and earned all-conference honors. A double major in Communications and Spanish while at Villanova, Lennox was also a four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team selection.

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ADRIAN BLINCOE - 2008, 2012 (NEW ZEALAND) - ATHLETICS (5000 METERS)
Former Villanova national champion, assistant coach and sub-four minute miler Adrian Blincoe competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China for his native New Zealand. Blincoe was also named to his country's Olympic team in 2012 but had to withdraw prior due to injury. He registered a time of 13:55.27 in his heat of the 5000 meters at the 2008 Olympics and came in seventh in the heat.

Blincoe was a three-time national champion, seven-time All-American and eight-time BIG EAST champion during his collegiate career. He ran the anchor leg of the Wildcats distance medley relay which won consecutive NCAA titles indoors in 2002 and 2003. Blincoe added to the relay titles by also winning the individual national championship in the 3000 meters in 2002. His time of 7:47.50 in the 3000 meters during the 2001-02 indoor season remains the school record. He registered the mark on January 27, 2002 at the Boston Indoor Games before going on to win the national title less than two months later.

Many of Blincoe's top accomplishments for Villanova came during the indoor season. In addition to his three national titles and school record in the 3000 meters, Blincoe earned All-America honors in the 3000 meters three straight years from 2001-03. He was a BIG EAST champion in both the Mile (2002) and the 3000 meters (2003), while running legs on the conference champion 4x800 meter relay and distance medley relay in both 2002 and 2003. During the outdoor season, Blincoe was an All-American in the 1500 meters in 2002 and was a BIG EAST champion in both the 1500 meters and the 4x800 meter relay in 2001. He also anchored the Wildcats to a Championship of America title in the distance medley relay at the Penn Relays in 2001.

Blincoe also had a great deal of success in cross country for Villanova. He was an All-American in 2000 when he finished ninth individually at the NCAA Championships, and was named the Mid-Atlantic Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA in 2001 after he won the individual title at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. Blincoe earned All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors three straight years from 2000-02 and was an All-BIG EAST performer in 2001 and 2002. He was a part of Villanova teams that won the team title at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in 2001 and 2002, as well as winning the 2002 BIG EAST crown. The Wildcats also notched consecutive top 10 national finishes in 2000 (6th) and 2001 (8th).

During his career, Blincoe ran a total of 43 races in which he recorded either a sub-four minute mile (12 times) or the metric equivalent in the 1500 meters (31 times). His lifetime bests are 3:35.50 in the 1500 meters and 3:54.40 in the Mile. His other personal best times include 1:48.69 in the 800 meters, 7:46.38 in the 3000 meters, 13:10.19 in the 5000 meters and 28:25.52 in the 10000 meters.

Blincoe was already an accomplished runner on the international scene when he arrived at Villanova. Prior to beginning his collegiate career, he competed at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Annecy, France and in the Junior Race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Marrakesh, Morocco. He has had many other highlights during his post-collegiate international career. Blincoe set a New Zealand record in the 5000 meters with a time of 13:10.19 in 2008 in Belgium. He also finished eighth in the 5000 meters at the IAAF World Cup in 2006 in Athens, Greece. He competed in the 1500 meters at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, and in both the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. Blincoe advanced to the semifinals of the 1500 meters at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in both 2003 (Paris Saint-Denis, France) and 2005 (Helsinki, Finland). He finished 10th in the 1500 meters at the World Athletics Final in Monaco in 2003 and was 13th at the World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar in 2010. Blincoe also competed in the Short Race at the World Cross Country Championships in 2001, 2003 and 2005.

Blincoe was involved in all aspects of the Villanova program during his eight years as an assistant coach. The Wildcats had 20 All-Americans and 60 BIG EAST champions during his time on staff.

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CARRIE TOLLEFSON - 2004 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (1500 METERS)
After a collegiate career in which she earned more All-America honors than any men's or women's track & field athlete in school history, Carrie Tollefson went on to compete for the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Tollefson advanced to the semifinals of the 1500 meters in Athens, where she came in ninth in her heat with a time of 4:08.55. She had qualified for the semifinal round by finishing sixth in her preliminary heat and advancing on time with a mark of 4:06.46. On the way to reaching the Olympics, Tollefson won the 1500 meters at the USA Olympic Trials to capture her first career USA title.

Tollefson had a number of other career highlights at national and international meets. She won the 4000 meter race at the 2006 USA Cross Country Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in New York in 2006. That same year, Tollefson also won the 3000 meters at the US Indoor National Championships. She came in seventh in the 3000 meters at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Moscow.

As a collegiate student-athlete, Tollefson was a five-time individual NCAA champion and was a part of one team national championship and five team titles at the BIG EAST Championships. She earned four career All-America honors in every season (cross country, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field) and was a nine-time BIG EAST champion. During her junior season of outdoor eligibility in 1999, Tollefson became the first woman in history to pull off a double in the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters at the outdoor NCAA Championships. She won both of those events at the national meet after also completing the double at the BIG EAST Championships that year. She also won the 1500 meters at the ECAC Championship during the 1999 outdoor season. Tollefson also earned outdoor All-America honors in the 1500 meters (1997) and a second time in the 3000 meters (2000). She repeated as the BIG EAST champion in the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters as a senior in 2000, when she helped lead the Wildcats to a team title at the BIG EAST meet. Villanova won four BIG EAST crowns on the track during Tollefson's career, sweeping both the indoor and outdoor titles in 1997 and again in 2000.

Tollefson ran on two 4x1500 meter relays which won Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays. She ran the third leg of the relay in 1997 and then moved up to the second leg when the Wildcats won again in 2000. During the indoor track & field season, Tollefson was a two-time national champion in the 3000 meters in 1999 and 2000. She earned three career All-America honors (1997 as well) in that event, in addition to being an All-American in the 5000 meters as a senior in 2000. Tollefson was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the BIG EAST Championships in 2000 after recording a signature double in the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters, while helping lead Villanova to the team title as well. Her other BIG EAST titles indoors came in the 3000 meters (1997) and the distance medley relay (1996).

The first NCAA title Tollefson won was in cross country, where she was the 1997 individual champion. Tollefson earned cross country All-America honors four straight years from 1995-98, and was also the Wildcats top runner in 1998 when the team won its seventh NCAA title. Prior to becoming an individual champion as a junior, Tollefson had finished seventh and fifth, respectively, during her first two collegiate seasons. She was the District II individual champion in 1997 and 1998, the BIG EAST individual champion in 1997 and a four-time All-BIG EAST performer. Between the three collegiate seasons, Tollefson was a 19-time All-BIG EAST selection overall. Her collegiate best time of 15:51.39 in the 5000 meters, registered on March 10, 2000 at the NCAA Championships in Arkansas, remains the fifth-fastest indoor time in school history.

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CARMEN DOUMA-HUSSAR - 2004 (CANADA) - ATHLETICS (1500 METERS)
A three-time NCAA champion and nine-time All-American during her collegiate career, Carmen Douma-Hussar has gone on to a successful international career which includes competing in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Douma-Hussar represented Canada and reached the final of the 1500 meters in Athens after advancing through the first round and semifinal heats. She placed ninth in the final with a time of 4:02.31, which was a personal best at the time. Douma-Hussar came in second in her preliminary heat of the 1500 meters with a time of 4:06.90 and automatically qualified for the semifinal. She came in sixth in her semifinal heat in 4:05.09 and advanced on time to the final.

Douma-Hussar has won two career medals in international competition, including a silver medal in the 1500 meters at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary in March 2004. She also won a bronze medal just two weeks after Budapest when she was a part of the Canadian team which finished third in the team short race standings at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Brussels, Belgium. Douma-Hussar competed in the short race at the World Cross Country Championships every year from 2001-06, and her 17th place finish at the 2004 meet was a career best. She was a finalist in the 1500 meters at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics (Helsinki, Finland) and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Douma-Hussar also competed at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan and in four editions of the IAAF World Athletics Final.

During her career, Douma-Hussar set two Canadian indoor records in the 1500 meters and the Mile. She registered a time of 4:08.18 in earning her silver medal in the 1500 meters at the World Indoor Championships in 2004, and posted a time of 4:28.43 in the Mile in New York in 2005. She also won at the Millrose Games in 2005 and has tallied two career wins in the Fifth Avenue Mile. Her lifetime best marks include 2:02.43 in the 800 meters, 2:36.26 in the 1000 meters, 4:02.29 in the 1500 meters, 4:26.76 in the Mile and 8:53.83 in the 3000 meters.

Douma-Hussar was a three-time NCAA champion, nine-time All-American and 10-time BIG EAST champion during her collegiate career. She also was a volunteer assistant coach for the Wildcats from 2000 to 2008. As an undergraduate runner, Douma-Hussar was the fourth scoring runner Villanova when the team won the 1998 national championship in cross country. She was a three-time All-American in cross country (1997, 1998, 1999) and was the 1999 individual BIG EAST and NCAA District II champion. Douma-Hussar was the individual national champion indoors in the Mile and outdoors in the 1500 meters in 1998, and won a second indoor title in the Mile in 2000.

During the indoor track & field season, Douma-Hussar won individual BIG EAST titles in the 1000 meters (1998) and the Mile (2000). She also ran a leg of both the 4x800 meter relay and the distance medley relay which won consecutive conference championships in 1997 and 1998. Douma-Hussar was also an indoor All-American in the distance medley relay in 1997. After winning the national championship in the 1500 meters in 1998, she repeated as an All-American in the event in each of the next two years. She was a two-time BIG EAST champion in the 1500 meters and also anchored the Wildcats to a conference title outdoors in the 4x800 meter relay. Douma-Hussar won three career ECAC titles as well: the indoor Mile (1998) and 800 meters (2000) in addition to the outdoor 1500 meters (in 1998). She helped lead the Wildcats to three Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays, running legs of both the 4x800 meter relay and the 4x1500 meter relay in 1997 and anchoring the 4x1500 relay squad in 2000.

11

JEN RHINES - 2000, 2004, 2008 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (5000 METERS, 10000 METERS, MARATHON)
Three-time Olympian Jen Rhines has made a total of 15 United States teams during her incredible career. She competed in three different events during her Olympic career, including the 5000 meters, 10000 meters and Marathon. Rhines was a six-time NCAA champion and an 11-time All-American during her collegiate career.

At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Rhines competed in the 10000 meters and came in 16th in her opening round heat with a time of 34:08.28. She ran the Marathon at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece and finished 34th with a time of 2:43:52. Rhines advanced to the final of the 5000 meters at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. She tallied a time of 15:15.12 in the preliminary heats and came in sixth in her heat to automatically move on to the final. She then placed 11th in the final while registering a time of 16:34.63.

Rhines has enjoyed many other highlights while representing the United States during her career. Among them are being the top American finisher at the 2011 Carlsbad 5000 where she registered a time of 15:37 in a 5K race. More recently, she earned a spot on a national team for the 15th time in her career when she competed at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China. Rhines came in 51st in the Senior women's race at the world meet after tallying a third place finish at the USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder, Colo. She is a three-time United States 15,000 kilometer champion (1998, 2005, 2011) in road races and was also the national champion on the track in the 10,000 meters in 2002. Rhines won the 2011 USA Half-Marathon in Houston, Texas with a time of 1:11:14. She also set the U.S. Masters record in the 5000 meters with a time of 15:45 at the Payton Jordan Invitational in 2016.

During her international career, Rhines competed at the IAAF World Championships in 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011. She came in seventh in the 5000 meters at the 2007 championships in Osaka, Japan and also tallied ninth place finishes in the 5000 meters in 2009 (Berlin, Germany) and the 10000 meters in 2011 (Daegu, South Korea). She also competed in the 10000 meters in 2001 (Edmonton, Alb.) and 2005 (Helsinki, Finland). Rhines also ran the 3000 meters at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2008 in Valencia, Spain. She competed at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships every year from 1999-02 and finished as high as 12th place at the 2002 event in Dublin, Ireland.

While running for the Wildcats from 1992-96, Rhines was a part of three national championship teams in cross country and all tallied top-three individual finishes at the NCAA Championships in three consecutive seasons. She was the individual national champion as a junior in 1994 and helped lead Villanova to its sixth consecutive team title that year, in addition to being the NCAA runner-up (to teammate Carole Zajac) in 1993 and recording a third place finish in 1995. Rhines was a three-time All-American in cross country and earned All-BIG EAST honors four straight years from 1992-95. She was the ECAC and District II individual champion in 1994 and 1995. Rhines was the cross country winner of the prestigious Honda Sports Award for the 1994-95 academic year.

On the track, Rhines won three consecutive NCAA titles outdoors in the 5000 meters from 1994-96. She was also the BIG EAST champion in the event in all three of those seasons and won ECAC titles in the 3000 meters in 1994 and 1995. Rhines was also a part of the Wildcats lineups in the 4x1500 meter relay which won Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays in 1994 (ran the second leg of the relay) and 1995 (third leg). During the indoor track & field season, Rhines was an individual national champion in the 5000 meters in 1995 and also anchored Villanova's distance medley relay team to a national title that season. She was a five-time All-American indoors, earning the distinction in the 5000 meters three times (1994, 1995, 1996) and twice for anchoring the distance medley relay (1995, 1996). Rhines was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the 1996 indoor BIG EAST Championships after she won both the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters. She pulled off that double for the second time in her career after also winning those events at the 1994 conference meet. Rhines added a third indoor BIG EAST title in the 5000 meters in 1995. She was also the ECAC champion in the Mile that year.

Villanova won four BIG EAST team titles during Rhines career, including three straight cross country titles from 1992-94 and the 1993 indoor track & field title. Rhines still ranks second in school history in the 10000 meters (33:15.88), third in the 5000 meters (15:41.12) and seventh in the 3000 meters (9:06.66) for times that were registered during the collegiate season. Her career bests in those events are 8:35.03 in the 3000 meters (Monaco, 2007), 14:54.29 in the 5000 meters (Norway, 2008) and 31:17.31 in the 10000 meters (California, 2007).

12

MIKE NEILL - 2000 (UNITED STATES) - BASEBALL
The most recent Villanovan to win a gold medal, former Wildcats baseball player Mike Neill played for Team USA at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He was one of the top performers for Team USA in nine games at the Olympics and memorably made a sliding catch in left field for the final out of the gold medal game against Cuba, which the United States won by a 4-0 final score. Neill also homered in the first inning of the gold medal game and hit a game-winning home run against Japan in the first game of the Olympics. He led Team USA with nine runs scored and three home runs while tying for the team lead with eight walks in Sydney. Neill hit .219 (7-for-32) with nine runs, three homers, five RBI and a stolen base overall during the Olympics. Team USA went 8-1 in the nine games, with its only loss coming to Cuba in the sixth of seven games of round-robin play. The United States went on to defeat Korea, 3-2, in the semifinals before posting the shutout win against Cuba in the gold medal game.

Neill played on some of the top Villanova baseball teams in program history during his collegiate career. He played for the Wildcats from 1989-91 and helped the team go 112-44-1 (.717) overall and 37-21 (.638) in BIG EAST play during his career. Villanova set the still-standing school record of 42 wins in a season in 1989, when it won its first-ever BIG EAST Championship title and competed in an NCAA regional. The Wildcats came within one game of advancing to the College World Series and finished the year with a 42-13 record. Villanova won another BIG EAST title and reached the NCAA Tournament in 1991, finishing that season with a 37-15-1 record.

In 148 games over three collegiate seasons, Neill was a .417 (232-for-557) hitter with a .483 on-base percentage and a .698 slugging percentage. He had 232 hits, including 53 doubles, four triples and 32 home runs, and also totaled 184 runs scored and 154 RBI. Neill also had 25 stolen bases in 32 tries, including 17 as a junior in 1991. He still ranks second in school history in batting average and third in both doubles and total bases (389), in addition to ranking fourth in hits, fifth in home runs and runs scored and seventh in RBI.

Neill's best collegiate season was his record-breaking 1991 campaign, when he batted .468 (101-for-216) with 22 doubles, 19 home runs and 76 RBI. He reached base at a .536 clip and slugged .852 in 52 games on the season. His 101 hits, 85 runs scored and 184 total bases in 1991 are all school records for a single season. He also is tied for the school record with his 22 doubles that year, and the 19 home runs are the second-most in a single season. Neill was named the 1991 BIG EAST Player of the Year and a first team All-BIG EAST selection. He went on to earn ABCA first team All-America honors for the season.

Following the 1991 season, Neill was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the 59th overall pick of that year's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He reached the major leagues with the Athletics in 1991 and appeared in six games. He batted .267 (4-for-15) in the six games with two runs scored, a double and two walks. He played four games with one start in left field and also started twice in center field for Oakland.

Neill played for 11 years (1991-2001) in the minor leagues and appeared in 1062 games while batting .307 with a .404 on-base percentage and a .449 slugging percentage. His minor league career included 224 doubles, 91 home runs, 721 runs scored, 572 runs batted in and 114 stolen bases. He began his professional career with Southern Oregon in the Rookie level Northwest League in 1991 and earned All-Star honors after batting .350 with 14 doubles and five home runs in 63 games. Neill was also an All-Star in the Class A Advanced California League while playing for Reno in 1992 and Modesto in 1996. He played for Huntsville in the Double A Southern League in 1997 and hit .340 with 129 runs scored, 30 doubles, 14 homers and 80 RBI in 122 games. The 129 runs scored were the most in the league in two decades.

Neill was inducted to the Villanova Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2007.

13

MADDY CRIPPEN - 2000 (UNITED STATES) - SWIMMING (400 METER INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY)
Maddy Crippen holds the distinction of being the last Villanova student-athlete to compete in the Olympics while still a member of a current Wildcats roster. She swam in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia and still had three years of eligibility left for Villanova. Crippen raced to a sixth place finish in the 400 meter individual medley at the Olympics in Sydney. She came in fourth in her preliminary heat of the event with a time of 4:44.00 and then notched a time of 4:44.63 to place sixth in the final.

Crippen had a distinguished international career beyond her Olympics competition. She swam for Team USA at the Pan Pacific Championship in Fukuoka, Japan in 1997 prior to the start of her collegiate career. Crippen earned a silver medal in the 400 meter individual medley at the meet, then went on to notch a sixth place finish in the 200 meter individual medley at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Australia. She again represented the United States at the Pan Pacific Championships in 1999 and placed fourth in the 400 meter IM.

After redshirting what would have been her sophomore season in 1999-00 to train for the Olympics, Crippen came in second in the 400 meter IM at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2000 to earn her spot on the Olympics team. She went on to be a three-time U.S. national champion, winning two national titles in the 400 meter IM and one in the 200 meter breaststroke. Crippen also competed at the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships and the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain.

Following her retirement from racing in 2004, Crippen was a member of USA Swimming's Board of Directors and their Athlete's Executive Committee.

Crippen is one of two Villanova women's swimmers who have been an NCAA champion. She won a national title in the 400 yard individual medley and was a four-time All-American in the event during her career. Crippen was an eight-time All-American overall, also earning the distinction twice each in the 500 yard freestyle and the 200 yard breaststroke. She was twice named the Outstanding Female Swimmer (1999, 2001) at the BIG EAST Championships and was a 10-time BIG EAST champion for the Wildcats. Crippen won four titles as a freshman at the 1999 conference meet. She was the individual champion in the 400 yard individual medley, the 500 yard freestyle and the 200 yard butterfly in addition to anchoring the team to a victory in the 800 yard freestyle relay. Crippen won both the 400 IM and the 500 free again in 2001 and 2002, and wrapped up her career as the BIG EAST champion in the 200 breast in 2003.

Crippen and three siblings all swam scholastically at Germantown Academy and went on to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials during their careers. She still holds the Villanova school record in the 400 yard individual medley, with a time of 4:06.76 which was set during her freshman season in 1999.

14

KATE FONSHELL - 1996 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (10000 METERS)
Local product Kate Fonshell competed at Villanova from 1987-92 and went on to represent the United States at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Fonshell ran the 10000 meters at the Olympics and finished ninth in her first round heat with a time of 32:48.05. She was an All-American and a BIG EAST champion during her collegiate career.

Fonshell came to Villanova from nearby Penncrest High School in Media and was a part of NCAA champion teams in cross country in 1989 and 1990. She was the Wildcats third scoring runner at the NCAA Championships in 1990 and earned All-America honors with a 25th place individual finish at the meet. Fonshell was also a two-time All-BIG EAST performer (1989, 1990) in cross country. She won the university race at the ECAC Championship in 1989.

During the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons, Fonshell was one of the team's top distance runners during her career. She won the BIG EAST title in the 10000 meters in 1990 and also was an All-American outdoors in the 5000 meters that season. Fonshell earned five career All-BIG EAST honors outdoors, including in the 3000 meters (1992) and twice each in the 5000 meters and the 10000 meters in 1989 and 1990. She was also the ECAC champion in the 5000 meters in 1990, and in 1992 ran the third leg of the Wildcats 4x1500 meter relay which won a Championship of America title at the Penn Relays.

Fonshell was the BIG EAST indoor champion in the 5000 meters in 1990 and earned All-BIG EAST honors in both the 3000 meters (1990) and the 5000 meters (1990, 1992). Fonshell's top time in the 10000 meters while in college was 35:37.54 at the 1989 BIG EAST Championships at Villanova. She remains ranked 10th in school history in the event.

15

LISA FLOOD - 1992, 1996 (CANADA) - SWIMMING (100 METER BREASTSTROKE)
Lisa Flood was one of the top swimmers in Villanova history and a two-time Olympian for Canada who excelled just as much in her academic pursuits as she did during a Hall of Fame athletic career. Flood swam the 100 meter breaststroke for Canada at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, each time advancing to the "B" final of the event. In her Olympic debut in Barcelona, Flood came in third in her opening round heat of the 100 meter breaststroke with a time of 1:10.95. She went on to finish sixth in the "B" final in 1:11.17. Flood posted even faster times in Atlanta in 1996. She came in fifth in her preliminary heat with a time of 1:10.26, then touched the wall in 1:10.21 and was the runner-up in the "B" final.

Flood, who is a member of the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame, enjoyed a great deal of international success beyond the Olympics. She burst onto the scene following her freshman year at Villanova by winning bronze medals in both the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke races at the Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba. She eventually won two gold medals in the breaststroke races, as well as a silver medal in the 400 meter medley relay at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Flood also won bronze medals in the 200 breaststroke and the 400 medley relay at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, B.C. She was a part of the Canadian team that won a silver medal in the 400 medley relay at the 1995 FINA Short Course World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

As a collegiate swimmer, Flood was the Wildcats first women's swimmer to become an NCAA champion when she won the national title in the 100 yard breaststroke at the 1992 NCAA Championships. Flood earned All-America honors in both the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke events four straight years from 1991-94, in addition to being an All-American in both the 200 yard medley relay and the 400 yard medley relay as a junior in 1993. During her years on the team, Villanova achieved a great deal of success both individually and as a team at the BIG EAST Championships. Flood was named the Outstanding Female Swimmer at the meet in both her freshman and sophomore years, while her efforts helped the Wildcats win three straight BIG EAST team titles from 1992-94. Flood was the BIG EAST champion in the 100 yard breaststroke all four years of her career, and also won the 200 breaststroke three times (1991-93) and the 200 yard individual medley in 1992. She added to her eight individual conference crowns by being a part of seven BIG EAST relay champions, including the 200 yard medley relay all four years of her career and the 400 yard medley relay in 1991, 1993 and 1994. Flood was part of the 2015 induction class to the Villanova Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

Flood received as much acclaim for her academic accomplishments at Villanova as she did for her efforts in the pool. As a senior, the Psychology major earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and was also named a first team Academic All-American. She is one of 20 student-athletes ever from Villanova to earn a postgraduate scholarship, and one of two from the women's swimming & diving team. Flood was also the first-ever Villanova Female Senior Student-Athlete of the Year in 1994 and was presented that year with an NCAA Top Eight Award, which is given out at the end of each academic year to the top eight collegiate student-athletes in the nation, as chosen by the NCAA. Flood was also a two-time honoree on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.

16

KIRE FILIPOVSKI - 1992, 1996 (MACEDONIA) - SWIMMING (BUTTERFLY, INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY)
Villanova swimmer Kire Filipovski competed in the Olympics prior to and following his collegiate career. He swam in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona as an independent athlete and represented Macedonia at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Filipovski is a 1996 graduate of Villanova with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

Athletes from Macedonia competed as independent athletes at the 1992 Olympics because their National Olympic Committee had not yet been formed. Filipovski competed in both the 100 and 200 meter butterfly events in Barcelona and finished seventh in his preliminary heat of both events. He registered a time of 56.68 in the 100 meter meter butterfly and touched the wall in 2:08.71 in the 200 meter butterfly. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Filipovski swam for Macedonia in the 100 meter butterfly and the 200 meter individual medley. He won his preliminary heat of the butterfly in 56.13 and posted a time of 2:11.90 while placing fourth in his heat of the individual medley.

Filipovski was an All-American and a four-time BIG EAST champion during his collegiate career. He was part of a 400 yard medley relay squad in 1996 which earned All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. The same quartet had won a BIG EAST title with a meet record time of 3:16.65 earlier in the season, with Filipovski swimming the third leg of the relay. Filipovski was part of three consecutive BIG EAST titles in the 400 medley relay from 1994-96, and was also the 1994 individual conference champion in the 200 yard butterfly.

17

KIM CERTAIN - 1996 (ANTIGUA & BARBUDA) - ATHLETICS (4x400 METER RELAY)
Kim Certain was an alternate on the 4x400 meter relay for Antigua & Barbuda at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. She is a 1991 graduate of Villanova who was a two-time national champion during her collegiate career.

Certain ran the third leg of the 4x800 meter relay which won consecutive NCAA indoor titles in 1989 and 1990. The winning times of 8:31.95 (1990) and 8:34.54 (1989) still rank as the fourth and eighth fastest indoor times in school history. Certain was a three-time All-American during her Wildcats career, including the two championships in the relays as well as finishing fourth in the 1500 meters at the 1989 outdoor NCAA Championships. She was also a member of the 4x800 relay squad which won a Championship of America title at the Penn Relays in 1989.

Villanova won eight BIG EAST team titles and the 1989 national championship in cross country while Certain was a member of the team. She was the fourth finisher for the Wildcats at the NCAA Championships in 1989 when the program won its first-ever women's cross country national title. Certain was a two-time All-BIG EAST performer in 1988 and 1989 as a cross country runner. She also won BIG EAST titles indoors in the 1000 meters (1990) and the 4x800 meter relay (1989), as well as outdoors in the 4x800 relay in 1989. The team titles for the Wildcats included winning BIG EAST crowns in cross country (1987, 1989, 1990), indoor track & field (1988, 1990, 1991) and outdoor track & field (1988, 1989). Certain also anchored the 4x800 meter relay to an indoor ECAC title in 1990. She ranks 10th in school history in the 1000 meters with a time of 2:45.45 on February 19, 1989 at the BIG EAST Championships.

18

MAULAN BYRON - 1996 (ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES) - ATHLETICS (400 METERS)
Maulan Byron was a qualifier for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta prior to the start of his collegiate career. A native of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, he was a three-year member of the Villanova program. Byron ran the second leg of the Wildcats conference champion 4x400 meter relay at the 1998 outdoor BIG EAST Championships. He had run the same leg of the 4x400 relay during the indoor season to help Villanova earn All-BIG EAST honors in the relay. Prior to arriving on campus, Byron had registered a then personal best time of 48.32 in the 400 meters at a pre-Olympics meet. He was named his country's Junior Male Athlete of the Year in 1995.

19

SONIA O'SULLIVAN - 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 (IRELAND) - ATHLETICS (1500 METERS, 3000 METERS, 5000 METERS, 10000 METERS)
When she won the silver medal in the 5000 meters at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Sonia O'Sullivan became the first woman in Villanova history to win an Olympic medal. She also competed at the Summer Olympics in 1992 (Barcelona, Spain), 1996 (Atlanta) and 2004 (Athens, Greece) during a career in which she made headlines around the globe as one of the top distance runners in the world. O'Sullivan won a total of 16 medals in international competition during her career, including eight gold medals, nine silvers and two bronze medals. She won those medals at competitions that included the Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, World Cross Country Championships, World Indoor Championships, World University Games and World Cup.

O'Sullivan made her Olympics debut in 1992 and competed in the 1500 meters and the 3000 meters in Barcelona. She advanced to the final of the 3000 meters after winning her preliminary heat with a time of 8:50.08. She went on to finish just outside of medal contention in the final and notched a fourth place finish in 8:47.41. In the 1500 meters that year, O'Sullivan came in fifth in her first round heat with a time of 4:07.70 and automatically advanced to the semifinals. She came in 11th in her semifinal heat with a time of 4:06.24. In 1996 in Atlanta, O'Sullivan set an Olympic record in the opening round of the 5000 meters when she won her heat with a time of 15:15.80. She also ran in the 1500 meters and crossed the finish line in 4:19.77 to come in 10th in her opening round heat.

At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, O'Sullivan reached the final of both the 5000 meters and the 10000 meters. She won her opening round heat of the 5000 meters in 15:07.91, then lowered that time to a personal best mark of 14:41.02 to win the silver medal in the final. O'Sullivan came in seventh in her first round heat of the 10000 meters in 32:29.93 and automatically qualified for the final. She finished sixth in the final in 30:53.37. In her final Olympics appearance in 2004, O'Sullivan once again reached the final of the 5000 meters. She placed seventh in her heat of the event in 14:59.61 and advanced on time to the final, where she came in 14th with a time of 16:20.90.

O'Sullivan concluded her collegiate career with the 1991 cross country season and then had a breakout year of competition in 1992. She finished seventh at the World Cross Country Championships at the start of the year, and in the coming months improved her personal best times in a number of distances between 800 meters and 5000 meters. She set six Irish national records in the process, including five in a span of 11 days in mid-August following the Olympics. O'Sullivan wrapped up the 1992 calendar year by winning the Grand Prix Final in the 5000 meters. She had gotten her first taste of international success when she won a gold medal in the 1500 meters and a silver in the 3000 meters at the World University Games in Sheffield, England in 1991.

During her professional career, O'Sullivan won a gold medal in the 5000 meters at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden and the 1998 World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa. She also capatured a silver medal in the 1500 meters at the World Championships in 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany. O'Sullivan won gold medals at distances of four kilometers and eight kilometers at the 1998 World Cross Country Championships in Marrakesh, Morocco. She also won bronze medals in the team competitions at those distances in 1997 in Turin, Italy (eight kilometers) and in 2000 in Dublin, Ireland (four kilometers). O'Sullivan won a silver medal in the 3000 meters at the World Indoor Championships in Paris.

Some of the best performances of O'Sullivan's career came at the European Athletics Championships, where she was a five-time medalist. She won gold in the 3000 meters in 1994 in Helsinki, Finland and also captured gold in both the 5000 meters and the 10000 meters in 1998 in Budapest, Hungary. She won silver medals in both those events in 2002 in Munich, Germany.

O'Sullivan's career at the Olympics includes far more than just competition on the track. She was selected to be the flag bearer for Ireland during the opening ceremonies at the 2000 Olympics. During the torch relay for the 2012 Olympics in London, O'Sullivan carried the flame when the torch arrived in Dublin on June 6. She carried the flame onto St. Stephen's Green and lit an Olympic cauldron. O'Sullivan was later made the Chef de Mission for Team Ireland at the 2012 Olympics.

O'Sullivan's personal best times during her racing career include: 800 meters (2:00.69), 1000 meters (2:34.66), 1500 meters (3:58.85), Mile (4:17.25), 2000 meters (5:25.36), 3000 meters (8:21.64), two miles (9:19.56), 5000 meters (14:41.02), 10000 meters (30:47.59), half marathon (1:07:19) and marathon (2:29:01). She set a world record in the 2000 meters in July 1994 and was the world record holder in the two miles from 1998-2007. She also held the European record in the 3000 meters from 1994-2002. On January 25, 1991, O'Sullivan broke the indoor world record in the 5000 meters when she recorded a time of 15:17.28 at the Terrier Classic in Boston, Mass. That time still stands as the Villanova school record in the 5000 meters. She also ranks second in school history in the Mile (4:33.49) and the 3000 meters (8:56.27). O'Sullivan is part of the existing school record in the two mile relay (8:33.94) and was a part of a distance medley relay which ranks second in school history (10:49.81).

As a collegiate runner, O'Sullivan won five individual NCAA titles, was a seven-time All-American, captured 11 BIG EAST titles and helped Villanova win six Championship of America wheels at the Penn Relays. She was a national champion in cross country in 1990 and 1991, won outdoor NCAA titles in the 3000 meters in each of those years and was also the 1991 indoor champion in the 5000 meters. Her other All-America performances came indoors in the 3000 meters (1990) and the Mile (1991). O'Sullivan was a part of national championships teams in cross country three straight years from 1989-91, the first three seasons in a string of an unprecedented six national titles for the Wildcats. O'Sullivan was also a part of Villanova teams which won three straight BIG EAST team titles in cross country (1989-91), as well as three indoor track & field championships (1988, 1990, 1991) and consecutive outdoor track & field crowns (1988, 1989).

O'Sullivan was the BIG EAST individual cross country champion in 1991 and was an All-BIG EAST performer three straight years from 1989-91. She also was the District II and ECAC individual champion in 1990 and 1991. During the indoor track & field season, O'Sullivan was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 1991 BIG EAST Championships. She led the Wildcats to a team title by winning the Mile and the 3000 meters individually, as well as running the anchor leg of the team's first place 4x800 meter relay. O'Sullivan also was the indoor conference champion in the 3000 meters in 1990. She was the ECAC indoor champion in the 3000 meters in 1990.

A few months after being chosen as the meet's top performer at the 1991 indoor BIG EAST meet, O'Sullivan repeated as the Most Outstanding Performer at the outdoor conference championships. She doubled in the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters to win a pair of individual titles. O'Sullivan was a three-time outdoor BIG EAST champion in the 3000 meters (1989-91) and also won consecutive titles in 1988 and 1989 as part of the team's lineup in the 4x800 meter relay. She was a nine-time All-BIG EAST performer overall at the outdoor conference meet. She was the ECAC champion in the 3000 meters during her junior and senior seasons.

O'Sullivan won six Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays, including two each in the 4x800 meter relay, the distance medley relay and the 4x1500 meter relay. She ran the second leg of the 4x1500 relay in victories in both 1989 and 1990, and was inducted to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 2000 when the 1990 squad was enshrined on the 10th anniversary of the win. O'Sullivan was a three-time Penn Relays champion in 1990, as she also led off the DMR and ran the third leg of the 4x800 relay. She anchored the DMR and ran the second leg of the 4x800 relay in 1991.

20

CHARLES JENKINS, JR. - 1992 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (4x400 METER RELAY)
Charles Jenkins, Jr. was a part of the United States squad in the 4x400 meter relay at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He won a gold medal for being on the relay team and joined his father, two-time Olympic gold medalist, Wildcats legend and former head coach Charles Jenkins as the only father and son Olympians and medalists in Villanova history.

Jenkins, Jr. had a sensational collegiate career and ranks among the top sprinters in school history. He was a four-time All-American, nine-time BIG EAST champion and seven-time IC4A champion during his career. Jenkins, Jr. also ran the anchor leg of 4x400 relays which hold the existing indoor and outdoor school records in the event. The indoor standard of 3:07.84 was set on March 14, 1986 at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City, while the outdoor record of 3:02.95 came on June 7, 1986 at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. Jenkins, Jr. also is the individual school record holder in the 600 yards, with a mark of 1:08.96 tallied on January 18, 1996 in Johnson City, Tenn.

During his time at Villanova, Jenkins, Jr. had his best efforts while running on the relays. He was a three-time All-American in the 4x400 relay, including running the leadoff leg outdoors and the third leg indoors in 1985. He also anchored the 1986 outdoor 4x400 relay which set the school record. Jenkins, Jr. added one individual All-America honor in the 500 meters indoors as a senior in 1986. He was also the BIG EAST champion and the IC4A champion in that event the same year.

The other eight BIG EAST titles for Jenkins, Jr. all came in the relay events. He anchored the 4x400 relay to a conference title indoors as a senior in 1986, and previously ran the 400 meter leg of the distance medley relay in both 1983 and 1984. During the outdoor season, Jenkins, Jr. ran the second leg of the 4x100 meter relay in 1983 and was a part of winning 4x400 relay teams all four years of his career. He moved up one leg each season, running leadoff in 1983 and eventually the anchor leg in 1986. He also anchored the 4x400 relay to a Championship of America title at the Penn Relays as a senior in 1986.

Jenkins, Jr. ran on three straight IC4A champions in the mile relay indoors (1984-86) and the 4x400 meter relay outdoors (1983-85). He anchored the mile relay team to an indoor school record time of 3:07.79 on January 18, 1986 at the Eastman Kodak Invitational in Johnson City, Tenn. Jenkins, Jr. ranks second individually in school history in the 500 meters (1:01.08 on March 15, 1986 at the NCAA Championships) and ranks eighth in the 400 meters (46.12 on May 17, 1986).

21

GERRY O'REILLY - 1988 (IRELAND) - ATHLETICS (1500 METERS)
Irish native Gerry O'Reilly represented his country at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He competed in the 1500 meters and tallied a time of 3:43.23 while placing 10th in his first round heat. O'Reilly had previously competed at the 1987 World Athletics Championships in Rome, where he posted a time of 3:45.65 in the opening round of the 1500 meters.

As a collegiate runner, O'Reilly became a member of Villanova's sub-four minute mile club and was a four-time All-American and seven-time BIG EAST champion. He had 12 career races in which he recorded either a sub-four minute mile (7) or the metric equivalent in the 1500 meters (5). His personal bests in those events included 3:54.63 in the Mile on June 14, 1986 and a mark of 3:37.40 in the 1500 meters on July 10, 1987. O'Reilly ranks fourth in school history in the 3000 meters (7:51.65), as well as seventh in both the 1500 meters (3:38.93) and the 5000 meters (13:47.7).

O'Reilly was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the indoor BIG EAST Championships in 1986, when he produced double wins in the 1500 meters and the 3000 meters in addition to anchoring the Wildcats to a conference title in the distance medley relay. His efforts helped Villanova capture the team title at that year's BIG EAST Championships as well. He also won the 3000 meters indoors in 1987 and was an eight-time All-BIG EAST performer during the indoor season. He was an All-American in the 3000 meters in 1986 and 1987. O'Reilly was also an outdoor All-American in the 1500 meters in those same two years. He won the BIG EAST title in the 5000 meters in 1986 and the 1500 meters in 1987, and was All-BIG EAST in both events three straight years from 1985-87. O'Reilly also won four career IC4A titles. He doubled in the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters outdoors in 1986, as well as winning the 3000 meters and anchoring the distance medley relay in 1987. During the 1987 outdoor season, O'Reilly ran the anchor leg of the Wildcats distance medley relay which set a still-standing school record of 9:21.02 at the Penn Relays. Villanova's DMR team that year was inducted to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 2007.

As a cross country runner, O'Reilly was the BIG EAST individual champion in 1986 and was a three-time All-BIG EAST performer (1983, 1985, 1986). As a freshman in 1983, he came in second to teammate Marcus O'Sullivan at the BIG EAST Championships, and his time of 23:00.6 is the second-fastest in school history on a five-mile course. O'Reilly went on to win the District II individual title in cross country later in the 1983 season, and won that title again as a senior in 1986.

22

VICKI HUBER - 1988, 1996 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (3000 METERS, 1500 METERS)
One of the most accomplished athletes in school history, Vicki Huber was a two-time Olympian for the United States. She competed at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea in the 3000 meters and at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta in the 1500 meters. Huber is the last Villanova track & field athlete to have competed in the Olympics while still a current member of the Wildcats team, as she had one year of eligibility remaining after the 1988 Olympics.

The 1988 season was a big one for Huber leading up to the Olympics. She won the 1500 meters at the USA Outdoor Championships with a personal best time of 4:07.40. At the Olympic Trials, she finished second in the 3000 meters in 8:46.48 to qualify for the U.S. team that would travel to Seoul. She came in fifth in her preliminary heat of the 3000 meters at the Olympics with a time of 8:48.93 and automatically qualified for the final. In the final, Huber ran a strong race and took the lead with 800 meters to go before ultimately placing sixth in 8:37.25.

Huber battled several injuries following the end of her collegiate career, but overcame them to finish fourth at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1992 and also set an American record for a 5000 meter road race with a time of 15:14 that same year. Huber competed at the 1996 Olympic Trials in the 5000 meters and the 1500 meters. After dropping out of the 5000 meters, she came back to run the 1500 meters and finished third to earn her spot on the Olympic Team for Atlanta. She moved into third place and got into position to qualify for the Olympic Team with less than 30 meters left in the race. At the 1996 Olympics, Huber posted a time of 4:14.82 in the 1500 meters and finished ninth in her first round heat.

Huber still holds nine school records at Villanova, as well as the NCAA Championships meet record in cross country on a 5000 meter course. She is a member of the Villanova Track & Field Wall of Fame in Villanova Stadium and is a two-time inductee to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame. Huber has also been inducted to the Delaware Track & Field Hall of Fame and the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame. A native of Wilmington, Del., she won five state titles as a prep school athlete and set state records in the 800 meters and the 1600 meters as a scholastic athlete.

Huber was one of the top athletes in the country in any sport during the height of her collegiate career. She was named the Honda Sports Award winner for track & field in 1987-88 and for cross country in 1989-90, as well as winning the overall Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year (formerly the Honda-Broderick Cup) in 1988-89. She was inducted to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame as an individual in 1995 and was also a part of the Wildcats 1988 champion distance medley relay squad which was inducted in 1999.

During her collegiate career, Huber won eight individual NCAA titles, was a 10-time All-American and won 20 BIG EAST titles. She has won more NCAA and BIG EAST championships than any other male or female track & field athlete in school history. Huber was the national champion in the 3000 meters both indoors and outdoors three straight years from 1987-89. She was also the indoor national champion in the Mile in 1988 and won the cross country individual title in 1989 in the final race of her collegiate career. Her cross country title in 1989 also helped Villanova capture the team title at the NCAA Championships, the first of what would become a string of six straight national titles for the program. Huber also helped lead Villanova to nine team titles at the BIG EAST Championships, including three each at the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field conference meets.

Huber was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the indoor BIG EAST Championships in 1988 after winning the 3000 meters and anchoring the Wildcats to a conference title in the 4x800 meter relay. Her indoor BIG EAST titles included the 1000 meters (1989), the 1500 meters (1986, 1987), the 3000 meters (1987, 1988, 1989) and the 4x800 meter relay (1986, 1988, 1989). Her outdoor BIG EAST titles came in the 1500 meters (1986, 1987, 1988), the 3000 meters (1986, 1988), the 4x400 meter relay (1988) and the 4x800 meter relay (1986, 1987). She was also an eight-time ECAC Champion, with five titles indoors and three outdoors. In each of her last three collegiate cross country seasons (1986, 1987, 1989), Huber was the BIG EAST, District II and ECAC individual champion.

Other highlights for Huber during her time on campus include six Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays. She was named the Athlete of the Meet for the relay events in 1987 after anchoring the Wildcats in the distance medley relay. She won the award again in 1989 after running the second leg of the 4x800 relay and anchoring both the DMR and the 4x1500 meter relay. Huber also was a part of Penn Relays titles in the 4x800 relay and the DMR in 1988.

Huber is the school record holder in the indoor 1500 meters (4:17.85), Mile (4:28.31), 3000 meters (8:54.48) and two miles (9:56.35), in addition to running on a record-setting two mile relay squad (8:33.94). She holds the outdoor Villanova standards in the 1500 meters (4:09.40), Mile (4:36.25) and 3000 meters (8:47.35), as well as on the anchor leg of the distance medley relay (10:48.38).

23

SALAAM GARIBA - 1988 (GHANA) - ATHLETICS (4x100 METER RELAY)
Salaam Gariba represented his native Ghana at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He ran the third leg of the country's 4x100 meter relay and helped Ghana reach the semifinals of the event at the Olympics. Ghana came in third in its preliminary heat with a time of 39.13 to automatically qualify for the semifinals, and then placed fifth its semifinal heat with a time of 39.46. The experience at the Olympics was one of several times that Gariba competed for his country in international competition. A specialist in the 100 meters, Gariba won a silver medal in the event at the 1989 African Championships. He also reached the semifinals individually at the 1991 World Championships, as well as on a relay at the 1987 World Championships. Gariba last competed internationally at the 1993 World Championships.

During his collegiate career, Gariba was an eight-time BIG EAST champion and a 10-time All-BIG EAST performer in the sprints. He won conference titles in the 100 meters in both 1989 and 1991, in addition to winning the outdoor 200 meters crown as a junior in 1991. Gariba won the 55 meters indoors at the 1991 and 1992 BIG EAST Championships, as well as winning indoor titles in the 200 meters in 1989, 1991 and 1992. He also won an outdoor IC4A title in the 100 meters in 1989.

Gariba is the school record holder in the 55 meters, the 60 meters, the 100 meters and the indoor 200 meters. He has run the three fastest times in school history in the 100 meters. His hand time of 9.9 on April 6, 1991 at the Georgia Tech Invitational is recognized as the school record, and at the time of the race was the fastest ever run by a Ghanaian native. Gariba's fastest electronic time in the 100 meters was 10.27, which came at the Penn Relays on April 27, 1991. His other school records are 6.17 in the 55 meters (January 25, 1992; New England Invitational), 6.65 in the 60 meters (February 7, 1992; Millrose Games) and 21.12 in the indoor 200 meters (February 15, 1992; Cyclone Invitational).

24

GEORGE RAVELING - 1984, 1988 (UNITED STATES) - BASKETBALL (ASSISTANT COACH)
George Raveling played college basketball at Villanova (1957-60) and went on to have a successful career as a head coach at Washington State, Iowa and USC. He was an assistant coach for the United States Olympic Team in 1984 and 1988, and helped Team USA win medals at both Olympiads. In 1984, the United States won a gold medal on its home turf in Los Angeles, while the 1988 squad won a bronze medal in Seoul, South Korea. Raveling also coached the United States team at the 1994 Goodwill Games. He was the Commencement speaker at this year's Villanova graduation ceremonies.

In 2013, Raveling received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also inducted to the College Basketball Hall of Fame that year. On February 14, 2015, it was announced that Raveling would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame when he was selected for direct election by the Contributor Direct Election Committee.

Raveling starred for the Wildcats during his collegiate career and played for teams that went 60-39 (.606) during his career, including posting a record of 38-13 (.745) and making consecutive NIT appearances over his final two seasons. Villanova went 20-6 and reached the quarterfinal round of the NIT in 1960. Raveling eventually spent six years (1963-69) as an assistant coach for the Wildcats, and was also an assistant at Maryland (1969-72) prior to becoming a head coach for the first time.

During his head coaching stints at Washington State, Iowa and USC, Raveling compiled a 337-292 (.536) record while leading his teams to six NCAA Tournament and two NIT appearances. He was a three-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year while at Washington State.

25

MARCUS O'SULLIVAN - 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 (IRELAND) - ATHLETICS (800 METERS, 1500 METERS)
One of only three men in world history to run a sub-four minute mile more than 100 times, Villanova head coach Marcus O'Sullivan's career in track & field has reached the pinnacle of success on the worldwide stage as a collegiate runner, professional runner and head coach. He just finished his 18th year as the Frank J. Kelly Endowed Track & Field Coach, and has maintained the program's position of national prominence and the tradition of excellence that he helped to continue during his own collegiate running days.

O'Sullivan was a four-time Olympian for his native Ireland. He competed at the Olympic Games in 1984 (Los Angeles), 1988 (Seoul, South Korea), 1992 (Barcelona, Spain) and 1996 (Atlanta) and represented Ireland in the 1500 meters in all four of those Olympiads. He also competed in the 800 meters in his debut at the 1984 Olympics. O'Sullivan's best result at the Olympic Games came in 1988 when he advanced to the final of the 1500 meters and tallied an eighth place finish with a time of 3:38.39 in the final.

The 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles took place just following the end of O'Sullivan's collegiate career. He came in third in his heat in the first round of the 1500 meters and automatically qualified for the semifinal with a time of 3:49.65. He lowered his time to 3:39.40 in the semifinal round and came in ninth in his heat. In the 800 meters, O'Sullivan crossed the finish line in 1:46.85 in the first round and advanced on time to the quarterfinals. He came in sixth in his quarterfinal heat with a time of 1:46.21. In 1988, O'Sullivan registered times of 3:42.01 and 3:38.84 in the first round and semifinal heats of the 1500 meters. He advanced on time from each round to get to the final. He reached the semifinal round of the 1500 meters in 1992 after tallying a time of 3:37.07 in the first round and coming in fourth in his heat to be an automatic qualifier for the semifinals. He came in eighth in his semifinal heat in 3:37.16. O'Sullivan posted a time of 3:38.16 in the first round of the 1500 meters in 1996 and came in sixth in his heat in Atlanta.

There were many other highlights for O'Sullivan during a long and distinguished professional career. He set an indoor world record in the 1500 meters when he clocked a time of 3:35.4 in February 1989, and many of his top accomplishments came in indoor races. O'Sullivan won the famed Wanamaker Mile at the NYRR Millrose Games six times during his career (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996). He also captured three gold medals in the 1500 meters at the World Indoor Championships, with wins in 1987 (Indianapolis), 1989 (Budapest, Hungary) and 1993 (Toronto). O'Sullivan also won a silver medal in the 1500 meters at the 1985 European Athletics Championships in Athens.

Villanova has been known for its world-class middle distance runners for well over half a century, and particularly for its champion world champion milers. O'Sullivan is at the forefront of the Wildcats exclusive group of 39 sub-four minute milers, having achieved the feat an incredible 184 times between the mile and the metric equivalent in the 1500 meters. He ran 101 sub-four minute miles and another 83 equivalent races in the 1500 meters, with personal bests of 3:50.94 in the mile (indoors, 1988) and 3:33.61 in the 1500 meters (outdoors, 1996). O'Sullivan was also part of an Irish team along with Ray Flynn, fellow Villanova Eamonn Coghlan and Frank O'Mara which set the still-existing world record of 15:49.08 in the 4xMile relay in Dublin on August 17, 1985.

During his collegiate career, O'Sullivan was a two-time NCAA champion, eight-time All-American and six-time Penn Relays champion. He helped the Wildcats win a national title indoors in the distance medley relay as a freshman in 1981 when he ran the third leg (880 yards) of the relay, and also ran the third leg of the two mile relay in 1983 when Villanova won an NCAA title in the event. He was a four-time All-American in the 1500 meters, including three straight years outdoors (1982-84) and once indoors in 1984. He was also an All-American in the Mile indoors in 1982.

O'Sullivan was the BIG EAST individual cross country champion in 1983 and was a 10-time conference champion during his career. He won three indoor titles in the 1500 meters (1981, 1983, 1984) as well as being a part of four indoor relay champions. He also won the 5000 meters outdoors in 1984 and ran a leg of the champion 4x800 meter relay in 1983. In addition to his conference honors, O'Sullivan won the IC4A indoor Mile in 1983 and 1984 and was a member of the Wildcats IC4A champion two mile relay in 1982. His six Championship of America titles in the Penn Relays include the 4x800 meter relay (1982, 1984), the distance medley relay (1981) and the 4x1500 meter relay (1981, 1982, 1984). Villanova's 1982 4x800 meter relay squad was inducted to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 1994 as part of the first induction class. That relay squad set a still-standing school record with a time of 7:12.29, while the 1984 team in the 4x1500 meter relay set a school record with a time of 14:52.81.

O'Sullivan has been the head coach of the Wildcats men's track & field and cross country teams for 18 years, and was also the head coach of the women's program in his first two years on staff (1998-99 and 1999-00). He was the USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year in 1998 after guiding the women's cross country team to a national championship. He is also a seven-time USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year and a 12-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year. His Villanova teams have won 11 BIG EAST team titles, and he has coached 15 national champions, 101 All-Americans and 203 BIG EAST champions. O'Sullivan has also coached seven Championship of America winners at the Penn Relays. His student-athletes have been named Capital One Academic All-Americans on four occasions, and have been named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team nearly 500 times.

O'Sullivan earned his undergraduate degree in Accounting from Villanova in 1984 and went on to earn an MBA and a CPA.

26

JOHN MARSHALL - 1984 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (800 METERS)
John Marshall is the most recent runner from the Villanova men's track & field team to compete in the Olympics while still having collegiate eligibility left. Prior to his senior season with the Wildcats, he competed for the United States at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Marshall ran in the 800 meters and finished fifth in his quarterfinal heat with a time of 1:47.18. Marshall was an NCAA champion and a nine-time All-American during his collegiate career, and later became the Wildcats head coach from 1994-98. His time of 1:43.92 in the 800 meters at the 1984 Olympic Trials is the fastest time recorded by a Villanova runner.

Marshall is one of only three men's runners in program history to earn nine career All-America honors. He won the indoor national championship in the 880 yards in 1983 and five of his All-America honors came in the 880 yards or the 800 meters. In addition to his national title, he was also an All-American indoors in the 800 meters in 1985 and was a three-time outdoor All-American in the event (1982, 1984, 1985). Marshall also earned All-America honors indoors in the 1000 yards (1983) and as the anchor of the 4x400 meter relay (1985). His other outdoor All-America accolades came as the third leg of the 4x400 meter relay in 1982 and 1985.

In addition to his success at the NCAA meets, Marshall helped Villanova win three Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays. He was named the Athlete of the Meet for the relay events as a freshman in 1982 after he anchored the Wildcats to wins in the sprint medley relay and the 4x800 meter relay. He also anchored the 4x800 relay to a title in 1984. Villanova's 1982 4x800 meter relay team, which still holds the school record with a time of 7:12.29, was inducted to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 1994 as part of the inaugural induction class. Marshall was later inducted to the Wall of Fame as an individual in 2010.

Marshall was a 10-time BIG EAST champion during his career, and was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet at the 1984 outdoor conference meet and the 1985 indoor BIG EAST Championships. He won four career conference titles in the 800 meters, including the indoor crowns in 1983 and 1985 as well as consecutive outdoor titles his junior and senior years. Marshall also won the 1985 indoor BIG EAST title in the 500 meters and was a part of five conference champion relays (twice indoors in the DMR, once outdoors in the 4x400 meter relay and once outdoors in the 4x800 relay). He earned 13 total All-BIG EAST honors during his career.

During his freshman season at Villanova, Marshall set the still-existing indoor school record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:47.84 on February 12, 1982 at the Millrose Games. By the time he arrived on campus, Marshall was already the New Jersey state record holder in the boys 800 meters with a time of 1:48.5 that he set as a scholastic senior in 1981. Marshall also ran a 400 meters split of 46.7 in high school as a member of Plainfield High School's squad in the 4x400 meter relay at the 1981 Penn Relays.

Marshall was the Wildcats head coach from 1994-98. During his first year as head coach, the women's cross country team won its sixth consecutive national championship and Jen Rhines was the individual national champion. Rhines would go on to win NCAA titles in the 5000 meters both indoors and outdoors during Marshall's first year, while Villanova's distance medley relay squad also captured an indoor national title. Marshall would eventually coach two individual national champions in cross country (Rhines, 1994 and Carrie Tollefson, 1997) and three during the outdoor track & field season, in addition to three individual and one relay titles indoors. The women's team won the 1994 BIG EAST cross country title and the 1997 indoor and outdoor conference championships. Between the men's and women's programs, he coached a total of 61 All-Americans and guided the Wildcats to winning 52 events at the various BIG EAST Championships. He also guided the women's team to seven Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays.

27

SYDNEY MAREE - 1988 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (5000 METERS)
One of the top middle distance and distance runners in collegiate history, Sydney Maree still holds numerous school records for his performances for the Wildcats. Maree qualified for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and represented the United States in the 5000 meters. He came in fifth in the final of the event with a time of 13:23.69 after automatically advancing through the first two qualifying rounds. Maree finished second in his qualifying heat with a time of 13:47.85 and lowered his time to 13:22.61 to finish second in his semifinal heat.

Maree is the current NCAA and Villanova record holder in the 1500 meters, with a time of 3:35.30 recorded on June 6, 1981 at the NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge, La. He also set the Wildcats record in the Mile with a time of 3:52.5 on May 30, 1981 in the Jumbo Elliott Meet at Villanova. His other school records include the 5000 meters (13:20.63 on June 2, 1979 in Champaign, Ill.) and the 10000 meters (28:21.46 on April 11, 1980 in Knoxville, Tenn.). Maree also holds the Villanova Stadium record in the 1500 meters (3:40.24 on May 24, 1981 in the IC4A Championship).

During his career, Maree ran 51 sub-four minute miles and another 47 equivalent races in the 1500 meters. His 98 total "sub-four" races are the third most out of the 39 members of Villanova's exclusive group of sub-four minute milers.

Maree was a five-time NCAA champion and an eight-time All-American during his collegiate career. He anchored the Wildcats to indoor NCAA titles in the distance medley relay in both 1980 and 1981, was a two-time outdoor champion in the 1500 meters (1980, 1981) and won the 5000 meters outdoor title in 1979. His other All-American performances came indoors in the Mile (1979), outdoors in the 1500 meters (1978) and at the 1979 NCAA Cross Country Championships. He was also the 1979 individual District II champion in cross country and won consecutive IC4A titles in 1978 and 1979.

Villanova joined the BIG EAST when Maree was a senior, and he was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 1981 indoor BIG EAST Championships. Maree won the 3000 meters and ran the third leg of the Wildcats victorious 4x800 meter relay at the conference meet. He won eight IC4A titles for the Wildcats, including six individual events and two relays.

Maree was inducted to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 2003. He helped the Wildcats win seven Championship of America titles at the famous meet, including anchoring both the distance medley relay and the 4x1500 meter relay three straight years from 1979-81. He also ran the second leg of the 4x800 meter relay in a winning performance in 1980. He was named Athlete of the Meet for the relay events as a senior in 1981.

28

STEVE KIRK - 1984, 1988 (UNITED STATES) - HANDBALL
Steve Kirk competed on the United States team in handball at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. He played in six matches in 1984 and helped the United States tally a ninth place team finish. Kirk also competed in four matches in 1988, when the U.S. squad placed 12th. A 1981 graduate of Villanova who earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Kirk was later a board member of the NYC2012 Olympic Team and was part of the Facilities Committee in charge of planning for the 2012 Olympiad.

29

FRANK KEEFE - 1984, 1988, 2000 (UNITED STATES, VIRGIN ISLANDS, BERMUDA) - SWIMMING (COACH, MANAGER)
Villanova alum and Varsity Club Hall of Famer Frank Keefe was an assistant coach for the United States swimming team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, as well as the head manager for the U.S. squad at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Keefe later coached the swimmers from the Virgin Islands and Bermuda during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He also has international coaching experience as the head coach of the United States team at the 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games, and as an assistant coach at the 1978 World Championships.

Keefe has been a volunteer assistant coach for the Wildcats for the past four years after retiring from a 32-year head coaching career at Yale. He amassed a combined 488 victories between the men's and women's swimming and diving teams at Yale, while helping the women's program win five Ivy League titles and the men's team one conference championship. His 1992-93 and 1996-97 women's teams each went undefeated. Keefe founded the Omni Swim Club in Connecticut and directed its operations for 20 years. He is a member of the American Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame.

30

DON PAIGE - 1980 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (800 METERS)
Don Paige won the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 23, 1980, and his time of 1:44.53 at the trials was the world's leading mark for the year at the time of the race. Paige did not compete at the Olympics in Moscow due to a United States boycott, but had nevertheless carved out a reputation as one of the top middle distance runners in the world. He defeated 1980 Olympics silver medalist and world record holder Sebastian Coe and was ranked number one in the world for the 800 meters by Track & Field News later in 1980. He ran a personal best time of 1:44.29 in the event in 1983 in Rieti, Lazio, Italy.

One of the highlights of Paige's international career came when he won the gold medal in the 1500 meters at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. That championship culminated an incredible year for Paige, which included him setting an American indoor record in the 1000 meters on January 20 with a time of 2:20.3 in the Olympic Invitational at Madison Square Garden. A few months later, on May 12, Paige ran a personal best time of 3:54.6 for the Mile at the Martin Luther King Freedom Games. In June, he pulled off an 800 meters/1500 meters double at the NCAA Championships. He was only the third man in history to win NCAA titles in both those events in the same year. Two weeks after the end of the collegiate season, Paige tallied a personal best time of 3:37.4 in the 1500 meters. The time ranked 10th on the all-time U.S. list at the time of the race and came in a second place finish at the AAU Championships. His gold medal at the Pan American Games closed out the remarkable year.

Paige set the indoor school record in the Mile with a time of 3:54.22 in the Brooks Invitational at the Houston Astrodome on February 16, 1980. On the same day, he also anchored the Wildcats two mile relay squad to an indoor school record time of 7:20.68. Paige ranks third on Villanova's combined indoor and outdoor performance list in the Mile, and is the school record holder in the 1000 meters (2:20.3 on January 20, 1979), the 800 meters (1:45.81 on June 7, 1980) and the 1000 yards (2:05.3 on February 9, 1979). In all, Paige ran 10 sub-four minute miles and six metric equivalent times in the 1500 meters during his career. He lowered his personal best in the Mile to 3:54.19 on May 9, 1982 as a professional runner.

Paige was a six-time NCAA champion, eight-time All-American, nine-time Penn Relays champion and 10-time IC4A champion during his collegiate career. He won the indoor national title in the 1000 yards three straight years from 1978-80 and was a three-time outdoor champion, including his 800m/1500m double in 1979 and repeating as the 800 meters champion in 1980. In addition to the six NCAA titles, Paige was also an All-American in the 1000 yards indoors in 1977 and the 1500 meters outdoors in 1978. He won the IC4A outdoor title in the 1500 meters in 1978 and then won both the 800 and the 1500 in 1979 and 1980. He was an indoor IC4A champion in the 880 yards (1979) and the 1000 yards (1977, 1978) individually, as well as running legs of the two mile relay in 1978 and 1979.

The legacy that Paige left on the Villanova program includes being a part of three winning relay teams at the Penn Relays for three straight years from 1978-80. He ran the third leg of the 4x800 meter relay and anchored both the distance medley and 4x1500 meter relays in 1978. Paige also anchored the sprint medley relay and the 4x800 meter relay in addition to running the 800 meter leg of the DMR in 1979. He was named the Athlete of the Meet for the relay events in 1980 after anchoring the sprint medley and 4x800 relays for the second straight year, as well as leading off the DMR. Paige was inducted to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 1996.

Following the end of his competitive racing career, Paige started his own consulting company and has worked on design concepts for several track & field facilities in the United States.

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EAMONN COGHLAN - 1976, 1980, 1988 (IRELAND) - ATHLETICS (1500 METERS, 5000 METERS)
A three--time Olympian and one of the top mile runners ever, Eamonn Coghlan reached incredible heights during his racing career both at Villanova and professionally. He competed at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, representing his native Ireland in both the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters. Coghlan came in fourth in the 1500 meters in 1976 with a time of 3:39.51. He had earlier won both his first round heat (3:39.87) and his semifinal heat (3:38.66). In 1980, Coghlan moved up to the 5000 meters and came in fourth in that event in Moscow. He opened competition at the Olympics with a time of 13:45.4 and placed third in his opening round heat, then was the runner-up in his semifinal heat in 13:28.8. He lowered his time even further and came in fourth in the final in 13:22.8. Coghlan was injured during the 1984 Olympic Trials and served as a commentator for that year's Olympics in Los Angeles. He then returned at the age of 35 to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and advanced to the semifinals of the 5000 meters. He posted times of 13:43.48 in the first round and 14:02.16 in the semifinal round.

Coghlan was named the Indoor Athlete of the Quarter Century by Runner's World and, in 1989, was a recipient of the Dublin City Lord Mayor's Award in the first year that the prestigious honor was presented. His career highlights include being the first runner ever to post a sub-3:50 time in the Mile indoors, being the first runner over the age of 40 to run a sub-four minute mile and winning seven titles in the famed Wanamaker Mile at the NYRR Millrose Games. Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Boards" for his success in the indoor mile, Coghlan broke the indoor world record in the event on three different occasions. He set an Irish record in the mile at just 22 years of age and soon after became the European record holder when he ran a time of 3:53.3 in the Dream Mile in Jamaica in 1975. During his international racing career, Coghlan won the 5000 meters titles at the 1981 IAAF World Cup and the 1983 World Championships in Athletics. He also captured the silver medal in the Mile at the 1978 outdoor European Athletics Championships, and won a gold medal in the event at the 1979 indoor meet. Coghlan's autobiography, "Chairman of the Boards, Master of the Mile" was released in 2008 and he was appointed an Irish senator in 2011.

Among the many achievements on the worldwide stage that Coghlan is known for, ranking near the top is his standing as one of the most prominent members of Villanova's sub-four minute mile club. Coghlan ran 75 sub-for miles during his career and achieved the metric equivalent of that feat in the 1500 meters another 26 times. His personal bests during his career were 3:49.78 in the Mile on January 27, 1983 and 3:35.60 in the 1500 meters on February 20, 1981. Coghlan is also one of the most well-known members of the "Irish Pipeline" of track & field athletes who have come to Villanova, and he was inducted to the Wall of Fame in Villanova Stadium in 1997.

Coghlan was a four-time NCAA champion, a nine-time IC4A champion and a nine-time Penn Relays champion during his collegiate career. He won the indoor national championships in the Mile in both 1975 and 1976, as well as the outdoor titles in the Mile in 1975 and the 1500 meters a year later. He was also an All-American as part of the Wildcats distance medley relay at the 1974 indoor NCAA Championships. At the indoor IC4A Championship, Coghlan won titles in the 880 yards (1974), the Mile (1975) and the two mile run (1976), in addition to anchoring an IC4A champion in the DMR in 1976. He was also a five-time outdoor IC4A champion, winning the three mile run in 1974, the Mile and the three miles in 1975, and the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters in 1976.

Coghlan is also a three-time honoree on the Penn Relays Wall of Fame. He was inducted as an individual in 1994 as part of the first-ever induction class to the Wall of Fame. He was also part of Villanova's 1975 distance medley relay which was inducted in 1995, as well as part of the 4xMile relay which was inducted in 2005. Coghlan led off the 4xMile relay in 1973 to capture his first Penn Relays title, and he would help the Wildcats win Championship of America titles in the 4xMile again in 1974 (third leg) and 1975 (anchor). He was also a part of three consecutive wins in the distance medley relay in 1974 (880 yard leg), 1975 (anchor in the Mile) and 1976 (anchor in the 1500 meters). Coghlan's other Penn Relays titles came in the 4x800 meter relay (1976), the two mile relay (1975) and the 4x1500 meter relay (1976). The 1974 4xMile team still hold a school record with a time of 16:10.6.

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DICK BUERKLE - 1976, 1980 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (5000 METERS)
Dick Buerkle represented the United States at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and competed in the 5000 meters. He finished ninth in his semifinal heat with a time of 13:29.01. At the time, the heat that Buerkle competed in was the fastest in Olympic history. Buerkle qualified for the Olympics again in 1980 but the United States did not compete in that year's Olympiad in Moscow.

During his collegiate career, Buerkle was a world record holder in the indoor Mile and a three-time All-American for the Wildcats. He was originally a walk-on to the Villanova track & field team, and was not granted a scholarship until his junior year on campus. Buerkle is thus considered one of the most successful walk-on collegiate athletes ever, as he earned his scholarship after posting a time under nine minutes in the two mile run. As a professional runner, Buerkle broke the world record for the indoor mile with a time of 3:54.9 on January 13, 1978 at Cole Field House on the University of Maryland campus.

Buerkle ran six sub-four minute miles and five metric equivalents in the 1500 meters during his career. His personal bests include the record mile time of 3:54.9 and a mark of 3:39.8 in the 1500 meters. He was a four-time All-American for the Wildcats, earning that distinction indoors in the two mile run in both 1969 and 1970, as well as outdoors in the three miles (1970) and once in cross country (1968). Buerkle ran the second leg of the 4xMile relay in both 1969 and 1970 to help Villanova win Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays both years. He was also a three-time IC4A champion during his senior year in 1970, earning an indoor title in the two mile run and outdoor titles in both the three mile and six mile events. Buerkle ranks third in school history in the six mile run (28:34.7), fifth in the three miles (13:27.8) and sixth in the two miles (8:40.9).

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GLENN BOGUE - 1976 (CANADA) - ATHLETICS (400 METERS)
Glenn Bogue competed for his native Canada at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and ran in the 400 meters. He placed fifth in his preliminary heat with a time of 47.42 and advanced to the quarterfinal round, where he placed eighth in his heat with a time of 48.98.

Bogue is one of the top relay performers in school history and during his career was a part of three relays which still hold school records. He ran the second leg of both the 4x110 yard relay and the 4x220 yard relay on the same day at the Dogwood Relays in Knoxville, Tenn. on April 16, 1977. Villanova set school records at that meet with a time of 40.42 in the 4x110 yard relay and a mark of 1:23.24 in the 4x220 yard relay. Bogue also ran the third leg of the mile relay which set the Wildcats standard of 3:03.8 on May 27, 1978 at the Sun Devil Relay Carnival at Arizona State.

During his time at Villanova, Bogue was a three-time All-American and a three-time Penn Relays champion in relay events. He earned All-America honors outdoors in 1978 for running the third leg of the 4x400 meter relay and also helped the Wildcats win a pair of Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays that year. Bogue ran the 400 meter leg of the distance medley relay in both 1977 and 1978, as well as the third leg of the 4x400 meter relay in 1978 at the Penn Relays. He earned All-America honors indoors in the DMR in 1975 and the mile relay in 1977.

Individually, Bogue won an IC4A title in the 600 yards indoors in 1978. He currently ranks seventh on the Wildcats all-time performance list in the 400 meters (46.11) and is tied for 10th in school history in the 440 yards (47.7). He also ranks third in the Villanova record book in the 500 yards (56.5) and fifth in the 600 yards (1:09.6).

34

DONAL WALSH - 1972 (IRELAND) - ATHLETICS (MARATHON)
After an All-American career as a distance runner for Villanova, Donal Walsh qualified for the 1972 Olympics and represented his native Ireland in the marathon in Munich. Walsh completed the marathon, held on September 10, 1972, in 2 hours, 31 minutes and 12 seconds to finish in 47th place. He was one of three Irish runners that ran the marathon at the 1972 Olympics.

As a collegiate runner, Walsh was a four-time All-American and is one of only two runners in school history to be a three-time cross country All-American. He earned that honor three straight years from 1969-71 and finished as high as second individually at the NCAA Championships as a junior in 1970. His time of 28:08 over six miles at the NCAA meet on November 23, 1970 in Williamsburg, Va. remains the school record for a six-mile cross country course. He also won the 1970 individual IC4A title. As a senior, Walsh earned All-America honors outdoors with a third place finish in the 10000 meters at the NCAA Championships. His time of 28:53.5 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. is still the fourth-fastest 10K race by a Villanova runner.

35

JOHN HARTNETT - 1972 (IRELAND) - ATHLETICS (5000 METERS)
John Hartnett is a prominent member of the Wildcats "Irish Pipeline" of track & field athletes and is a 1974 graduate of Villanova with a degree in Business Administration. He qualified for the 1972 Olympics in Munich and represented Ireland in the 5000 meters. In the preliminary round of the event at the Olympics, Hartnett recorded a time of 14:34.6 and finished 12th in his heat.

During his collegiate career, Hartnett was a standout in all three seasons and earned All-America honors in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field. He was an NCAA champion indoors when he won the two mile run with a time of 8:33.60 as a senior in 1974. Hartnett also anchored the distance medley relay squad to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Championships in 1974 after previously running the 880 yard leg in a third place finish as a freshman at the 1971 national meet. He also won the two mile run and anchored the DMR squad to a title at the IC4A Championship in 1974.

Hartnett was a two-time All-American and a six-time Penn Relays champion during the outdoor season. He was named the Penn Relays Athlete of the Meet for the relay events as a junior in 1973 after helping Villanova win three Championship of America titles at that year's meet. Hartnett anchored the distance medley relay team to three straight titles at Penn from 1972-74, anchored the 4xMile relay in 1973 and 1974, and ran the third leg of the two mile relay in 1973. He is a two-time inductee to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame, earning induction as an individual in 2001 and then being a part of the 1974 4xMile team which was inducted in 2005. Individually, Hartnett was an All-American in the 5000 meters as a sophomore in 1972 before going on to compete in the Olympics later that year. He also was an All-American in the three mile run in 1973 and won a total of four IC4A individual titles.

Hartnett earned All-America honors in cross country in 1972 and was the IC4A individual champion a year later.

There are still three school records held by Hartnett, including two individual marks and one relay. He set the indoor records for both two miles (8:26.6 on January 9, 1974 in Uniondale, N.Y.) and three miles (13:21.0 on January 28, 1972 in New York, N.Y.) and also anchored the 4xMile relay squad which set the existing Villanova standard of 16:10.6 on April 29, 1974 at the Penn Relays.

Hartnett ran four sub-four minute miles and another four equivalent metric times during his career. His personal bests while competing for the Wildcats were times of 3:54.70 in the Mile and 3:38.10 in the 1500 meters.

36

JOHN FITZGERALD - 1972, 1976, 1980 (UNITED STATES) - MODERN PENTATHLON
After being a varsity swimmer for Villanova and earning All-American honors on a freestyle relay team in 1968, John Fitzgerald went on to be a three-time Olympian competing in the modern pentathlon for the United States. He finished sixth individually at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal after having come in 11th at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team again in 1980, although the United States did not compete in that year's Olympiad in Moscow.

The modern pentathlon debuted at the Olympics in 1912 and consists of equestrian, fencing, shooting, swimming and cross country events. The competition begins with show jumping and is followed by fencing, 200 meter freestyle swimming and a combined event of pistol shooting and a 3200 meter cross country run. Fitzgerald was the highest scoring member of the United States team in both 1972 and 1976, with the U.S. placing fourth and fifth, respectively, in the team competitions those years. Fitzgerald scored 5,070 points in his Olympics debut in 1972 and increased that score to 5,286 points four years later.

Prior to coming to Villanova, Fitzgerald had been a star swimmer at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill. In addition to his Olympics results, Fitzgerald was the U.S. national champion in the pentathlon in 1973, 1974 and 1980. He also won national championships in the triathlon in 1971 and 1973. Fitzgerald is a member of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.

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OLAF G. VON SCHILLING - 1968, 1972 (WEST GERMANY) - SWIMMING (FREESTYLE)
An All-American swimmer at Villanova and a two-time Olympian for West Germany, Olaf G. Von Schilling competed at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He advanced to the semifinals of the 100 meter freestyle in 1968 after placing third in his preliminary heat with a time of 55.8. He went on to finish eighth in his semifinal heat in 55.9 seconds. von Schilling also competed in the preliminaries of the 200 meter freestyle and was the runner-up in his heat with a time of 2:01.7. West Germany advanced to the final of the 400 meter freestyle relay in 1968, with von Schilling swimming on the third leg of the relay. West Germany came in third in the preliminaries in 3:40.2 and later came in sixth in the final with a time of 3:39.0. At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, von Schilling came in fourth in his opening round heat of the 200 meter freestyle with a time of 2:00.27.

During his time at Villanova, von Schilling earned All-America honors as part of the Wildcats 800 yard freestyle relay team in 1970. He was also the EISL champion in the 200 yard freestyle that season, with a winning time of 1:44.89 in the final. Later in 1970, von Schilling represented West Germahy at the European Championships in Barcelona, Spain and swam the second leg of the 800 free relay which won the gold medal.

38

DAVE PATRICK - 1968 (UNITED STATES) - ATHLETICS (1500 METERS)
Dave Patrick was a four-time NCAA champion and a seven-time All-American for Villanova, and was one of the top middle distance runners in the nation throughout his career. He qualified for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City as a Villanova senior after winning the Olympic Trials in Los Angeles in the 1500 meters. That qualification was later withdrawn when a second set of Olympic Trials was held at altitude in Lake Tahoe, Calif., where Patrick came in fourth. The U.S. Olympic Committee eventually acknowledged this mistake and Patrick was retroactively named an official member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic Team in 2008.

One of 39 sub-four minute milers in Villanova history, Patrick recorded personal best times of 3:56.80 in the Mile and 3:39.90 in the 1500 meters during his Wildcats career. Each of those times came during the 1968 outdoor season, when Patrick won the NCAA title in the 1500 meters. He also won the Mile outdoors in 1966, and was a two-time indoor national champion in the 880 yards in 1967 and 1968. He was a three-time All-American overall in the 880 yards, and added two more indoor All-America honors as the anchor of the distance medley relay (1967) and the two mile relay (1968). Patrick was also a six-time IC4A champion in the Mile, winning the event every year from 1966-68 both indoors and outdoors.

The legacy that Patrick left on the Villanova program includes the Penn Relays, where he helped the Wildcats win seven Championship of America titles and anchored each of the seven winning relays he was a part of. Patrick ran the Mile leg of the distance medley relay three straight years from 1966-68, anchored the two mile relay in 1966 and 1968, and was the anchor of the 4xMile relay in 1967. He also ran the 880 meter anchor leg of the sprint medley relay in 1968. Patrick, who also starred scholastically at Kenwood High School in Baltimore, was inducted to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame as an individual in 2002. He was also named the Athlete of the Meet for the relay events at the 1966 meet.

During the 1968 outdoor season, Patrick anchored the two mile relay squad which set the existing school record of 7:17.8 at the Modesto Relays in California. He still ranks fifth on the Wildcats all-time performance list in the Mile, as well as ninth in the 1500 meters.

Patrick set numerous world records during his career, including upsetting Jim Ryun to win the 880 yard title with a world record time of 1:48.9 at the 1968 NCAA Championships. Patrick's time of 2:08.8 in the 1000 yards on March 1, 1968 in Cleveland was recognized as a world record for a 12-lap race. Patrick also ran on several relays which set world records.

39

FRANK MURPHY - 1968, 1972 (IRELAND) - ATHLETICS (1500 METERS, 800 METERS)
A prominent member of Villanova's "Irish Pipeline" of track & field athletes, Frank Murphy represented Ireland at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and the 1972 Olympics in Munich. He came in 10th in his first round heat of the 1500 meters in 1968 with a time of 3:54.85, and placed fifth in his opening heat of the 1500 meters in 1972 with a time of 3:42.4. The highlights of Murphy's international career also include a silver medal in the 1500 meters at the 1969 European Athletics Championships and a runner-up finish in the 1500 meters at the 1970 European Indoor Championships.

Murphy st