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EAST MEADOW, N.Y. - The Villanova swimming and diving program continued its momentum on Friday at the BIG EAST Championships, as the Wildcats notched first place performances in four events and broke several school records on the day. Heading into the final day of the meet, the women's team is in first place with 689 points, while the men's team is sitting in fourth place with 413 points.

"The tenacity of this group is simply amazing. Each session, everyone brings their `A" game," said head coach Rick Simpson.

Friday's night finals started with the women's 400-yard IM. Junior Christine Sullivan won the event in a time 4:23.82. Caitlin Daday, Gabby Daigneault and Sara Nicolosi finished right behind Sullivan to claim the second, third and fourth place spots, respectively. Olivia Cacciatore also earned a spot on the podium in the event with her sixth place finish.

In the women's 100-yard butterfly, Mackenzie Niness took fourth place, touching the wall at 55.69. Teammate Tarryn Els also swam in the event, and she clocked in at 56.98 for an eighth place finish.

Earlier in the day at prelims, Jake Hoin broke his own school record in the men's 100-yard butterfly with a time of 47.95. In the nightcap, Hoin raced to a time of 48.13 to earn second place honors in the event.

One of the most impressive feats of the day occurred in the women's 200-yard freestyle. Villanova secured all six spots on the award podium, and Alexa Fabbri broke the school record in a time of 1:46.15. Emily Mayo, Jessie Randolph, Mary Snyder, Taylor Wilson and Kathleen Miszkiewicz went 2-3-4-5-6, respectively, to round out the event.

"Jake Hoin and Alexa Fabbri are making such a name for themselves. I feel like every time they hit the water, another record goes down," Simpson said.

John Paul Naughton placed fourth in the men's 200-yard freestyle, touching the wall at 1:39.22. Greg Cino also swam in the event, and he placed eighth, after clocking in at 1:43.50.

Heather Farley earned second place in the women's 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.60, and Brooke Bruno also got a spot on the podium with her fourth place finish. The men's 100-yard breaststroke saw Tyler Nussbaum take fifth place in a time of 56.61.

In the women's 100-yard backstroke, Darby Goodwin broke her school record in prelims with a time of 53.33. She was able to lower her time in the finals event, once again breaking the school record and winning the event with a time of 53.15.

Goodwin got one more opportunity to break the backstroke record in the first leg of the 400-yard medley relay, and she did not disappoint. Goodwin raced to a time of 52.96, which broke her school record and the BIG EAST Conference's 100-yard backstroke mark of 52.99.

"It was such a highlight seeing Darby break not only her own Villanova record, but also the BIG EAST Conference record. Darby continues to make history with every swim," Simpson said.

Villanova's 400-yard medley relay team of Goodwin, Farley, Niness and Wilson went on to win the event in a school record time of 3:40.18, which was more than four seconds faster than the next opponent.

Andrew Kelley and Justin Cucchi had fourth and fifth place finishes in the men's 100-yard backstroke with times of 49.62 and 50.10, respectively.

Kelley, Nussbaum, Hoin and Stephen Krecsmar helped Villanova to a third place finish in the men's 400-yard medley relay. The team finished the event with a time of 3:17.89.

In men's one meter diving action, Michael Perra and Joe Swindal placed fourth and fifth with scores of 473.65 and 434.55, respectively.

The final day of the BIG EAST Championships will take place on Saturday, with prelims beginning at 10 a.m. The senior ceremony is scheduled for 5:35 p.m., and the finals events will start at 6 p.m.

For up-to-date coverage of Villanova swimming and diving, follow the program on Facebook (Villanova Swimming), Twitter (@NovaSwimming), and Instagram (@VU_Swimming).