VILLANOVA, Pa.—This week marks the 125^th running of the Penn Relays, the world's oldest and largest track & field meet.  As the Villanova men's and women's teams gear up to add to their unrivaled history at the meet, we take a look back at some of the anniversaries of past championship teams and Wall of Fame performers that are being commemorated this year. 
 
5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (2014)
 
The women's team swept the distance relay events for the first time since 1997, winning Championship of America titles in the distance medley relay, the 4x1500 meter relay and the 4x800 meter relay.  Senior Emily Lipari anchored all three relays and was named the College Women's Athlete of the Meet for the relay events for the second straight year.
 
The men's team won the 4x800 meter relay for the first time since 1992, with Samuel Ellison anchoring the Wildcats to a runaway victory.  It was the men's 11^th title all-time in the 4x800 relay.  Villanova's winning time of 7:16.58 remains the fifth-fastest 4x800 relay time in school history, and at the time of the race was the fastest the Wildcats had run the relay in 23 years.
 
Women's Distance Medley Relay (10:57.35)
Stephanie Schappert, Michaela Wilkins, Nicky Akande, Emily Lipari
 
Women's 4x1500 Meter Relay (17:16.52)
Stephanie Schappert, Angel Piccirillo, Nicky Akande, Emily Lipari
 
Women's 4x800 Meter Relay (8:21.49)
Kelsey Margey, Angel Piccirillo, Nicky Akande, Emily Lipari
 
Men's 4x800 Meter Relay (7:16.58)
Josh Lampron, Dusty Solis, Jordy Williamsz, Samuel Ellison   
 
 
10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (2009)
 
The men's team won the distance medley relay for their first Penn Relays title in eight years.  Matthew Gibney anchored the relay and was named the College Men's Athlete of the Meet for the relay events.
 
Men's Distance Medley Relay (9:30.81)
Sean Tully, Dan Lewis, Jason Apwah, Matthew Gibney
 
 
20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (1999)
 
Villanova had two Wall of Fame inductees in 1999, including the 1988 women's distance medley relay squad along with men's runner Vic Zwolak.  Earning their spot on the Wall of Fame was the 1988 women's team of Kathy Franey, Michelle Bennett, Celeste Halliday and Vicki Huber who set the still-standing Penn Relays record with a winning time of 10:48.38.  No team since them has come within a second of that mark. 
 
Also inducted to the Wall of Fame in 1999 was Zwolak, who competed at the Penn Relays as a scholastic, collegiate and professional runner.  He was inducted representing Salesianum (Del.) High School, the Quantico Marines and Villanova.  During his Wildcats career, Zwolak was a part of three Championship of America titles.  He anchored both the distance medley relay and the 4xMile relay to wins in 1964 and also led off the champion two-mile relay that year.
 
 
25-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (1994)
 
The 100^th anniversary of the Penn Relays was a special one on all fronts.  It marked the debut of the Penn Relays Wall of Fame, which is located on the back turn of the Franklin Field track.  Villanova had one relay team and five individuals inducted to the Wall of Fame as part of the inaugural class.  In addition, the women's team won Championship of America titles in both the distance medley relay and the 4x1500 meter relay.  Becky Spies anchored both of the Wildcats victories. 
 
Women's Distance Medley Relay (11:04.21)
Tosha Woodward, Cathalina Staye, Abby Hunte, Becky Spies
 
Women's 4x1500 Meter Relay (17:37.51)
Carole Zajac, Jennifer Rhines, Emer Molloy, Becky Spies
 
Earning induction to the Wall of Fame was the men's 1982 4x800 meter relay squad consisting of Marcus O'Sullivan, John Hunter, Michael England and John Marshall.  Their winning time of 7:12.29 was a meet record at the time of the race and remains the Villanova record to this day.  It was the sixth time in seven years since the Penn Relays switched to metric distances that the Wildcats won the 4x800 relay. 
 
The individual runners inducted to the Wall of Fame included Mark Belger, Eamonn Coghlan, Ron Delany, Charles Jenkins, Sr. and Marty Liquori.  Belger is the most decorated Penn Relays champion in Villanova history with 10 Championship of America watches to his credit.  He was the College Men's Athlete of the Meet for the relay events in consecutive years in 1977 and 1978.  Belger competed at the Penn Relays for Villanova and previously as a scholastic runner Bellmore (N.Y.) Mepham High School.  He was a member of the 1978 sprint medley relay squad which set the still-standing school record of 3:14.9.
 
Coghlan represented both Villanova and New York Athletic Club at the Penn Relays, and during his collegiate career was a nine-time winner at the Penn Relays.  He was the College Men's Athlete of the Meet in both 1975 and 1976, and was a four-time anchor of championship relay teams.  Two of the relay teams he was a part of set still-standing school records, including the 1975 distance medley relay and the 1974 4xMile relay.  The 1975 DMR squad won with a time of 9:28.2 in the last year the race was measured in yards and not metric distances, while the 1974 4xMile team posted a school-record time of 16:10.6.
 
Delany starred for some of the first Villanova teams to win championships at the Penn Relays, beginning with running on a freshman relay team which won a title in 1955.  From there, Delany went on to be a part of three Championship of America winning relays in three consecutive years from 1956-58.  He anchored both the sprint medley relay and the distance medley relay to titles in each of those three seasons.  The 1958 sprint medley relay squad had a winning time of 3:22.5, which remains the 10^th-fastest time in school history for a sprint medley race measured in yards.  Delany was also a part of the 1958 Mile relay team which was inducted to the Wall of Fame in 2011.
 
Jenkins competed at the Penn Relays as a scholastic runner for Cambridge (Mass.) Rindge Tech and for Villanova, and was a member of eight Championship of America titles as a collegiate athlete.  He both the Mile relay and the sprint medley relay to titles in 1955, then was a part of three winning teams in consecutive years in 1956 and 1957.  Villanova won the Mile relay, the sprint medley relay and the distance medley relay in those years, with Jenkins anchoring the Mile relay both times.
 
Liquori was a nine-time Penn Relays champion for the Wildcats and was the anchor of eight of the nine Championship of America races he won.  His titles came in the two mile relay, the distance medley relay and the 4xMile relay which Villanova won each year from 1969-71.  After running the third leg of the two mile relay ahead of Frank Murphy in 1969, Liquori anchored each of the next eight races he ran to championships.  He competed at the Penn Relays as a scholastic, collegiate and professional runner.  Liquori represented Villanova along with Newark (N.J.) Essex Catholic High School and the New York Athletic Club when he was inducted to the Wall of Fame.    
 
 
30-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (1989)
 
The women of Villanova won a distance triple for the first time in program history with Championship of America titles in the 4x800 meter relay, the distance medley relay and the 4x1500 meter relay.  Vicki Huber anchored the DMR and the 4x1500 relays and was named the College Women's Athlete of the Meet for the relay events for the second time in her career. 
 
The men's team won the 4x800 meter relay in 7:20.15 to mark their first Championship of America title in the relay since 1984. 
 
Women's 4x800 Meter Relay (8:28.83)
Michelle DiMuro, Vicki Huber, Kim Certain, Michelle Bennett
 
Women's Distance Medley Relay (10:53.37)
Kathy Franey, Michelle Bennett, Michelle DiMuro, Vicki Huber
 
Women's 4x1500 Meter Relay (17:22.58)
Michelle DiMuro, Sonia O'Sullivan, Kathy Franey, Vicki Huber
 
Men's 4x800 Meter Relay (7:20.15)
Quentin Howe, Mike Seeger, Bruce Harris, Paul Rowbotham
 
 
35-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (1984)
 
The women's team won the distance medley relay with a winning time of 10:53.97 which still ranks in the top 10 all-time at the Penn Relays.  The relay squad was inducted to the Wall of Fame in 2017 and Villanova celebrated the induction by going out and winning that year's title in the DMR with an identical matching time of 10:53.97. 
 
The men's team also celebrated Championship of America titles in both the 4x800 meter relay and the 4x1500 meter relay in 1984.  Villanova's winning time of 14:52.81 in the 4x1500 relay set a still-standing school record, while the 4x800 meter relay won with a time of 7:15.17 which still ranks second-best in the Wildcats record book. 
 
Women's Distance Medley Relay (10:53.97)
Mary Ellen McGowan, Veronica McIntosh, Patty Bradley, Lauren Searby
 
Men's 4x800 Meter Relay (7:15.17)
Kevin Davis, John Borgese, Marcus O'Sullivan, John Marshall
 
Men's 4x1500 Meter Relay (14:52.81)
Sean O'Neill, Brian O'Keeffe, John Keyworth, Marcus O'Sullivan
 
 
40-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (1979)
 
Villanova celebrated its first women's Championship of America title when the team of Jennifer Whitfield, Sue Shea, Brigid Leddy and Doriane Lambelet made history by winning the 4x800 meter relay.  They began a tradition which has now grown to include the women of Villanova winning 43 Championship of America wheels. 
 
The men's team in 1979 was in the midst of a six-year stretch in which it won at least three Championship of America titles.  There were four championships in 1979, as the Wildcats won the sprint medley relay, the 4x800 meter relay, the distance medley relay and the 4x1500 meter relay.  Don Paige anchored sprint medley and 4x800 relays, while Sydney Maree anchored both the DMR and the 4x1500 races.
 
Women's 4x800 Meter Relay (8:47.80)
Jennifer Whitfield, Sue Shea, Brigid Leddy, Doriane Lambelet
 
Men's Sprint Medley Relay (3:16.45)
Keith Brown, Al Graves, Tim Dale, Don Paige
 
Men's 4x800 Meter Relay (7:20.30)
Michael England, Amos Korir, Anthony Tufariello, Don Paige
 
Men's Distance Medley Relay (9:29.90)
Michael England, Al Graves, Don Paige, Sydney Maree
 
Men's 4x1500 Meter Relay (14:59.35)
Dean Childs, John Burns, Amos Korir, Sydney Maree
 
 
45-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (1974)
 
Villanova won Championship of America titles in both the distance medley relay and the 4xMile relay, with John Hartnett anchoring both races.  The 4xMile squad which posted a winning time of 16:10.60 was inducted to the Wall of Fame in 2005.  That time remains the school record and is the sixth-fastest time in Penn Relays history. 
 
Men's Distance Medley Relay (9:36.60)
Brian McElroy, Greg Eckman, Eamonn Coghlan, John Hartnett
 
Men's 4xMile Relay (16:10.60)
Tom Gregan, Brian McElroy, Eamonn Coghlan, John Hartnett
 
 
50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (1969)
 
For the second time in a three-year span, the Wildcats won five Championship of America wheels in a historic performance.  Villanova won the Mile, two-mile and 4xMile relays to go along with titles in the sprint medley and distance medley relays.  The two-mile relay squad consisting of Andy O'Reilly, Chris Mason, Marty Liquori and Frank Murphy was inducted to the Wall of Fame in 2013. 
 
Men's Mile Relay (3:07.20)
Hardge Davis, Andy O'Reilly, Lamotte Hyman, Larry James
 
Men's Sprint Medley Relay (3:17.0)
Larry James, Hardge Davis, Dave Dender, Frank Murphy
 
Men's Two-Mile Relay (7:20.10)
Andy O'Reilly, Chris Mason, Marty Liquori, Frank Murphy
 
Men's Distance Medley Relay (9:38.20)
Chris Mason, Lamotte Hyman, Frank Murphy, Marty Liquori
 
Men's 4xMile Relay (16:37.90)
Tom Donnelly, Dick Buerkle, Chris Mason, Marty Liquori
 
 
55-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (1964)
 
Noel Carroll and Vic Zwolak anchored two winning relays apiece as Villanova notched four victories in a single year for the first time ever.  Carroll anchored the sprint medley relay and the two-mile relay to championships, while Zwolak anchored the distance medley relay and the 4xMile relay.
 
Men's Sprint Medley Relay (3:23.40)
Stan Koslowski, Ed Horner, Marshall Uzzle, Noel Carroll
 
Men's Two-Mile Relay (7:31.70)
Vic Zwolak, Al Adams, Tom Sullivan, Noel Carroll
 
Men's Distance Medley Relay (9:55.80)
Tom Sullivan, Al Adams, Noel Carroll, Vic Zwolak
 
Men's 4xMile Relay (16:50.70)
Dave Hyland, Jim Orr, Tom Sullivan, Vic Zwolak
 
 
60-YEAR ANNIVERSARY (1959)
 
Villanova won the Mile relay for its 12^th Championship of America title in the previous five seasons.
 
Men's Mile Relay (3:11.80)
Joe Manion, Jim Blackburn, Charles Stead, Ed Collymore