VILLANOVA, Pa.—This week during the 40^th anniversary of the first Villanova women's Championship of America title at the Penn Relays, current head coaches Marcus O'Sullivan and Gina Procaccio will be hosting a Saturday morning brunch on campus to welcome back men's and women's alumni from all eras who are in town for the 125^th running of the Penn Relays.  The brunch begins at 9 a.m. in the O'Dea Terrace Lounge of the Andrew J. Talley Athletic Center. 
 
In recent years, the brunch for returning alums has grown into a popular annual event.  This year's theme celebrates the anniversary of the women winning the 4x800 meter relay in 1979 and will also recognize the accomplishments of the "Ladies of the 80's" who starred at the Penn Relays during the decade.  Taking center stage will be Jennifer Whitfield, Suzanne Shea, Brigid Leddy and Doriane Lambelet who teamed up to win the women's first-ever Championship of America wheel 40 years ago. 
 
"They were the pioneers of our women's program and set the stage for the future of women's athletics at Villanova," O'Sullivan said about that first championship team. 
 
"Who would have known back then that four young women who were just looking for an opportunity to compete would lay the groundwork for our legacy at the Penn Relays and beyond," Procaccio said.  "What a thrill it must be for them to know that they paved the way for a 40-year tradition of winning for Villanova."
 
Each of the four women from the 1979 team will receive a commemorative medal in recognition of their achievements, as will several members of the 1980's championship teams who are expected to be in attendance.  After winning the first Championship of America wheel in 1979, the Wildcats went on to win another eight titles during the next decade.  Of particular note from the 1980's are the 1984 and 1988 distance medley relay teams which were each inducted to the Penn Relays Wall of Fame. 
 
Three of the prominent members of the 1980's teams – Michelle Bennett, Kathy Franey and Vicki Huber – were individual Wall of Fame inductees for their career accomplishments.  Bennett and Franey were each members of seven relay teams that won Championship of America titles, while Huber was a six-time champion who anchored four of the winning relays that she was a part of. 
 
No collegiate program has come close to matching Villanova's success at the world's oldest and largest track & field meet.  To date, the Wildcats have won 43 women's Championship of America titles and have garnered nine Women's Athlete of the Meet awards.  On the men's side, Villanova has won 97 titles at the Penn Relays and has had eight of its winning relays inducted to the Wall of Fame. 
 
The number of alumni who return to Philadelphia every year during the last weekend in April has become one of the Wildcats signature traditions of Penn Relays week.  In addition to events such as Saturday's brunch and an annual alumni golf outing, the alumni, fans and members of the current team are always recognizable as they pack the stands on the back straightway of the Franklin Field track to cheer on each race. 
 
"This is a great week for our program and our alumni," O'Sullivan said.  It represents our tradition and the continued legacy of the Villanova track & field program.
 
This week's action at the Penn Relays gets underway on Thursday morning with the women's 400 meter hurdles and the pole vault at 10 a.m.  The schedule for the Championship of America relays has also been announced and includes the women's distance medley relay (Thursday – 5:30 p.m.); the women's 4x1500 meter relay (Friday – 1:15 p.m.); the men's distance medley relay (Friday – 5:15 p.m.); and the men's 4xMile relay (Saturday – 4:10 p.m.).