JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Senior middle distance runner McKenna Keegan (West Grove, Pa.) comfortably advanced to the national quarterfinal round of the 800 meters to highlight the second day of action for Villanova in the NCAA East Preliminary at Hodges Stadium on Thursday evening. Keegan led three Wildcats in the 800 meters and the day's event schedule also included the javelin, the pole vault and the 400 meter hurdles on the first day of women's competition in the early rounds of the national championships.
 
Keegan posted the second-fastest time of her career in the first round heats of the 800 meters. The top three finishers in each heat and the next six fastest times advanced to the next round on Saturday night. Keegan placed second in her heat with a time of 2:03.59 and was able to let up just slightly in her final few strides with a top-three finish assured and another race to be ready for later in the week. She has been in this position before; Keegan advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 800 meters as a sophomore during the 2018 season.
 
Sophomores Madison Martinez (Gahanna, Ohio) and Brynne Sumner (Canton, Ga.) each made their debuts at the NCAA East Preliminary with their first round races in the 800 meters. Martinez ran in the fourth heat and posted a time of 2:06.33 in her second-fastest race of the season. She came tantalizingly close to advancing through to the quarterfinals after a competitive race which saw her hang in with the leaders during the final lap. Martinez was less than half a second (0.45) behind the third place finisher and final automatic qualifying spot in her heat. Her time was also the bubble time to beat for the last on-time spot to advance with two heats to go. She wound up 28^th overall out of the 48 competitors in the opening round.
 
Sumner posted a time of 2:10.11 in the fifth heat. Villanova showcased its depth in the 800 meters this season as Keegan, Martinez and Sumner all lowered their lifetime best marks during the year. Keegan ran 2:03.56 at the Raleigh Relays in March, Martinez posted a time of 2:05.72 at the Penn Twilight earlier this month and Sumner was clocked in 2:06.86 at the Virginia Challenge in April.
 
Senior sprinter Danielle Burns (Phoenix, Ariz.) closed the evening for the Wildcats with her second straight appearance in the national first round of the 400 meter hurdles. She ran a strong race in the first of six heats and crossed the finish line in 1:00.03. The time is the second-fastest of her career and the top mark of the season for the BIG EAST individual champion in the event.
 
Earlier in the afternoon senior javelin thrower Taryn Ashby (Pittston, Pa.) and junior pole vaulter Ashley Preston (Franklinville, N.J.) were each in action. Ashby threw for a distance of 46.23 meters on her best attempt of the day and finished ninth in her section. It is the third career appearance at the preliminary meet for Ashby and her overall 28^th place finish is the best of her career. She previously came in 37^th as a freshman in 2018 and 35^th as a sophomore two years ago.
 
Preston cleared the bar at a height of 3.92 meters in the pole vault. She was one of 40 competitors out of the 48 in the field who were still in the competition when the bar was raised to 4.07 meters, one centimeter higher than Preston's season and personal best height of 4.06 meters. Preston made it over the bar on her second try at the opening height of 3.77 meters and was successful on her first attempt at 3.92 meters. She missed on her attempts at 4.07 meters, coming closest to getting over the bar on her third and final try.