NEW YORK—Sophomore distance runner Emma McGill (Lebanon, N.J.) was named the BIG EAST Women's Track Athlete of the Week in an announcement made by the conference office on Wednesday afternoon. McGill earns her first career weekly honor after a strong performance at the Villanova Invitational last weekend where she recorded a personal best time in the mile.
 
In her 2023 season debut at Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex in Staten Island, McGill ran the mile in 4:40.38 to lower her previous PR from high school by more than 12 seconds. She was the top collegiate finisher out of 20 competitors in the race and put herself onto both the BIG EAST and NCAA leaderboards with her time.
 
As the Wildcats approach one month to go before the BIG EAST Championships next month, McGill sits atop the conference performance list by a margin of better than 3.5 seconds with her time in the mile last weekend. She also is currently ranked 11^th in the NCAA for the 2023 indoor season. Next up on the Villanova competition schedule is the Penn State National this Friday and Saturday (January 27-28).
 
McGill made an immediate impact for the Wildcats as a true freshman last year when she ran the 800 meter leg of the team's BIG EAST champion distance medley relay. She competed individually in the 3000 meters at the indoor conference championships and reached the final of the 1500 meters at the outdoor BIG EAST meet.
 
This week's selection of McGill as the BIG EAST Women's Track Athlete of the Week is the first weekly honor for the 2023 season for Villanova. Last year the Wildcats produced the Women's Track Athlete of the Week five times, including twice indoors and three times outdoors.