PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—A young team in the 4x800 meter relay ran a strong Championship of America race on Saturday afternoon at the Penn Relays and finished in third place with a time of 8:30.42 as the 127^th edition of the world's oldest and largest track & field meet wrapped up at Franklin Field. The lineup of sophomore Alex Stasichin (Massapequa, N.Y.), freshman Micah Trusty (Philadelphia, Pa.), sophomore Maya Dorer (New York, N.Y.) and senior Madison Martinez (Gahanna, Ohio) made a lasting impression with a gutsy performance in an entertaining race with a lot of movement in the ranks on all four legs.
 
Stasichin had run at the Penn Relays in high school but was competing in a Championship of America race wearing a Villanova singlet for the first time. She had a split of 2:08.96 on the leadoff leg of the relay, followed by Trusty running 2:07.39 on the second leg. Dorer had a split of 2:08.35 and gave the baton off to Martinez who ran a 2:05.74 anchor leg. Trusty, Dorer and Martinez were all running for the second straight day after forming three-quarters of the Wildcats team in the distance medley relay on Friday afternoon.
 
When the race began Stasichin got out to a steady start and held her own through the first lap and change. She then made a move on the back straightaway, taking the lead with 200 meters to go before the first exchange and fighting hard to hold it as the pack approached the final turn. She was passed on the back curve and fifth at the handoff, but nevertheless turned the race over to Trusty with Villanova in solid position.
 
"It was a really great experience," Stasichin said of her first collegiate Penn Relays race. "I ran here in high school but it was just another 4x8. This was the big game and getting to come out here and run with my girls, knowing what we could do and the work we put into this year, it was good."
 
Trusty was in fifth place at the first turn on the second leg of the race but had moved into the lead 200 meters later. With one lap left she pushed for a larger gap against the field but was being chased with 200 meters to go and saw Penn State take a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the race. Trusty was quick to point out the lessons learned after the distance medley relay on Friday, and that gave her an appreciation for the opportunity to compete in the 4x800 race a day later.
 
"Just getting to compete at the Penn Relays is a unique opportunity that not everyone experiences," Trusty said. "Getting out here today, I was running for my teammates. I train with them everyday in practice, so we have a lot of camaraderie and it was great to run with them."
 
The third leg of the race started much the way the second leg did. Dorer was in fourth place at the exchange and was in the thick of a heated competition with one lap to go. She was in second place at that point, with Penn State in the lead and Washington pushing her from behind. Dorer was passed with 150 meters to go, but had a response in her and kept fighting with a level of determination that is characteristic of what it means to run for Villanova at the Penn Relays. The development of Stasichin, Trusty and Dorer even in the course of one race was clear to see.
 
"Everything we have been told and has been instilled in us is to fight for every last step," Dorer said. "I was giving it as much as I could to finish my leg and get Madison ready."
 
The first three teams at the final exchange maintained their position at the finish line, with Penn State coming in first ahead of runner-up Washington and the Wildcats in third place. Martinez created a gap of more than four seconds between Villanova and the rest of the field with her anchor leg. It was her first race as the anchor of a Championship of America relay, something that feels like a rite of passage for Wildcats distance runners as their collegiate careers unfold.
 
"I try not to watch the race too much because I distract myself, but I was really zoned in on Micah," Martinez said. "She got out really well and was able to hold it for a while. Maya had a great leg as well. I just prepare myself that no matter what place I get it in, whether it's first or last, I'm going to put it all out there and try to get anyone in front of me. This is a young group. We have a freshman and two sophomores, so we have a lot to look forward to in the future. This was a great experience."
 
Martinez was a freshman in 2020 when the outdoor season was canceled due to Covid. She ran the second leg of a 4x400 meter relay at Franklin Field in 2021 when a collegiate meet was held during the weekend of what would have been the Penn Relays. Last year she had run the second leg of the 4x800 relay, and she had been the 800 meter leg of Villanova's distance medley relay teams each of the past two seasons.
 
"Anchoring is definitely much different," Martinez said." It puts a little bit more pressure on you but I think just doing it for the team is the really important thing that I take away from it. [The race] isn't for me, it is for everyone."