CHICAGO—Villanova scored in 13 of 18 events and tallied 11 podium finishes in a terrific team performance at the 2024 BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championships presented by Jeep this weekend. Led by four event champions, the Wildcats amassed 121 points over two days at Dr. Conrad Worrill Track and Field Center at Gately Park and finished second in the team standings. Six seniors on the Villanova roster who competed this weekend accepted the BIG EAST runner-up trophy during the awards ceremony held after the meet. 
 
Fifth year sprinter Jane Livingston (Lancaster, Pa.) ended the weekend in a three-way tie as the women's high point scorer and became the Wildcats first athlete since 2019 to win that award. Livingston was a double champion on Saturday with gold medals in both the 60 meters and the 60 meter hurdles. Livingston is only the second female athlete in BIG EAST history to pull off the 60 meter/60 meter hurdle double. Two first year athletes added top-eight finishes on the day, with Ajanae Thompson (Rahway, N.J.) placing fourth in the hurdles (8.55) and Lore Olakunle (Eldridge, Md.) adding an eighth place finish in the 60 meters (7.79).
 
Villanova head coach Gina Procaccio and her staff guided the Wildcats to a top-two team finish for the ninth time in the last 14 years. Senior Roschell Clayton (Montego Bay, Jamaica) won her first BIG EAST indoor title in the high jump and Villanova had additional podium finishes on Saturday in the 800 meters, the 3000 meters, the shot put and the 4x400 meter relay. It was a truly balanced effort for the Wildcats who scored 39 points in the distance events, 26 in the sprints, 20 in the throws, 19 in the jumps and 17 in the relays. 
 
Clayton needed only one jump to secure a gold medal in the high jump. She entered the competition with the bar at a height of 1.75 meters and three other athletes still remaining. Clayton was the only one to make it over at that height and she then went on to record successful attempts at 1.80 meters and 1.85 meters, the latter of which set a new facility record. Already the Villanova absolute record holder in the high jump, Clayton missed on three attempts at 1.90 meters which would have set a new school and BIG EAST meet record. First year collegian Malaika Cunningham (St. Andrew, Jamaica) and junior Taylor Woodeshick (Nescopeck, Pa.) placed fifth (1.65m) and seventh (1.60m), respectively. 
 
Sophomore sprinter Micah Trusty (Philadelphia, Pa.) led a trio of Villanova runners who finished 2-3-4 in the 800 meters. Trusty ran a personal best 2:05.61 to earn the silver medal, while fifth year teammate Madison Martinez (Gahanna, Ohio) joined her on the podium with her sixth career individual BIG EAST medal. Junior Alex Stasichin (Massapequa, N.Y.) set a new PR of 2:07.57 and surged to a fourth place finish. It is her highest career individual finish in a BIG EAST meet indoors or outdoors. 
 
An early source of momentum for the Wildcats on Saturday came from big performances by fifth year throwers Adria Retter (Quakertown, Pa.) and Jordan Williams (Fresno, Calif.) in the shot put. They were the team's first two athletes to get underway in the morning and each produced personal best throws. Retter garnered All-BIG EAST accolades with a third place finish and a mark of 13.97 meters, while Williams measured a distance of 13.47 meters to come in sixth. Retter moved up a spot to sixth in school history in the shot put, while Williams ranks ninth on the program's all-time performance list. 
 
One day after winning the 5000 meter title, junior Sadie Sigfstead (Edmonton, Alta.) returned to both the track and the awards podium in the 3000 meters with a third place finish and a PR of 9:17.10. Earlier in the day junior Emily Robinson (Rogers, Ark.) finished fifth in the mile in 4:47.28 and, like so many of her teammates during the weekend, tallied her best career individual BIG EAST finish. 
 
In the final events on the track, Villanova placed third in the 4x400 meter relay and fourth in the 4x800 meter relay. The lineup of sophomore Myonica Jackson (Bolingbrook, Ill.), Trusty, first year Olivia Allen (Kingwood, Texas) and Martinez made the awards podium with a time of 3:44.22 to close out the weekend. They were preceded by a time of 9:02.12 in the 4x800 relay by first year Caelen O'Leary (Taunton, Mass.), Robinson, junior Maya Dorer (New York,  N.Y.) and Stasichin. 
 
With the BIG EAST meet now in the rear view mirror, the Wildcats will focus their attention on the selections for the NCAA Championships which will be announced during the coming week.