VILLANOVA, Pa.—Just days after the NCAA Championships officially marked the end of the outdoor collegiate campaign, the track & field summer season is already in full swing with several current members of the Villanova roster in action at high level meets. This week a trio of rising sophomores will compete in Eugene, Ore. in the USATF U20 Championships. The group includes women's sprinters Olivia Allen (Kingwood, Texas) and Ajanae Thompson (Rahway, N.J.) along with men's middle distance runner Dan Watcke (Hinsdale, Ill.).
 
USATF U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS
June 12-13, 2024
Eugene, Ore. | Hayward Field
 
OLIVIA ALLEN
400 Meter Hurdles
First Round: Wednesday, June 12: 4:49pm PT (7:49pm ET)
Championship: Thursday, June 13: 5:45pm PT (8:45pm ET)
 
Allen won the BIG EAST title in the 400 meter hurdles last month to cap off a strong rookie season. She recorded a personal best mark of 59.75 in the BIG EAST final and is ranked sixth in school history in her signature event. In her first year at the collegiate level, Allen recorded personal bests in the 400 meters (57.12), the hurdles and the 500 meters (1:14.06). She earned four All-BIG EAST honors for the year, including gold medals outdoors in the hurdles and as part of the team's 4x400 meter relay. She also garnered all-conference accolades indoors as part of both the 4x400 and distance medley relays.
 
AJANAE THOMPSON
100 Meter Hurdles
First Round: Thursday, June 13: 4:50pm PT (7:50pm ET)
Championship: Thursday, June 13: 6:21pm PT (9:21pm ET)
 
Thompson made an immediate impact in the Villanova sprint group in her first year with the program. She was the runner-up in the 100 meter hurdles at the outdoor BIG EAST Championships and recorded a personal best time of 13.72 in the final at the conference meet. A day earlier she led the field of competitors with a mark of 13.73 in the preliminary heats before coming in second to teammate Jane Livingston in the final. Thompson is tied for eighth in school history in the 60 meter hurdles indoors with a time of 8.43 recorded at the BIG EAST Championships.
 
DAN WATCKE
800 Meters
First Round: Wednesday, June 12: 4:23pm PT (7:23pm ET)
Championship: Thursday, June 13: 6:05pm PT (9:05pm ET)
 
Watcke enrolled at Villanova for the Spring 2024 semester and quickly became one of the Wildcats top rising prospects while making his collegiate debut for the outdoor track & field season. He finished second in the 800 meters at the BIG EAST Championships to teammate Sean Dolan, qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary and advanced to the national quarterfinal round, and was part of a Penn Relays title in the distance medley relay. Watcke's best time during the collegiate season was 1:47.00 in the final at the BIG EAST Championships. He has since cut the mark down to 1:46.78 in a performance at the Portland Track Festival on Sunday night.