BOSTON, Mass.—Junior sprinter Luke Rakowitz (Dallas, Texas) had the top performances of the day for Villanova during competition at the Eagle Elite Invitational on Friday afternoon. Several of the Wildcats sprinters had strong outings in the meet hosted by Boston College, while senior long jumper Justin Miller (Collierville, Tenn.) posted a first place finish.
 
Rakowitz registered personal bests in both the 200 meters and the 400 meters during what was likely his final tune up before the BIG EAST Championships later this month. His time of 48.18 in the 400 meters is his second PR of the season and solidifies his spot in sixth place on the year's BIG EAST performance list. He finished fifth out of 25 competitors in Friday's competition and added a time of 22.14 in the 200 meters.
 
The depth of the Wildcats sprint group was on display with five athletes competing in the 400 meters. Rakowitz was followed by freshman Liam Gluck (Beavercreek, Ohio) who had a season best time of 48.66 and moved into the BIG EAST top 10 (No. 9) for the first time this year. Sophomore Ethan Walls (Ridgefield, Conn.) crossed the finish line in 49.28, junior Ronan O'Neill (Wilmette, Ill.) registered a PR of 49.36 and junior Sal Barretta (Whitestone, N.Y.) rounded out the quintet with a time of 49.99.
 
This is the third time in the last 12 months that Villanova has had five 400 meter runners post times below 50 seconds on the same day. Prior to two occasions during the 2024 outdoor season, this had not happened in at least the past 22 years and likely longer based on quickly available records and previous seasons' performance lists.
 
Sophomore sprinter Parker Turner (Los Angeles, Calif.) had a strong outing on Friday with his results in the 60 meter dash and the 200 meters. He finished sixth out of 25 competitors in the 200 meters with a time of 21.64, good for fifth in the BIG EAST this season. It is the second-fastest indoor time of Turner's career and stands just .03 off his indoor PR from last year (21.61) which ranks fifth on the program's all-time indoor performance list. Turner also reached the final of the 60 meters and tallied a sixth place finish in that event.
 
Miller finished first out of nine athletes in the long jump with a distance of 7.10 meters. He already ranks sixth in the BIG EAST on the year after posting a season best mark of 7.13 meters at the Penn State National Open two weeks ago.
 
Freshman thrower Joe D'Adamo (Nanuet, N.Y.) had a season best mark of 14.01 meters in the weight throw and senior Tristan Bolinsky (Gordon, Pa.) led the Wildcats with a mark of 16.78 meters in the event.