JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—The first day of competition at the 2025 NCAA East Preliminary is on Wednesday and Villanova will have three men's athletes in competition at Visit Jax Track at Hodges Stadium. Live action on the track can be seen on ESPN+ and fans can access live results from Flash Results. Here is what to watch for in Wednesday's events.

4:30 PM
 
Men's Long Jump
First Round
Justin Miller
Flight 1
 
Miller is a first-time qualifier for the NCAA East Preliminary and will compete in the first flight of the long jump on Wednesday afternoon. He was a multi-event athlete earlier in his career and the 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons marked the first seasons that he focused exclusively on the long jump. The results speak for themselves, as Miller was the BIG EAST bronze medalist in the long jump both indoors and outdoors. He recorded a personal best jump of 7.57 meters at the Virginia Challenge on April 18. The mark moved him to sixth in school history in the long jump and qualified him for this week's meet. Each of the competitors in the long jump will have three attempts in their flight.
 
6:30 PM
 
Men's 1500 Meters
First Round
Liam Murphy
Heat 4
 
The all-time NCAA record holder in the 1500 meters will get underway in the national first round heats Wednesday evening. Murphy broke the collegiate record in his signature event with a time of 3:33.02 at the Raleigh Relays in March and is seeking his third straight appearance in the NCAA Championships which take place in Eugene, Ore. next month. Murphy has advanced to the final of the 1500 meters at the national meet in each of the last two years, in addition to making the final at last summer's U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He is coming off his second straight BIG EAST title in the event two weeks ago. Murphy won his 12^th career BIG EAST gold medal to tie a Villanova record for the most BIG EAST titles by a men's athlete. His first order of business in Wednesday's heats will be to advance to the national quarterfinal round which takes place on Friday night.
 
7:50 PM
 
Men's 800 Meters
First Round
Dan Watcke
Heat 1
 
At last year's NCAA East Preliminary meet, Watcke – then a true freshman – was just starting to show the form that would make him a standout performer on the national stage. His progression has only continued since then and he returns to the East Prelims this week, beginning with the national first round heats of the 800 meters on Wednesday night. Watcke was a first team All-American indoors with a fifth place finish in the 800 meters at the NCAA Championships. He set the Wildcats indoor school record with a time of 1:46.32 at Penn State in January, while his more recent time of 1:46.63 at the BIG EAST Championships two weeks ago established a new outdoor PR. Watcke was the bronze medalist at the conference meet and has significant experience on an international level. He was the gold medalist in the 800 meters at the Pan American U20 Championships in 2023 and he reached the final at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru in 2024. In his first round heat on Wednesday night, he will be seeking a spot in the national quarterfinal round on Friday evening.