PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Graduate student Lizzie Martell (Essex Junction, Vt.) ran one of the fastest indoor 800 meter races in school history on a big day for the Villanova women's distance group at the Penn Classic on Saturday afternoon. Martell posted a time of 2:03.58 and leaped into the top 16 on this year's Division I performance list. The last of two days of competition at The Ott Center featured competition on the oval after Friday's events took place on the infield.
 
Martell's time of 2:03.58 in the invitational section of the 800 meters is a new lifetime best and impacted both the national performance list for this season and the Wildcats record book. Most important is where Martell falls on the Division I performance list – No. 15 – as the regular season enters its final month. The top 16 declared athletes in individual events will be selected to compete at the NCAA Championships next month.
 
In addition to moving up on the national list, Martell surged into second place on this year's BIG EAST descending order list with the conference championships coming up in three weeks. Her new PR is the sixth-fastest indoor 800 meter race in school history and puts Martell ninth overall on the Villanova all-time performance list, including third indoors.
 
Sophomore distance runner Bella Walsh (Wilmington, Del.) registered a PR of 2:06.78 in the same heat of the 800 meters that Martell ran. Walsh and first year collegian Sophia McInnes (Bayport, N.Y.) moved into the top five on this year's BIG EAST performance list. Walsh is fourth on that list and McInnes fifth after posing a season best time of 2:08.76 in Saturday's race. Walsh has recorded PRs this season in the 800 meters, the 1000 meters, the mile and the 3000 meters.
 
The distance runners also got strong results in the invitational section of the mile where graduate student Nikki Vanasse (Martinsville, N.J.) tallied a runner-up finish with a season best time of 4:41.69. Collegiate rookie Zoe Mosher (Pleasantville, N.S.) posted a time of 4:48.70 in her first career mile race and classmate Cecilia Montagnese (Leetsdale, Pa.) added a personal best time of 5:01.14.
 
Junior sprinter Olivia Allen (Kingswood, Texas) ran her first collegiate 200 meter race and posted a time of 24.56. She moves onto the Wildcats all-time performance list in the event in 10^th place overall and fifth indoors. Allen already ranks among the top athletes in school history in the 400 meters, the 500 meters and the 400 meter hurdles.