2022 Men's Cross Country Roster
Biography
CAREER COLLEGIATE RESULTS
Competed for the Wildcats from 2018-24 ... Standout middle distance runner on a national level during his collegiate career ... Capped off his time with the Wildcats by qualifying for the 2024 outdoor NCAA Championships and earning honorable mention All-America status in the 1500 meters ... In 2024 was part of the Villanova 4xMile relay squad along with Sean Donoghue, Marco Langon and Liam Murphy which recorded the second-fastest time in world history (15:51.91) ... The mark set a new collegiate, Penn Relays, BIG EAST and Villanova record ... Ran the second leg of the relay in 4:00.09 in the first-ever sub-16 minute 4xMile performance in Penn Relays history ... Ranks third in school history in the 3000 meters (7:46.67) and sixth in the mile (3:54.16) ... Anchored a school record performance in the distance medley relay (9:20.44) with a 1600 meter split of 3:53.97 in February 2023 ... Went on to earn second team All-America honors as part of the relay later that season ... Individual BIG EAST champion in the mile in 2023 ... Was a part of three BIG EAST titles in relays and is a 12-time career All-BIG EAST performer counting cross country as well as the indoor and outdoor seasons ... Competed at the NCAA Championships in cross country four times and outdoor track & field once ... One of 48 members of Villanova's sub-four minute mile club ... He is one of five runners from his hometown club -- Leevale Athletic Club in Cork, Ireland -- to be a sub-four minute miler ... Three of the five are Villanovans, including O'Donovan along with his high school coach Ken Nason and his college coach Marcus O'Sullivan ... Two-time Penn Relays champion in the 4xMile relay ... Four-time outdoor qualifier for the NCAA East Preliminary meet in the 1500 meters ... Prior to coming to Villanova was the Irish national U20 champion in the 1500 meters in 2017 ... Has represented Ireland at numerous international competitions, including the European Championships at the U18 and U20 levels ... Named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team in both cross country and track & field in 2022-23 … Four-time selection to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and eight-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll … Villanova graduate who is pursuing his postgraduate degree while completing his collegiate eligibility on the track.
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| SCHOOL RECORD |
| Distance Medley Relay (1600 Meters) |
9:20.44 |
February 18, 2023 |
South Bend, Ind. (Alex Wilson Invitational) |
| 4xMile Relay (2nd Leg) |
15:51.91 |
April 27, 2024 |
Philadelphia, Pa. (Penn Relays) |
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| SUB-FOUR MINUTE MILE |
| First Career |
3:58.95 |
February 15, 2020 |
| Fastest Mile |
3:54.16 |
February 10, 2024 |
| Fastest 1500 Meters |
3:38.11 |
July 8, 2023 |
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| PERSONAL BESTS |
| 800 Meters (open) |
1:49.06 |
Belfast British Milers Club (7.19.2023) |
| 800 Meters (relay) |
1:49.29 |
Penn Relays (4.29.2022) |
| 1500 Meters |
3:38.11 |
Guldensporenmeeting (7.8.2023) |
| 1600 Meters (relay) |
3:53.97 |
Alex Wilson Invitational (2.18.2023) |
| Mile (open) |
3:54.16 |
David Hemery Valentine Invitational (2.10.2024) |
| Mile (relay) |
4:00.09 |
Penn Relays (4.27.2024) |
| 3000 Meters |
7:46.67 |
David Hemery Valentine Invitational (2.11.2023) |
| 5000 Meters |
14:27.10 |
Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener (12.2.2023) |
| 6000 Meters (XC) |
18:03.5 |
Lehigh Invitational (9.2.2022) |
| 4 Miles (XC) |
19:21.2 |
Main Line Invitational (9.17.2021) |
| 8000 Meters (XC) |
23:10.7 |
Paul Short Run (9.30.2022) |
| 10000 Meters (XC) |
30:12.0 |
NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (11.11.2022) |
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| CAREER HONORS AND AWARDS |
| 2024 OUTDOOR |
| All-American (Honorable Mention) |
1500 Meters |
| All-BIG EAST |
1500 Meters |
| Penn Relays Champion |
4xMile Relay (2nd Leg - 4:00.09) |
| USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week (4xMile Team) |
April 29 |
| 2023 OUTDOOR |
| Penn Relays Champion |
4xMile Relay (2nd Leg - 4:01.80) |
| 2023 INDOOR |
| All-American (Second Team) |
Distance Medley Relay (1200 Meters) |
| BIG EAST Champion |
Mile |
| All-BIG EAST |
Mile |
| All-BIG EAST |
4x800 Meter Relay (3rd Leg) |
| 2022 CROSS COUNTRY |
| Mid-Atlantic All-Region |
| All-BIG EAST (First Team) |
| 2022 INDOOR |
| All-BIG EAST |
4x800 Meter Relay (2nd Leg) |
| 2021Â CROSS COUNTRY |
| Mid-Atlantic All-Region |
| All-BIG EAST (Second Team) |
| 2020 CROSS COUNTRY |
| All-BIG EAST (Second Team) |
| 2020 INDOOR |
| BIG EAST Champion |
4x800 Meter Relay (2nd Leg) |
| BIG EAST Champion |
Distance Medley Relay (800m) |
| All-BIG EAST |
Mile |
| All-BIG EAST |
4x800 Meter Relay (2nd Leg) |
| All-BIG EAST |
Distance Medley Relay (800m) |
| BIG EAST Men's Track Athlete of the Week |
February 17 |
| 2019 INDOOR |
| BIG EAST Champion |
4x800 Meter Relay (1st Leg) |
| All-BIG EAST |
4x800 Meter Relay (1st Leg) |
| 2018 CROSS COUNTRY |
| Mid-Atlantic All-Region |
| All-BIG EAST (First Team) |
| ACADEMIC HONORS |
| USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (Cross Country) |
2022 |
| USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (Track) |
2022-23 |
| BIG EAST All-Academic Team |
2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 |
| Athletic Director's Honor Roll |
Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024 |
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| CAREER NCAA RESULTS |
| 2024 OUTDOOR (EUGENE, ORE. | HAYWARD FIELD) |
| Date |
Event |
Time |
Place |
| June 5 |
1500 Meters (National Semifinal) |
3:40.31 |
18th |
| 2023 INDOOR (ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. | ALBUQUERQUE CONVENTION CENTER) |
| Date |
Event |
Time |
Place |
| March 10 |
Distance Medley Relay (1200 Meters) |
9:55.89 |
11th |
| 2022Â CROSS COUNTRY (STILLWATER, OKLA. | GREINER FAMILY OSU CROSS COUNTRY COURSE) |
| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
| November 19 |
10000 Meters |
30:26.8 |
130th |
| 2020 CROSS COUNTRY (STILLWATER, OKLA. | GREINER FAMILY OSU CROSS COUNTRY COURSE) |
| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
| March 15 |
10000 Meters |
31:36.1 |
109th |
| 2019 CROSS COUNTRY (TERRE HAUTE, IND. | LAVERN GIBSON CHAMPIONSHIP CROSS COUNTRY COURSE) |
| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
| November 23 |
10000 Meters |
32:08.7 |
124th |
| 2018 CROSS COUNTRY (MADISON, WIS. | THOMAS ZIMMER CHAMPIONSHIP CROSS COUNTRY COURSE) |
| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
| November 17 |
10000 Meters |
31:57.2 |
215th |
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| CAREER BIG EAST RESULTS |
| 2024Â OUTDOOR (VILLANOVA, PA. | VILLANOVA STADIUM) |
| Date |
Event |
Time |
Place |
| May 11 |
1500 Meters |
3:40.36 |
2nd |
| 2023 OUTDOOR (VILLANOVA, PA. | VILLANOVA STADIUM) |
| Date |
Event |
Time |
Place |
| May 13 |
1500 Meters |
3:48.51 |
8th |
| 2023Â INDOOR (CHICAGO, ILL. | DR. CONRAD WORRILL INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CENTER AT GATELY PARK) |
| Date |
Event |
Time |
Place |
| February 24 |
Mile (Preliminary Heats) |
4:13.57 |
8th |
| February 25 |
Mile (Final) |
3:58.07 |
1st |
| February 25 |
4x800 Meter Relay (3rd Leg) |
7:30.00 |
3rd |
| 2022 CROSS COUNTRY (ATTLEBORO, MASS. | HIGHLAND PARK) |
| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
| October 29 |
8000 Meters |
23:34 |
5th |
| 2022 INDOOR (CHICAGO, ILL. | DR. CONRAD WORRILL INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CENTER AT GATELY PARK) |
| Date |
Event |
Time |
Place |
| February 25 |
Mile (Preliminary Heats) |
4:21.76 |
4th |
| February 26 |
Mile (Final) |
3:59.10 |
4th |
| February 26 |
4x800 Meter Relay (2nd Leg) |
7:26.13 |
2nd |
| 2021 CROSS COUNTRY (CARMEL, IND. | NORTHVIEW CHURCH) |
| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
| October 29 |
8000 Meters |
24:56.3 |
15th |
| 2021Â OUTDOOR (GENEVA, OHIO | SPIRE INSTITUTE) |
| Date |
Event |
Time |
Place |
| May 15 |
1500 Meters |
3:45.85 |
4th |
| 2020 CROSS COUNTRY (CARY, N.C. | WAKEMED SOCCER PARK FIELD) |
| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
| March 5 |
8000 Meters |
23:40.2 |
15th |
| 2020 INDOOR (GENEVA, OHIO | SPIRE INSTITUTE) |
| Date |
Event |
Time |
Place |
| March 1 |
Mile (Preliminary Heats) |
4:15.50 |
1st |
| March 1 |
Distance Medley Relay (800m)Â Â Â |
9:47.80 |
1st |
| March 2 |
Mile (Final) |
4:20.17 |
2nd |
| March 2 |
4x800 Meter Relay (2nd Leg) |
7:31.34 |
1st |
| 2019 CROSS COUNTRY (KENOSHA, WIS. | WAYNE E. DANNEHL NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY COURSE) |
| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
| November 2 |
8000 Meters |
26:50.2 |
26th |
| 2019 INDOOR (GENEVA, OHIO | SPIRE INSTITUTE) |
| Date |
Event |
Time |
Place |
| February 22 |
Mile (Preliminary Heats) |
4:18.33 |
6th |
| February 23 |
Mile (Final) |
4:07.15 |
8th |
| February 23 |
4x800 Meter Relay (1st Leg) |
7:28.55 |
1st |
| 2018 CROSS COUNTRY (CARMEL, IND. | NORTHVIEW CHURCH) |
| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
| October 27 |
8000 Meters |
24:58.5 |
10th |
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| NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION |
One of five runners from his home club – Leevale Athletic Club in Cork City – who has became a sub-four minute miler … Three of the five are Villanovans, including both his high school coach Ken Nason and collegiate coach Marcus O’Sullivan … Has represented Ireland at five international competitions during his career, including four European Championships at the U18 and U20 levels … Was the national U20 champion in the 1500 meters in 2017 … Competed at the Irish Life Health National Senior Championships in June 2021 and tallied a fifth place finish in the final … Posted a time of 3:50.71 in the final after winning his preliminary heat in 3:55.63.
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Colaiste Chriost Ri: Competed in track & field and cross country and was coached by former Villanova standout Ken Nason … Two-time National Schools champion in the 1500 meters in 2017 and 2018 … Six-time Provincial Schools champion.
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Personal: Born 8/6/99 in Cork, Ireland … Son of Michelle and Reynolds O'Donovan … Has an older brother, James Fitzgerald (37) … Hobbies include guitar and playing soccer, and is interested in a variety of sports … Chose to attend Villanova for its rich track & field tradition, the elite level of the coaching staff and the school’s high academic standards … Enrolled in the Villanova School of Business ... Marketing major.Â
Historical Player Information
