Villanova women go 3-for-3 in distance relays
PHILADELPHIA >> As she left Franklin Field Friday afternoon, Villanova women’s track coach Gina Procaccio still wasn’t sure if she was going to let the Wildcats run in Saturday’s 4 x 800-meter Championship of America.
The Wildcats had already won the DMR and the 4 x 1,500, so why get greedy? Besides, with the Big East, NCAA regional and national championships looming on the horizon, the Sun Valley great did not want to beat up her runners so early in the season.
Still, Procaccio left the decision up to her runners, specifically her two big guns, senior Angel Piccirillo and junior Siofra Cleirigh Buttner. Procaccio told Piccirillo to sleep on it and let her know.
Procaccio did not have to wait that long for an answer. Around 9:30 Friday night Procaccio received a text from Piccirillo that they wanted to run, so Procaccio let the Wildcats give it a go.
Villanova won, of course. Was there any doubt? Not with Buttner running anchor.
As she did a day earlier, Buttner made her move with about 250 meters to go and sprinted past Stanford’s Danae Rivers, a runner she had never beaten, to give the Wildcats their third title in the 123rd Penn Relays Carnival. Villanova finished in 8 minutes, 24.27 seconds to edge Penn State for the title.
Buttner was named the outstanding college women’s athlete of the meet and her sprint to the finish gave the Wildcats a record 13th win in the event and marked the sixth time that Villanova won all three distance relays at the same Penn Relays.
“When we came in this week we were prepared to run three (races),” Buttner said. “We were told to take it one day at a time, which is what we did, but when you have two (championships) there’s nothing to lose. There’s no going back. We just said, ‘We may as well get another one.”
Once Piccirillo texted Procaccio that the Wildcats wanted to run the coach had to figure out who would round out the relay. One was a no-brainer. Sophomore Nicole Hutchinson was part of the first two championship relays and was a natural for a third. She ran the leadoff leg.
After much thought, Procaccio decided to go with freshman McKenna Keegan, who ran the 400-meter leg on the DMR Thursday. Only Procaccio did not tell Keegan she was running until a few hours before the race.
The Wildcats set up a tarp across from Franklin Field and that’s where the runners meet and hang out during the Penn Relays every year. Procaccio simply told McKenna to be at the tarp at 2 o’clock.
“I knew she wanted me there for a reason,” Keegan said.
Once she found out, knew what she had to do.
“I knew if I put us in the race that Siofra would get it done for us,” Keegan said.
She did, of course, just as she had done in all three races. Buttner put the Wildcats ahead in the 800 portion of the DMR and Piccirillo took care of the rest. Buttner’s kick in the final 200 meters was the difference in the 4 x 1,500.
“That 220 mark just seems to be my mark to go,” Buttner said. “And coming off the ’Nova section (in the southwest corner of the stadium) again I said, ‘Oh God, just wait, but I wanted to go so bad. I don’t even know when I’m going. I just go and that’s it and then I’m crossing the line and the girls are mauling me.”
Buttner collapsed as she crossed Keegan the finish line, as she did a day earlier. One of the first runners to get to her was Piccirillo, who added to her record for most relays won by an athlete at the Penn Relays. It was Piccirillo’s ninth championship.
Piccirillo had tears in her eyes and she and her teammates helped Buttner off the track.
“I’m not a super emotional person, but today it just hit me that this was the last Villanova relay I’ll ever run at Penn Relays,” Piccirillo said. “This has been such a big meet for me and these girls and for Villanova, but the future is so bright for us once I leave here. It’s hard to leave but I know I’m leaving it (the program) in good hands.”
*** The Villanova men were not as fortunate in the 4 x 800 Championship of America. The Wildcats finished fourth in 7:21.18, which meant that Villanova did not win any of the big three events for the second straight year. The Wildcats were fifth in the DMR and did not compete in the 4 x mile.
Yet that did not discourage head coach Marcus O’Sullivan.
“My wife sent me a text after the race saying they gave it the college try,” O’Sullivan said. “There were some bright spots. I try to look at the positives. Harry Purcell had a good leg, Logan (Wetzel) did a great job leading off. You’re always looking for a silver lining somewhere. I am disappointed, but very happy for the women. They saved the program this weekend.”