Penn Relays: Villanova wins women's distance medley relay
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Angel Piccirillo anchored Villanova to yet another Penn Relays victory in the college women's distance medley relay Thursday, a year after missing the event because of foot problems.
''I've been waiting for this weekend since probably November,'' Piccirillo said.
Piccirillo finished her 1,600-meter leg in 4 minutes, 32.76 seconds to tie the women's college record of seven Penn Relays victories held by former Wildcats Michelle Bennett and Kathy Franey.
Villanova finished in 10:53.97 for its record 15th victory in the event. The Wildcats were more than two seconds ahead of Penn State, and more than four seconds faster than third-place Notre Dame.
Siofra Cleirigh Buttner ran a 2:05.78 leg in the 800 to give the Wildcats a 25-meter lead heading into the closing 1,600.
''I've never had an athlete be able to accelerate like she has,'' coach Gina Procaccio said.
Nicole Hutchinson led off by running 3:21.39 in the 1,200, giving her a slight lead over Notre Dame's Danielle Aragon. Payton Miller put the Irish in front by running 53.57 in the 400, but Villanova freshman McKenna Keegan had a personal-best 54.05 and was close behind.
''Everybody's splits were on,'' Piccirillo said. ''I saw that, and it just got me excited like, they're all going, so I'm going to go and we're going to win it, no matter what.''
Also, Oklahoma's Jessica Woodard won the women's shot put at 55 feet, 11 inches, and South Carolina's Rougui Sow took the long jump at 20-8 1/2. Princeton's Julia Ratcliffe won her third title in the hammer throw (215-6), and Ithaca's Katherine Pitman won the pole vault (13-5 1/4). Oklahoma's Meagan Gray cleared the same height, but Pitman was declared the winner based on fewer misses.
Kelly Yanucil of Mount St. Mary's took the javelin at 169-9.
