Villanova’s Men’s 4xMile Relay Team Finishes First at Penn Relays

The Villanova men won the 4xMile Championship of America for the 23rd time at the 130th running the Penn Relays this past Saturday (April 25).

The Villanova foursome of graduate student Sean Donohue, sophomore Ben Thomas, sophomore Bailey Habler, and senior Marco Langon finished first with a 16:18.47 clocking. Finishing second was the University of Oregon, 16:18.52.

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Marcus O’Sullivan, head track coach of the men’s Villanova Wildcats said that the win was redeeming; the day before (Friday, April 24), the first and second place finishes were reversed. Oregon beat the ‘nova men in the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) Championship of America, 9:32.08. (In The DMR, the first runner runs 1200 meters the second runner runs 400 meters, the third runner does 800 meters and the anchor runs 1600.) The ‘nova foursome of Thomas, junior Ethan Walls, junior Dan Watcke, and Langon finished second, 9:32.18.

In both relays, Langon anchored against the University of Oregon’s junior Simeon Birnbaum. Another similarity was that in both races, Langon grabbed the baton with his team being in third place. Each time he moved up to second place. In the DMR, Langon tried to grab the lead with 50 meters to go.

“That was a big mistake,” said Langon. “I waited too long.”

In the 4xMile, Langon grabbed the lead from Birnbaum with 600 meters left to run, and this time nobody passed him.

“This time I didn’t look back one time,” said Langon. “I was confident that I was going to win.”

The night before the 4xMile, Langon asked Coach O’Sullivan what strategy he should use.

“Marcus told me that I did not need his advice,” said Langon. “He told me to just run my race and to trust my own instincts.”

The time between the DMR and the 4xMile, Langon prayed a lot more than usual. Langon said:

“I pray every day when I wake up and when I go to sleep, but the night before the 4xMile, I prayed a lot more. I went to church the night before. Before my teammates and I left Villanova for the Penn Relays (to run the 4xMile), I put my hands on the first (victory Penn Relay) wheel that Villanova ever won, 1932, and prayed. He looked through the Villanova hallway where all of Villanova’s Penn Relay victory wheels were on display. “We wanted to continue with the legacy. I wanted to help win that race for my family, my girlfriend and for Villanova. ... in the 4xMile ran our best race.”

“Marco’s teammates set him up so that he could be in a good position so that he could take the lead,” said O’Sullivan. “They were outstanding.”

The Villanova women’s team also had a strong showing at The Penn Relays.

The ‘nova women finished third in the DMR Championship of America and in the 4x1500 Championship of America.

In the DMR, Sophomore Rosemary Shay, junior Olivia Allen, sophomore Isabelle Walsh andjunior Tilly O'Connor posted 10:48.84 while the ‘nova foursome of Shay, graduate student Nicole Vanasse, O’Connor, and Walsh clocked 17:19.34.

When Walsh ran the third leg of the DMR, she moved her team up from 6th place to 3rd place.

“I just wanted to pass as many people as possible,” said Walsh.

“They fought hard for third like true Villanova runners,” said Gina Procaccio head coach of the Villanova Women’s track team. “We have a young team.”

Besides running in the DMR, Allen, finished 5th in the College Women’s 400 Meter Hurdle Championship with a 58.08 finish.In the College Women’s High Jump Championship, junior Malaika Cunningham finished second with a 1.70 (5 ft 7 inches) leap.