May 6, 2000

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The Villanova women lead after day one of the 2000 Big East Conference outdoor track & field championships held on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. Villanova leads with 57 points, followed by second place Notre Dame with 44 points. In men's competition, the Wildcats are tied for 11th with three points.

Villanova had three first place finishes on day one including senior Carrie Tollefson (Dawson, Minn.) in the 3,000 meter run, junior Ann McGranahan (Pensacola, Fla.) in the 10,000 meter run and junior Marlena Robinson (Rochester, N.Y.) in the triple jump.

Tollefson, the defending NCAA outdoor 3,000 meter champion, ran 9:24.99 to easily outdistance Georgetown's Kathleen Linck who was timed in 9:41.08. Villanova senior Kristen Nicolini (Annapolis, Md.) placed third in the 3,000 meter run with a time of 9:46.83.

McGranahan ran a sensational race, crossing the line in 36:10.33 to easily defeat Lorena Adams of Georgetown who recorded a time of 36:43.75. Georgetown also claimed third in this event, as Marina Kruppa was clocked in 36:56.23.

In the triple jump, Robinson registered an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 13.03m to finish ahead of Karen Clark of Miami who was credited with a leap of 12.07m.

Villanova scored valuable points in both the discus and javelin. In the discus, three Wildcats scored points. Senior Sarah Hunt (Langhorne, Pa.) had a throw of 46.44m to finish third, just in front of freshman teammate Christine Heffernan (Springfield, Pa.) who recorded a toss of 44.64m, while sophomore Melinda Boykin (Bridgeton, N.J.) was credited with a seventh place effort with a mark of 43.94m. In the javelin, Heffernan placed fourth with a throw of 39.50m and junior Jen Papay (Newtown, Pa.) earned a sixth place finish with a mark of 37.52.

On the men's side, the lone Wildcat to score on day one was sophomore Mark Blattner (Phoenixville, Pa.) who was sixth in the discus with a throw of 47.10m.

WOMEN'S SCORES (After Day One)

1. VILLANOVA        57
2. Notre Dame       44
3. Rutgers          31
3. Pittsburgh       31
5. Georgetown       29
6. Miami            27
7. WVU              23
7. Syracuse         23
9. St. John's       15
10. Boston College  12
11. Connecticut      9
12. Seton Hall       4
13. Providence       1

MEN'S SCORES (After Day One)

1. Notre Dame       76
2. Connecticut      41
3. Georgetown       35
4. Rutgers          34
5. Miami            26
6. St. John's       18
7. Syracuse         15
8. WVU              14
9. Boston College    4
9. Pittsburgh        4
11. Providence       3
11. VILLANOVA        3
13. Seton Hall       0