Megan Venables Places Sixth in 10000 Meters at BIG EAST Championships

Villanova freshman earns team points in her first collegiate 10000 meters race

Megan Venables scored three points for Villanova with a sixth place finish in her first collegiate 10K race.

May 5, 2012

Freshman distance runner Megan Venables (Laurel Springs, N.J.) made her collegiate debut in the 10000 meters a successful one, placing sixth in the event at the BIG EAST Championships at the USF Track & Field Stadium on Friday night. She earned three team points for Villanova on the first of three days of competition this weekend.

Venables registered a time of 35:37.48 in the 10000 meters after previously running the 5000 meters twice this spring leading up to the conference meet. She and junior Meghan Smith (Newark, Del.) each ran in the event for the Wildcats, with Smith crossing the finish line 14th in 37:37.45. She was also debuting in the 10000 meters with Friday night's race.

On the first day of the BIG EAST Championships freshman Katherine Petruzzellis (Annandale, N.J.) was also in action in the start of the heptathlon. The first four events of the heptathlon were contested on Friday and out of those four events Petruzzellis recorded her best finish in the high jump, where she tied for third place in a field of 13 competitors.

Petruzzellis established a new personal best with a height of 1.66 meters in the high jump, surpassing her mark of 1.65 meters from the Colonial Relays last month. She also registered times of 15.04 and 26.53 in the 100 meter hurdles and the 200 meters, respectively, and threw for a distance of 9.60 meters in the shot put.

Saturday is a full day of action in the conference meet, with field events taking place throughout the afternoon and running events getting underway starting at 4:30 p.m.

COMPLETE VILLANOVA RESULTS

Heptathlon No. 1: 100 Meter Hurdles

Katherine Petruzzellis                    8th of 13                15.04

Heptathlon No. 4: 200 Meters

Katherine Petruzzellis                    10th of 12               26.53

Heptathlon No. 3: High Jump

Katherine Petruzzellis                    tie-3rd of 12            1.66 Meters

Heptathlon No. 2: Shot Put

Katherine Petruzzellis                    10th of 12               9.60 Meters

10000 Meters

Megan Venables                            6th of 14                35:37.48
Meghan Smith                              14th of 14               37:37.45

Villanova University