NEW YORK—Villanova ran an exciting 4xMile relay and posted strong results in a number of events as the Dr. Sander Invitational/Columbia Challenge came to a close at New York Armory on Saturday afternoon.  Among the individual highlights for the Wildcats in Saturday's action was freshman jumper Malik Cunningham (Kingston, Jamaica) taking over this season's BIG EAST lead and rising to third on the all-time Villanova performance list in the triple jump with a mark of 15.41 meters. 
 
There was plenty of anticipation for the 4xMile relay, which featured four teams who were all chasing potential records in a race that is infrequently run indoors.  While squads from professional clubs Brooks and Hoka NJNYTC chased after a world record, the Wildcats and Duke went head-to-head in competition for a possible college record.  Villanova posted a time of 16:31.60 with a lineup of sophomore Nick Steele (Harvard, Mass.), junior Logan Wetzel (Saline, Mich.), junior Casey Comber (Maple Glen, Pa.) and senior Zach Swenson (Boulder, Colo.).  The race becomes only the fourth known indoor 4xMile relay in the Wildcats record books. 
 
Villanova fell short of the one-time world record and still-standing indoor school record of 16:19.0 set by Tom Gregan, Brian McElroy, Eamonn Coghlan and John Hartnett during a 1976 meet at Dartmouth, but finished comfortably ahead of Duke in what was nevertheless a great result for this point in the indoor collegiate season.  The team from Brooks broke the standing world record of 16:12.81 with a winning time of 16:03.68. 
 
The college section of the 3000 meters was another event in which the Wildcats shined, as junior Andrew Marston (Wayne, Pa.) tallied a third place finish and freshman Josh Phillips (Belrose, Australia) recorded a new personal best while placing sixth in the field of 38 runners.  Marston registered a time of 8:04.00, while Phillips crossed the finish line in 8:07.98 in his indoor debut.  Sophomore Martin Barr (Skokie, Ill.) came in ninth with a time of 8:10.81. 
 
Cunningham came in third in the triple jump with one of the top performances in school history.  He recorded the mark of 15.41 meters on his sixth and final jump of the day in an outstanding overall effort.  Cunningham measured at least 14.57 meters on all six of his attempts, including a mark of 14.94 meters on his third jump which advanced him to the final.  He then steadily increased his distance on each of his next three attempts, going first to 14.96 meters and then to 15.08 meters before notching his best mark of the day on his final jump. 
 
The mark of 15.41 meters leads the BIG EAST and ranked 32^nd nationally as of the end of competition at the Armory on Saturday evening.  He is the first Villanova athlete to surpass 15 meters in the triple jump indoors since Robert Sainvil at the 2011 BIG EAST Championships, and Cunningham now trails only 1979 NCAA Champion Nate Cooper and three-time BIG EAST champion Jermaine Deans on the Wildcats all-time performance list. 
 
Sophomore Jacob Kelly (Longmeadow, Mass.) competed for the second time this season and cleared the bar at 2.04 meters in the high jump.  His season debut earlier this month had produced a PR of 2.05 meters at Navy.  Kelly was successful on his first three jumps of the day, which came at heights of 1.89, 1.94 and 1.99 meters.  He made it over the bar at 2.04 meters on his second try before and wound up finishing ninth overall. 
 
In the pole vault, freshman Jim Keys (Herndon, Va.) recorded a personal best for the second straight week with a height of 4.65 meters.  He tied his previous mark of 4.50 meters on his second try and then made it over at 4.65 meters on his first attempt.  Keys is the 10^th athlete in school history to vault at least 4.65 meters during the indoor collegiate season. 
 
Villanova will host its only home meet of the season next Saturday at Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex.  Both running and field events will begin at 4 p.m.