TERRE HAUTE, Ind.—In a field of teams that featured 10 nationally-ranked squads, including three of the top five teams in the latest poll, Villanova did not miss an opportunity to make a lasting impression at the UnderArmour Pre-National Invitational on Saturday afternoon.  Three runners finished in the top 40 for the Wildcats, who surged to an eighth place finish in a terrific all-around performance at the Lavern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. 
 
Sophomore Josh Phillips (Belrose, Australia) led Villanova with a 28^th place overall finish and covered the 8,000 meter course in 24:06.9 at the same site that will host the NCAA Championships later this year.  Graduate student Nathan Rodriguez (Tempe, Ariz.) raced to a 34^th place finish with a time of 24:15.5 and redshirt freshman Haftu Strintzos (Victoria, Australia) finished 39^th out of 266 runners in 24:20.9. 
 
The five scorers for the Wildcats also included junior Martin Barr (Skokie, Ill.) with a 93^rd place finish (24:48.2) and redshirt freshman Jack Fredian (Arlington Heights, Ill.) who was close behind him in 103^rd place (24:53.6). 
 
Villanova scored 297 points in the team standings and beat three nationally-ranked teams in a statement performance for a team that is hoping to gel at just the right time with postseason competition looming on the immediate horizon.  Each of the seven teams that finished ahead of the Wildcats were ranked in the last United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) top 30 poll, while Villanova finished ahead of three other nationally-ranked foes. 
 
What the Wildcats have yet to do this season is race with their full lineup, a typical occurrence for the time of year as head coach Marcus O'Sullivan prepares his team for the BIG EAST and NCAA meets on next month's calendar as well as the rigors of the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons to come.  The real significance of Saturday's successful result however, and the step forward it represented, was about the personnel that Villanova did have in the lineup on this given day. 
 
Phillips was a Mid-Atlantic All-Region performer and a second team All-BIG EAST honoree as a freshman last season, but stepped forward to be the top finisher in the Wildcats lineup for the first time in his career.  His time of 24:06.9 in Saturday's race was also a personal best for an 8K cross country course. Rodriguez and Strintzos, meanwhile, were each running in just their second cross country races wearing the Villanova singlet. 
 
A graduate transfer from Iowa State, Rodriguez is a past top-100 finisher at nationals who missed the 2018 cross country campaign due to an injury.  His leadership on the course was a factor for the Wildcats, while Strintzos had a second straight good outing after making his official collegiate debut at the Paul Short Run two weeks ago.
 
Villanova's roster features a well-balanced mix of veteran performers and young talent on the rise, and the Wildcats overall depth should offer the team plenty of competition for spots throughout the lineup.  Barr and Fredian were the fourth and fifth scoring runners on Saturday, but several other members of the roster also turned in strong performances. 
 
Junior Nick Steele (Harvard, Mass.) and sophomore Charlie O'Donovan (Cork, Ireland) rounded out the team's finishers in the Blue Race with times of 25:22.0 and 25:44.2, respectively.  In the Open Race later in the day, redshirt freshman Patrick Spychalski (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) and junior Rob Morro (Media, Pa.) each placed in the top 15 overall in a field of 124 runners.  Spychalski came in 11^th with a time of 25:15.4 and Morro was 15^th in 25:34.0, while redshirt freshman Ben Seiple (Westport, Conn.) placed 49^th in 26:16.8. 
 
Villanova will now gear up for the BIG EAST Championships which take place on November 2 in Kenosha, Wis.