CHESTER, Pa.—Freshman pole vaulter Ashley Preston (Franklinville, N.J.) soared to a personal best height of 3.90 meters at the Widener Invitational on Saturday morning.  Preston came in first out of 23 competitors with her best result of the year thus far, and in doing so put herself on the cusp of a qualifying berth to the NCAA East Preliminary meet next month. 
 
The trio of Preston, senior Adeline Scelzi (Glen Allen, Va.) and sophomore Cala Lejman (Ambler, Pa.) was in action for Villanova in Saturday's meet.  Scelzi and Lejman each cleared the bar at a height of 3.45 meters to finish second and third, respectively, behind Preston.  They each matched their top marks of the season to date. 
 
Preston surpassed her previous personal best of 3.85 meters and gained ground in the Wildcats all-time performance list.  She now has sole possession of fifth place all-time at Villanova after previously being tied for that spot, and she also moved up three spots into fifth place on the Wildcats all-time outdoor performance list. 
 
More important for Preston is what now lies ahead of her the remainder of the season.  Saturday's result gives her the BIG EAST lead this season with the conference championships three weeks away.  Entering the weekend, a mark of 3.90 meters would have tied for 47^th on the East Region qualifying list.  The top 48 declared athletes will earn berths to the NCAA East Preliminary meet.