STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.—Freshman hurdler Jane Livingston (Lancaster, Pa.) made her collegiate debut as Villanova opened the 2020 indoor track & field season at the Great Dane Classic on Saturday afternoon.  Livingston led four Wildcats who competed in the invitational section of the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.61 at Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex.  Villanova also had three athletes competing in the pole vault, with sophomore Ashley Preston (Franklinville, N.J.) leading that trio with a mark of 3.85 meters.
 
Livingston, a Pennsylvania state champion in the hurdles as a scholastic performer, immediately put herself onto the Wildcats performance list with her first collegiate competition.  Her time of 8.61 ties her for 10^th place in the Villanova record book.  Junior Sarah Jones (Sewell, N.J.) posted a time of 8.75 in Saturday's season opener, while sophomore Jada Thomas (Kingston, Jamaica) was right behind her in 8.76.  Thomas is a transfer from Liberty who joined Livingston in making her Wildcats debut.  Sophomore multi-event athlete Liv Morgan (Bronx, N.Y.) crossed the finish line in the hurdles in 9.23.
 
In addition to Preston making it over the bar at 3.85 meters in the pole vault, juniors Amanda McNelis (Commack, N.Y.) and Cala Lejman (Ambler, Pa.) each recorded heights of 3.50 meters.  Preston came in third out of 23 competitors while McNelis and Lejman were fifth and ninth, respectively.    
 
Villanova will have its first full team meet this coming Friday and Saturday when it travels to Navy to compete in the Wesley A. Brown Invitational.