PRINCETON, N.J.—A spread of less than a minute between the five scoring runners for Villanova was a successful formula in a strong team finish at the Princeton Fall Classic on Friday morning. Racing in a field of 22 teams which featured several of the top squads in the Mid-Atlantic Region, the Wildcats scored 141 points and placed fifth in what shaped up as a close team race. Just 82 points separated the top five teams, with an even smaller margin of 21 points separating third through fifth place in the standings.
 
Senior Sadie Sigfstead (Edmonton, Alta.) led the Wildcats with a ninth place finish and ran the 6,000 meter race on the Meadows Campus Course in 19:48.6. It was the team performance which wound up being most significant for Villanova however, as seniors Emma McGill (Lebanon, N.J.) and Margaret Carroll (Mount Wolf, Pa.) also finished in the top 25 of a field with 249 runners. McGill placed 21^st with a time of 20:11.3 in her season debut and Carroll came on strong to finish 25^th in 20:14.2. Carroll moved up 13 spots in the pack during the second half of the race.
 
All five of the Wildcats scorers were among the 50 finishers. Senior Emily Robinson (Rogers, Ark.) finished 41^st with a time of 20:36.4 and freshman Rosie Shay (Middletown, N.J.) was 46^th in 20:42.1. The top five in the Villanova lineup were separated by just 53.5 seconds at the finish line.
 
The five Wildcats got out to a strong start near the front of a crowded pack of runners. Villanova was unofficially fifth in the team standings at each 1000 meter split during the race even as there was a lot of movement within the ranks. The meet was in some ways a preview of the Wildcats next two competitions at the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, with conference foes Georgetown and Providence competing at the Princeton meet along with Mid-Atlantic Region teams Penn State, Penn and the host Tigers.
 
Villanova went 10 deep in its first full team meet of the season. Junior Amelia Arrieta (Kansas City, Mo.) and sophomore Tilly O'Connor (Spring Lake, N.J.) also finished in the top third of the field. Arrieta was 61^st with a time of 20:52.7 and O'Connor was close behind her in 70^th place with a time of 20:56.3. Sixth year collegian Maggie Smith (Halifax, N.S.) recorded a time of 21:21.9, while junior Kinsey Pogue (Danville, Calif.) had a time of 22:09.3 and freshman Bella Walsh (Middletown, Del.) crossed the line in 22:20.0
 
This is the second straight outing in which the Wildcats had a successful team finish. Villanova placed in the top half of the field at the loaded Nuttycome Wisconsin Invitational last month despite running without its full lineup. Sigfstead was the individual winner in Wisconsin, and Friday's fifth place showing at Princeton gives an indication of Villanova's potential at full strength.
 
The team will now begin preparing for the BIG EAST Championships which take place on Friday, November 1. The conference meet moves to a first-time location this year at Morven Park in Leesburg, Va. The women's 6K championship race goes off at 11 a.m.