ORLANDO, Fla.—Villanova opened the outdoor track & field season on Friday with the first day of competition in the Knights Invite at the UCF Track and Field Complex. The top finishes of the day came from seniors Nick Coffey (Cranston, R.I.) and Nicholas Mollica (Jackson, N.J.) who each finished fifth in their respective events. 

Coffey threw for a distance of 63.64 meters in the javelin in an impressive first outing of the year. He began the day by throwing for 59.64 meters in his opening throw to qualify for the final, then reached his best mark of the day in his fifth and final attempt. Coffey came in fifth out of 30 competitors with the fourth-longest throw of his career. 

In the 400 meter hurdles, Mollica started the season in strong form with a time of 53.59 to place fifth out of 34 runners. Sophomore Luke Rakowitz (Dallas, Texas) also competed in the hurdles and posted a time of 56.61 in his first collegiate race in the event. 

Earlier in the day, junior thrower Tristan Bolinsky (Gordon, Pa.) advanced to the final of the hammer and came in ninth with a personal best mark of 52.70 meters. Five of Bolinsky's throws on the day went for over 50 meters and he recorded his longest throw on the fifth of his six attempts. 

In the final field event of the day, senior Justin Miller (Collierville, Tenn.) recorded a mark of 6.80 meters in the long jump. 

Villanova will be back in action at UCF on Saturday and will also compete locally in the Penn Challenge at Franklin Field.