College Achievers: Watcke burning up the track for Villanova
Dan Watcke is running stunning times at Villanova University, as he did at Hinsdale Central High School.
The sophomore middle-distance runner set a Villanova school record in each of the three official races he’s competed this indoor season.
On Feb. 14 at Boston University’s David Hemery Valentine Invitational, Watcke ran 1,000 meters in 2 minutes, 17.77 seconds. Villanova reported that time as the third-fastest indoor time in NCAA history and the fifth-fastest absolute time (indoor and outdoor) run by a collegiate athlete.
As of Feb. 21 Track & Field News had Watcke’s 1000-meter time as the 11th fastest in the world this indoor season, one spot ahead of 2024 Olympic 1500 gold medalist Cole Hocker’s 2:18.22 on Jan. 24. The two fastest collegiate 1000 times in history, according to Villanova, were both recorded Jan. 18.
Watcke’s Hemery Valentine result also eclipsed his prior 1000-meter school record. In the first indoor race of his collegiate career — he transferred from Oregon just months into his freshman year — Watcke on Jan. 18 ran it in 2:20.10 at the University of Pennsylvania Quaker Invite.
Between the Quaker and Hemery meets, on Jan. 31 at Penn State Watcke set Villanova’s indoor 800-meter record in a personal-best 1:46.32.
Outdoors for Villanova in 2024, Watcke placed second in the 800 at the Big East championship and ran on the Wildcats’ winning distance medley relay.
Before college, Watcke won two Illinois High School Association Class 3A 800-meter titles and ran on two 3200 relay winners both at the state meet and at the Nike Outdoor Nationals.
He will come to Chicago’s Dr. Conrad Worrill Indoor Track and Field Center in Gately Park for the Big East Conference indoor championships, Feb. 28-March 1.
And then there’s this guy …
On Feb. 14 at Vanderbilt University’s Music City Challenge in Nashville, Vanderbilt sophomore Michael Skora (Hinsdale Central) broke 4 minutes in the mile, going 3 minutes, 59.36 seconds. Hinsdale Central assistant track and cross country coach Noah Lawrence said Skora — running unattached because Vanderbilt doesn’t offer men’s track — is Hinsdale Central’s first sub-4-minute miler. Skora, who hadn’t planned to run in college, was Vanderbilt’s first finisher at all six cross country meets last fall.
Honing in
A two-time Class 2A golf champion at Barrington and the 2021 Women’s Western Junior medalist, University of Michigan redshirt sophomore Mara Janess played her best college golf Feb. 16-17 at the Spartan Suncoast Classic in Sarasota, Fla. Earning her first top-five finish with a third-place tie at 4-under par, Janess shot 70 twice and finished with a 54-hole score of 212, all career bests. It was the best score of any Michigan golfer this season, as is Janess’ 15-round average of 73.93. In 2024 the Women’s Golf Coaches Association named Janess an All-American Scholar.
Svehla strikes
Lewis University won a second women’s bowling tournament in the same season for the first time at Augustana’s Viking Classic, Feb. 15-16 in Moline. Earning her first all-tournament honor, Lewis junior Katharine Svehla (York) placed fifth overall and led Lewis with a five-game score of 919, a 183.8 average.
Usual suspect
Also at Lewis, on Feb. 19 the Great Lakes Valley Conference named Flyers junior Denise Hernandez (Naperville North) its women’s indoor field athlete of the week, her third such award. It came for her Feb. 14 performance at the Chicagoland Intercollegiate Track & Field Invitational at North Central College in Naperville. Hernandez won long jump by more than a foot with a school-record mark of 6.17 meters (20 feet, 2¾ inches). She also placed second in triple jump. Entering Feb. 21 Hernandez’s long jump led the GLVC and ranked second in Division II.
Also among event winners was Northern Illinois University senior high jumper Samira Rosenfeld (Schaumburg) at 1.68 meters (5-6).