Sadie Sigfstead sets the pace in a resurgence of women’s cross-country at Villanova

When she crossed the finish line at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational last month, distance runner Sadie Sigfstead realized how far she had come.

Sigfstead was the individual champion in the opening race of her senior cross-country season for No. 25 Villanova. She placed first out of 197 runners in the 6,000-meter race in 19 minutes, 55.7 seconds.

“Nuttycombe was eye-opening for me,” Sigfstead said.

The title put Sigfstead, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, in the national spotlight. On Oct. 1, she earned Big East women’s athlete of the week honors for her dominant start to the season.

Sigfstead described a sense of “awe” in competing alongside All-American runners and NCAA medalists. However, now she has earned a spot among the nation’s highest performers in cross-country. She also has built a resumé of her own in Villanova’s record books, owning one school record in the three-mile race alongside a number of other top times in program history.

In 2023, Sigfstead was one of two female runners to represent Villanova at the NCAA championships after she won an individual Mid-Atlantic Region title. She placed 71st nationally in the 6,000 meters in 20:28.70.

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Villanova always seems to have competitive individual cross-country runners, but the team is united around one goal this season: to bring the whole squad to the NCAA championships rather than only individual athletes.

“I think our program is in a bit of a resurgence,” coach Gina Procaccio said. “First and foremost, we’re looking to get a team [to the NCAAs]. That’s what we’re focusing on.”

This year’s Wildcats team is on the younger side, and Procaccio is looking at freshmen and sophomores to be some of its strongest competitors. At Nuttycombe, the Wildcats placed 13th out of 25 teams.

According to Procaccio, Sigfstead’s leadership will be instrumental in preparing a promising roster to compete nationally.

“What I’m excited about with [Sigfstead] is that she leads by example,” Procaccio said. “She actually made a comment to me that ‘these freshmen are actually listening to me. They’re asking me questions. That’s never happened before.’”

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Many of the lessons that Sigfstead passes on to her younger teammates are ones that she learned the hard way. She battled health setbacks during her first two cross-country seasons at Villanova. The worst, a hip injury as a sophomore, cost Sigfstead most of the year.

Even when she was healthy and competing, Sigfstead said the one-dimensional way she approached training as an underclassman also needed an upgrade.

“I felt like I was always so stressed, and I spread myself so thin,” Sigfstead recalled. “I thought that just showing up to practice and doing the workouts was all I needed to be doing.”

Sigfstead has never had problems pushing herself in practice, but making the most of her recovery time was a skill she had to develop throughout college. Sigfstead said that since she improved her regimen off the track, she has been able to complete more intense workouts.

“Even through all those ups and downs, [Procaccio] didn’t lose sight of my potential,” Sigfstead said. “She believed I could come back and be good. And one of her specialties as a coach is that she really teaches you to believe in yourself.”

Sigfstead hopes that talking about her journey with the younger runners will help them learn to make the most of the hours outside of practice. She emphasizes that her dedication to “taking care of the little things” has greatly contributed to her recent success.

As November approaches, qualifying for the NCAA championships remains a challenge for the team.

In her 22 years as head coach of the Wildcats, Procaccio has delivered a pair of national championships and maintained high standards for the program. But the last time Villanova appeared in the NCAA championships as a team was in 2021, when it placed 27th out of 31 programs.

The top two teams in the region will automatically earn spots. If Villanova doesn’t accomplish this, Procaccio remains confident in the team’s potential to qualify based on its performance during the season.

“Our region is really, really tough in terms of us finishing top two,” Procaccio acknowledged. “So, what we’re looking to do is to beat as many teams as we can throughout the season to have enough points to make it.”

Ranked third in the Mid-Atlantic Region, Villanova is off to a promising start. The Wildcats still have opportunities to earn points before the postseason begins with the Big East championships on Nov. 1.

The Princeton Fall Classic on Friday was an important final test for the Wildcats, with numerous competitive regional teams in attendance.

Big East foes Georgetown and Providence claimed first and second place, respectively. Villanova finished fifth among 22 teams. Sigfstead had the best individual performance of the team, finishing ninth in the 6,000-meter race.

Sigfstead hopes to return to Wisconsin — the same track as Nuttycombe — for the NCAA championships on Nov. 23 — but with all of her Wildcat teammates alongside her.

“I really want to have our team there,” Sigfstead said. “When you’re running for something bigger than yourself, it gets you to the [finish] line faster.”