THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT! @NovaTrackXC takes the 4x1500 wheel with 3 freshmen & 1 sophomore! #PennRelays #LikeWhoa :fist: pic.twitter.com/QE150xFzHw
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) April 29, 2016
For most, it takes quite a while to acclimate to Collegiate Running. Whether that be through red-shirting your freshman year, trying to walk-on to a program, or trying to run a more relaxed schedule, there are many ways to ease yourself into the elevated demands of the NCAA system.
For Bella Burda, graduate of Arlington as well as the reigning outdoor 3000m champion, the wait hasn't been all that long. She had her first major breakthrough running fo Villanova in Cross Country, where she shocked the field at the Big East Conference Championship, taking 4th overall on the 6000m course in 19:52.90.
Well, consider this the next step up. A late entry to the relay after a teammate fell ill earlier in the week, Bella Burda took her new position in stride. The Villanova 4x1500m was made up of three freshman and a sophomore for the premier event of the season for the Philadelphia-based school. Burda lead off the race in 4:29.7 (a personal best), and put their team in the conversation. It was all tactical until the final leg, where sophomore Siofra Buttner sprinted away from the field in the final 200m, to clinch the title.
The title would be Burda's first, adding to a weekend that has seen many NY Alum atop the podium.
