West Grove native McKenna Keegan, a middle-distance runner at Villanova University, recently recorded a personal best in the 800 meters to finish seventh in the event at the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Keegan, an Avon Grove High School graduate, posted a time of 2:04.26 in the finals of the 800 meters at the Randal Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas.

It marked just the 17th time that a Villanova runner has placed (finishing among the top eight) at the indoor national championships.

Keegan, a graduate student in her final year of athletic eligibility, was a first-team All-American in 2017 and 2019 as part of Villanova’s distance medley relay squad.

The uniqueness of the current season amidst a global pandemic has extra meaning for Keegan, who redshirted the 2019 outdoor season and ran unattached during the 2020 indoor campaign to sync up her remaining indoor and outdoor eligibility. She competed in the Villanova lineup throughout the 2019 cross-country season, but then saw the 2020 outdoor college season wiped out by the COVID pandemic.