Marco Langon, who ran for Villanova until May, won the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile in New York on Sunday, Sept. 13, clocking 3:45.0.

The victory earned the 22-year-old $5,000 in prize money and capped his debut professional season, The Villanovan reported. Langon's time was the second-fastest in the race's 45-year history, just 0.7 seconds off the course record Josh Kerr set in 2024. He beat Great Britain's Jake Heyward by 0.79 seconds, according to Marathon Handbook. Australia's Adam Spencer finished a hundredth of a second behind Heyward in third. The first eight men crossed the line within three seconds of each other.

Langon was boxed in for most of the race before swinging wide with 200 meters left. Villanova assistant coach Matt Valeriani, who attended the race along with Langon's high school coach Rob DeFilippis, said the move showed how much Langon has grown since arriving on campus at 17.

"Young Marco probably would have just put his head down and said, 'I'm going to stay in the front. I don't really care if anyone tries to pass me,'" Valeriani told The Villanovan. "But he did a good job this time of making an adjustment, and someone went to the lead, and he let him have it and saved the gear for the end there."

The Raritan, N.J., native said his familiarity with the downhill course gave him confidence. The point-to-point route drops roughly nine meters over 20 blocks of Fifth Avenue.

Langon graduated from Villanova in May and signed a professional contract with Italian brand Diadora in July. His first pro season included a European tour of 1,500-meter track races and a road-mile win at the New Balance Kö Meile in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Sept. 6. He fell just short of his summer goal of breaking 3:30 in the 1,500.

During his final collegiate season, Langon posted personal bests in the 1,500 (3:32.79), 3,000 (7:34.00) and 5,000 meters (13:05.21). All three ranked among the top four times in NCAA history, according to The Villanovan. He finished fourth in the 5,000 at the NCAA Championships on June 12 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Langon was a nine-time All-American at Villanova with six top-eight finishes at NCAA Championships, according to Villanova Athletics. He continues to train under Villanova head coach Marcus O'Sullivan, one of only three people to run 100 or more sub-four-minute miles, and Valeriani. DeFilippis remains part of his coaching team.

After wrapping up his debut pro season, Langon told The Villanovan he plans to take a few days off before a vacation.