Villanova’s strong showing at Haverford College was led by senior runner Bobby Curtis. Curtis set a new course record of 19:16.50 on a five-mile course to take first place at the first cross country meet of the ’07 season.

Two other Villanovans found themselves in the top five. Junior Robert Papazian took second with a time of 19:44.20. Senior Michael Kerrigan finished in fourth place with a time of 20:03.50.

Freshman runners Brian Long and Hugo Beamish finished third and fifth, respectively. They ran as unattached runners, meaning they did not add to Villanova’s overall score.

The women also had a strong outing as they placed five runners in the top 12. Freshman Kristen O’Dowd led the women with a fifth- place finish and a time of 18:41.50 on the three-mile course. Junior Emily McMillan and senior Casey Nelsoncame in with strong eighth and ninth-place finishes. Junior Lindsay Kos and sophomore Noelle Considine finished in 11th and 12th to wrap up a great week for Villanova cross country. – C.M.

Women’s Tennis: ‘Nova knocks off Fordham 5-2

The woman’s tennis team aced another victory last Saturday against the Fordham Rams with a match score of 5-2. This brought its season record to an impressive 3-1. The Wildcats wasted no time jumping ahead on Saturday when they started out with an early lead of 1-0, winning their No. 1 and No. 3 doubles matches respectively.

It was junior Jacklyn Willamson and senior Ashley Reed who defeated the Rams by a score of 8-3 to win the No. 1 match, while freshmen Elily Urda and sophomore Courtney Reed dominated with an 8-1 victory for the No. 3 match.

Urda also came up big in singles winning her match, while sophomore Carla Erskine and juniors Lyndsey Lostritto and Daniella Phillis gained three more hard-fought wins, spurring the Wildcats to victory. Fordham gained an edge over the ‘Cats in the No. 1 and No. 4 spots of singles play, but ‘Nova already had an insurmountable lead as a result of their stellar play.

The next action for the Wildcats is the Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 28-30. – K.A.

Golf: ‘Cats struggle at Sea Trail

After a challenging three-day tournament at the Sea Trail Invitation hosted by Elon University, Villanova finished 16th out of 19 teams with a team round of 300. At the conclusion of the tournament at the par-72, 6,761-yard course in Sunset Beach, N.C., the Wildcats finished with a three-day total score of 888. The Wildcats improved their average team score from their season opener against Rutgers by a 12-stroke margin.

Junior Brett Bergman tied for 18th place out of 99 golfers. Bergman had a weekend total of 214, finishing at a noteworthy two under par.

Junior Doug Stadler and freshman Connor Casey came up big on the course, both shooting a round under par during the tournament. Stradler tied for 50th place with overall scores of 220, finishing four strokes over par, while Casey tied for 56th place, finishing with 222 and a respectable six over par.

Juniors Bill Gropp and Andrew Alexander added to the overall team success. Gropp totaled 239, tying for 92nd place, while Alexander totaled a score of 242 that tied for 96th place.

Host Elon University captured the title with an impressive 36-under par three-day total.

After a week break, the Wildcats will be back on the greens Oct. 5-7 in The Mission Inn Collegiate Classic hosted by St. John’s in Howie in the Hills, Fla. – K.A.