Monday night marked the start of the regular season for the women’s basketball team as it traveled to Poughkeepsie, NY to play Marist. The Wildcats dominated and tallied their first win of the season, beating the Red Foxes, 60-38.

While it was the start of the regular season, this game meant even more for star senior forward Maddy Siegrist. She grew up only a few minutes down the road from Marist’s campus, and Siegrist’s homecoming was the story of the night. 

Before her commitment to Villanova, Siegrist played for Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie. Siegrist was named Poughkeepsie Journal Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018, was a three-time All-Section honoree, three-time All-League selection, named All-State twice, earned four varsity letters and averaged 32.7 points per game and 13.1 rebounds. Her senior year alone, Siegrist tallied six 40-point games, including a career high of 45 points in one match. Siegrist was the star for Poughkeepsie before she was the star for Villanova.

Marist has an undergraduate study body size similar to Villanova’s. With 23 varsity sport teams, women’s basketball is known to be one of the leaders. For most young athletes, Marist may not be the institution with players they look up to, but for Siegrist, the story is different.

In July of 2021, Siegrist was interviewed by BVM Sports regarding her breakout season for the Wildcats. In the interview, she stated that two particular players have inspired her growth. The common denominator between these players? They both went to Marist.

“Growing up, [I looked up to] Rachele Fitz who played at Marist College, which was the college closest to me,” Siegrist said. “I watched all the games, and I thought she was such a dominant player. That was definitely who I looked up to most as a kid.”

The second player hits a little closer to home. Maddy is not the only Siegrist with Division I basketball experience. Her father, George Siegrist, was a center for Marist from 1987-1991. 

“He was just a role player, but growing up, I thought that was the coolest thing ever,” Siegrist said. “I used to ask him all the time if I could play in college. I wasn’t very good, just taller than everyone else, but he said ‘Yeah, if you work hard.’ I definitely was inspired by that.”

The stands on Monday night could have been mistaken for a game at the Finneran Pavilion, with more than 200 fans there to welcome Siegrist for her homecoming. With friends and family in the stands and being back in the town she calls home, Siegrist did what she always does. She dominated. After a slow first quarter, the redshirt senior started to get hot and find her groove on the court. She scored Villanova’s last seven points of the first half to bring the Wildcats to a 37-29 halftime lead. This first half scoring is what started to break the game open. 

Playing strong defense along with an impressive fast break layup to help close out the third quarter, Siegrist and the team led by 49-33 after three. 

Siegrist ended her homecoming game with 21 points and 13 rebounds. The season-opener now marks her 52nd career 20-point game and her 38th career double-double. 

A winning performance, especially a dominating one, is always sweet. But when it takes place five minutes away from home, it becomes that much sweeter.