As classes come to an end, Villanova Athletics wraps up their spring season. Here are some of each team’s highlights from the 2026 spring season.
Basketball
This spring, men’s basketball returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years. The team traveled to San Diego, CA, facing Utah State in the first round of March Madness, where they fell, 86-76. In his first year as head coach, Kevin Willard led the Wildcats to their best record since the 2021-22 season, going 24-9 overall and 15-5 in the Big East.
Villanova women’s basketball returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023, where they fell in the first round as a 10 seed to No.7 seeded Texas Tech. Denise Dillon led the Wildcats to a 25-8 overall record and a Big East record of 16-4, as well as an appearance in the Big East title game. Dillon was named as the Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year, while Jasmine Bascoe earned Big 5 Player of the Year and Kennedy Henry was Big 5 Rookie of the Year.
Lacrosse
Men’s lacrosse kicked off its 2026 season strong with an overtime win against then ranked No. 7 Penn State. Since the victory, the Wildcats have collected a 6-7 overall record, going 3-2 in Big East play. Villanova will now travel to Providence, RI, for the Big East Championship semifinals.
Women’s lacrosse achieved its biggest victory in program history over No.2 ranked Stanford this season. The Wildcats took down Stanford on March 28 at home, 9-8. It was the fourth win in program history over a top 25 team. Following the win, four players earned Big East weekly honors, including Mary Moore as Midfielder of the Week, Allie Bell as Freshman of the Week and Katie Clark and Ashlyn Hickey were named to the Big East Honor Roll.
Water Polo
Villanova Water Polo recently concluded a successful season after finishing with 20 total wins
and a second place finish in the
MAAC conference. Riley Hull was named MAAC 2026 Offensive Player of the Year, Ella Mattocks was named All-MAAC Second Team and Layla Canales and Gracie Kerry were named All-MAAC Third Team.
Baseball
Baseball is currently coming off a two game win streak after tallying two wins over Seton Hall to take the series over the Pirates. The ‘Cats currently sit at 14-25 on the season and have defeated opponents including La Salle, UNC Asheville and Bucknell.
Softball
Softball currently sits at 11-39 on the season, with a conference record of 5-16. The ‘Cats tallied a series win over Big East opponent DePaul, as well as wins over St.Joseph’s and Seton Hall. They also took their series over Georgetown with two consecutive wins.
Track and Field
Villanova men’s Track and Field has been making waves in the running world this season, especially with the help of star mid-distance runner, Marco Langon. After back-to-back second place finishes in the Indoor National Championships, Langon has vowed to get revenge this June, at the Outdoor Championships. Since then, he has helped Villanova to its 98th Championship of America wheel after a first place finish in the 4xMile relay at Penn Relays this weekend. .
Women’s track and field continues its decorated spring season, breaking both program and personal records. Most recently, the women’s distance medley relay team of sophomore Rosie Shay, junior Olivia Allen, sophomore Bella Walsh and junior Tilly O’Conner recorded the second fastest time in school history for the event at the Penn Relays.
Tennis
Men’s tennis concluded its season with an appearance at the Big East Championship. Sophomore Evan Ancu collected a 7-2 singles record in tournament play.
Women’s tennis concluded its season with a run to the quarterfinals of the Big East Championship. The team finished with a winning, 12-10 record, going 3-2 in conference play.
Golf
This season, men’s golf picked up a team win at the Wildcat Fazio Invite at the Galloway National Golf Course. The team also earned a second place finish at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate in Williamsburg, VA.
Swim and Dive
Nate Warson of men’s diving competed at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championship after qualifying for the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events at the Big East Championships. At the Championships, Sophomore Zach Sutter set a school record in the 100 Fly with a time of 47.72. Justin Nowicki set the fastest 400 Individual Medley time in program history, clocking in at 3:47.65 and Max Christensen moved to fourth all time with a time of 3:51.41.
Women’s swim and dive took home its 13th consecutive Big East Championship title in Ocala, FL, with a winning score of 1,754 points, its highest point total in program history. Their 13 year crown gives the Wildcats the second longest active win streak in NCAA Division I Swim and Dive onference championship history.
Rowing
The women’s rowing team continues to improve this spring. At the Lake Wheeler Invite three Wildcat boats posted significant improvements, with each dropping at least four seconds from previous marks.
