SPORTS
14 | The Villanovan
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
SPORTS
Women’s Basketball Welcomes Fresmen and New Coach Meghann Morhardt Staff Writer
After a successful season, making it to the second round of the Big East Tournament, the women’s basketball team looks to improve even more this year with a new head coach and the addition of four freshmen. Denise Dillon, the new head coach of the women’s basketball program, spent the last 17 years as the head coach of the Drexel women’s basketball team. Dillon, a 1996 Villanova graduate, played under head coach Harry Perretta, and is now filling the position that he held for 42 seasons. Dillon has big shoes to fill, but she is certainly up for the challenge. Her resume is one to be admired. She is the winningest coach in Drexel history, won CAA Coach of the Year four times, won four conference championships, a WNIT championship and advanced to the national postseason four out of her last five seasons. Not only is Dillon a tremendous coach, but she was also an impressive player in her time as a Wildcat, with 1,355 points and 677 rebounds in her career. She was a three-time All-Big 5 selection, an AllBig East honoree and is a member of the Big 5 Hall of Fame, the Villanova Varsity Club Hall of Fame and the Delaware County Athletes Hall of Fame. The team lost three seniors,
Side by side features Dillon coaching and Dillon playing for the’Cats Courtesy of the Big East Conference
all in the starting five last season, but looks to fill those roles with the strong returning crew and four freshmen. Kylie Swider, a 6’4” freshman from Portsmouth, R.I. and sister of men’s basketball player Cole Swider, will add some height and depth to the roster. Swider was an Adidas All-American and averaged a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds per game during her senior year. After losing Bridget Herlihy and Mary Gedaka last season, the team needed to add some forwards and they did that with Swider and Lior Garzon, the second freshman forward. Garzon, one of three international students on the roster, is from Raanana, Israel. Standing at 6’1”, Garzon will be another solid option for the ‘Cats. With her experience on the Israel National Team, Garzon is a fierce competitor and will fit in perfectly with the team.
Taliyah Medina, a 6’0” freshman from Bethlehem, Pa., will add some depth at the guard position. Medina was a 1,000 point scorer and the 2020 4A Pennsylvania State Player of the year, on top of being a four-time District 11 champion, four-time Eastern Pennsylvania Conference champion and a two-time state champion. Medina’s skill set and competitive nature will help her have an impact for the ‘Cats over the next four years. The last freshman is 5’11” guard Bella Runyan from Morrestown, N.J. Runyan was a 1,000 point scorer, as well as the second leading scorer in her high school’s history and the all time leader in assists and steals. She was a three sport captain for soccer, basketball and lacrosse and was All-League for all three sports in her last three years. Runyan’s natural athletic ability and experience with being a leader will help her find her
way here at Villanova. Sarah Mortenson, while not a freshman, will be playing her first season in blue and white. Mortenson transferred to Villanova last year from Miami but had to sit out the 2019-20 season due to transfer regulations. The ‘Cats will look to her for supplemental scoring as well as leadership. Returning players, such as Maddy Siegrist and Raven James, will be strong players that Coach Dillon and the rest of the coaching staff will rely on this year. Siegrist had an outstanding season as a red-shirt freshman last year. Leading the team with 18 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, Siegrist was an integral part of the team’s success. She was named one of the top-10 freshmen in the country by ESPN.com, earned All-Big 5, All-Big East and was the unanimous Big East Rookie of the Year. James started all 31 games last season, and while she only averaged 5.9 ppg, she led the team in assists and steals with 109 and 27, respectively. After losing a large percentage of scoring in the seniors last year, James will need to step up this year as a senior leader and help the team on both ends of the floor. There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding the season, but Coach Dillon and the Wildcats will look to improve in conference play this season and advance further in the Big East Conference Tournament in order to give themselves a chance to play in the postseason at the national level.
Men’s Soccer Adds Transfers and Freshmen to Roster Colin Beazley Staff Writer As they prepare for a season that is sure to look unlike any other, the Villanova men’s soccer team will rely on an infusion of new players into the program, adding eight freshmen and three graduate transfers. The team is aiming to reach the Big East Tournament for the first time since 2016. Last season’s team was an excellent defensive team, led by
redshirt junior goalkeeper Carson Williams. Williams was the owner of the nation’s best save percentage (.848), tying a program record with nine clean sheets. However, a late-season slide and a 1-8 record when conceding a goal meant that the Wildcats failed to make the postseason. Nevertheless, last year’s team was filled with youth and will benefit from an added year of experience. Sophomore Lyam MacKinnon led the Wildcats in scoring with two goals and four assists, as well as leading the team in
Senior Midfielder Theo Quartey, during a game last season. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics
shots on goal. This year’s offense will also be helped by graduate transfer Nico Quashie, a forward joining from Virginia Tech, who scored six goals and assisted a pair more during his junior season with the Hokies. Sindri Bjornsson and Elan Koenig are also joining the team as graduate transfers. Bjornsson is a midfielder from Iceland, joining the Wildcats after playing for Clemson the past two years. In an interview with Villanova Athletics, head coach Tom Carlin was excited about how he will fit into the team. “We are going to ask him to get forward more than he did at Clemson, so I really think he is going to enjoy his role at Villanova,” Carlin said. Koenig is a defender who is joining Villanova after being a loyal defensemen for the Wisconsin Badgers. He’s expected to slot in at center back, replacing Second Team All-Big East defender Shawn Bradley, who graduated last spring. The team is also very excited to add eight freshmen to the program. Forwards Luke Pompliano and Akinjude Awujo both played high levels of club soccer, and will look to make an impact on the squad immediately. Midfielders Brandon “BJ” Johns, Dominic Cyriacks and Jorge Garcia have fans excited, all great passers with good technical ability. Cyriacks played for Hamburger SV II, the reserve team of
ex-European champion Hamburg, in his native Germany, as well as for BSV Rehden in the German fourth tier. On defense, Jack Bonas and David Ogbonna join the squad, with Ogbonna likely to fill a hole in the team at outside back. To round out the freshman class, goalkeeper Owen Kulick joins from the New York Red Bulls Academy, and he will provide high caliber depth for the team this season. There’s incredible quality among the returning players as well. Of the six players who appeared in every game of last season, five returned, including senior captain Theo Quartey, who finished third in scoring for the Wildcats from midfield. Fellow senior Richie Schlentz also started all 18 games last season and will keep the backline solid. Sophomore Josh Belluz led all field players in minutes, starting every game as a towering presence in midfield. Although no one knows what this season will look like, expect a strong one for the Wildcats. Last season’s strengths look to be continued into this year, and the pieces are there for a strong record and overall success for the team, even in a competitive Big East Conference. The team will continue to work hard over the fall and winter and looks forward to kicking off in the spring.
