The Villanovan | Volume 114, Issue 9: March 30, 2022

2 | The Villanovan

MARCH MADNESS

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

FINAL FOUR

Final Four Preview: Villanova Prepares for Kansas Meghann Morhardt Co-Sports Editor After five months of college basketball filled with endless ebbs and flows, only four teams are left standing — four of the most historically significant teams at that. The quartet of Blue Bloods featuring Villanova, Duke, North Carolina and Kansas makes up the first ever Final Four where each program has multiple National Titles on its resume.

While the championship in New Orleans will lack Cinderellas and first-time winners, it will no-doubt produce some all-time classics. From Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski closing out his retirement tour while facing rival North Carolina, to Kansas looking to defend its No. 1 seeding against a Villanova team seeking its third championship since 2016, the stage is set for one of the most highly anticipated Final Fours in recent history.

After a solid first weekend, dominating Delaware and holding off a tough Ohio State team, No. 2 Villanova faced two challenging matchups in No. 11 Michigan and No. 5 Houston in San Antonio.

The Wildcats overcame a significant size disadvantage against the Wolverines before outplaying the gritty Cougars in a defensive slugfest to secure their spot in the Final Four for the third time in the last six tournaments. What happened in the last two appearances? Two National Championships.

Going in as the underdog, especially after losing their second leading scorer in Justin Moore, the Wildcats will have an uphill battle to add a trophy to their resume. Moore suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the final minute of Villanova’s Elite Eight game on Saturday night. Without the

junior guard, who averages 14.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, Jay Wright’s squad will have to make some adjustments.

“I think he [Moore] is underrated in terms of his value to this team and what he’s done this year,” Wright said on Monday.

“I think he’s truly one of the most complete players in the country.

If you look at his ability to do everything for this team, and be a leader at the same time, play the most minutes, everything…But, other guys can step up and we can be a good team without him.”

‘Nova will rely heavily on its veteran leaders, namely graduates Jermaine Samuels and Collin Gillespie, who have carried the team thus far. Samuels was named the South Region’s most outstanding player after averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the first four games of the tournament. Gillespie led the team in scoring this season and has averaged 13 points per game in the tournament thus far.

The three other starters for the ‘Cats include redshirt senior guard Caleb Daniels, senior wing Brandon Slater and redshirt sophomore forward Eric Dixon, who have all had their standout moments this season. Daniels and Dixon have carried this momentum into the Tournament, playing solid minutes in all four wins. Slater on the other hand, has scored just five points in the Wildcats’ last four games. If Villanova is going to make up for Moore’s missing scoring, Slater will likely have to find the confidence he had while averaging double digits for the first half of the season.

Off the bench, the Wildcats will adopt a next-man-up mentality, and their already slight seven-man rotation will now include junior Bryan Antoine, who has

The Villanova Wildcats will play the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, April 2nd.

Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

appeared in just 19 games and averaged 9.5 minutes in the contests.

Fellow junior, guard Chris Arcidiacono, who averaged 9.7 minutes in 34 appearances, is also expected to see more minutes this weekend. Arcidiacono was in a similar position last year where he stepped into a starting role after Gillespie went down with a torn MCL just before the postseason. The junior duo will be asked to step up and fill the hole left in Moore’s absence, and while many may now count the Wildcats out of championship contention, Wright remains confident in his reserves.

“These other guys, they’re not playing not because they’re not good enough, they’re not playing because the other guys are just so good,” Wright said of his bench. “This is just their opportunity, and I think that’s what we’re going to take from this and how we’re going to approach it.”

Kansas, coming off of an impressive Elite Eight win over Miami, will present a challenge

in terms of size and pace of the game. The Jayhawks are led by their two star guards in senior Ochai Agbaji and junior Christian Braun, who average 18.9 and 14.3 points per game, respectively.

The guard talent is backed up by the frontcourt duo of Jalen Wilson and David McCormack, who stand at 6’8” and 6’10”, respectively. Dixon (6’8”) and Samuels (6’7”) will be at a slight disadvantage, but this is nothing new for the Villanova forwards who have found success while being consistently undersized all season. Wilson and McCormack average 11 and 10.1 points, and 7.4 and 6.8 rebounds per game, respectively.

Playing undersized and a man down, the Wildcats will need some stand-out performances from their veterans to be the last of the powerhouses standing. But in the eyes of Wright and his Wildcats, it’s not Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina standing in the way, it’s just two games. Just 80 more minutes of “Villanova Basketball.”

ROLL NOLA: ‘Nova Students Take on The Big Easy Vivi Melkonian Co-Editor-in-Chief Screaming, crying and impulsive purchases. What do these three things have in common?

They were all completely valid responses to the ‘Cats victory over Houston last Saturday night.

Whether one celebrated at The Oreo, The Courts or Kelly’s, the ‘Nova Nation pride was palpable in the air. Students reveled in victory for the evening but were greeted by a monster on Sunday morning: tentative travel plans.

If you’re anything like me and impulsively purchased a ticket to your southern home town with absolutely no further plan of how to get to Louisiana, this was a rude awakening.

For broke college kids trying to plan a 1,200 mile journey in five days, creative transportation includes planes, trains, automobiles and…RVs? “It started out as a joke,”

sophomore Alex Nemon said.

“Then the next thing I knew, I was putting my credit card info into an RV rental site.”

Nemon, along with six of his fraternity brothers, plan to depart from the comforts of Bryn Mawr in the wee hours of Friday morning and complete the 18hour drive in one day. The transportation and residence fusion was especially appealing for the group.

For those uninterested in the mobile home scene, it’s all about scrappy methods. With plane tickets skyrocketing in price and limited availability on student flights, many Villanovans are searching for airports close enough to New Orleans for a condensed road trip.

“My whole family is coming, and flying directly to NOLA was absurd,” junior Alyssa Paster said. “We’re flying at 5 a.m. on Friday from Atlanta to Newark and driving from there. We want to be there for the fun events that night. It’s not the most conve-

nient, but it’ll be so worth it.”

Students are taking these imaginative solutions in stride.

Rather than gripe about long car rides or packed airplanes, they are finding humor and seeing this as a bonding experience with a shared end goal: supporting the ‘Cats on their road to victory.

Once students figure out how to get to New Orleans, they are met with another obstacle: lodging.

The hotels of New Orleans are all but nonexistent so close to the game. Who knew there were so many Villanova fans? It definitely does not have to do with a huge Carolina rivalry and a certain coach’s last game. At this point, students who haven’t figured out lodging are more likely to be sleeping in the bayou than Bourbon Street.

Those who were able to book a coveted room are now working overtime to pack as many people in as possible.

“My friends are currently

trying to convince me to squeeze seven girls into a hotel room,” said an anonymous senior. “How are we supposed to shower?”

Comfort may be hard to come by these next few days, but students echo that it is all worth it for what might be a once in a lifetime chance to see their team compete at this level. Students and faculty alike recognize the rarity of this experience, as the Vice Provost announced that students traveling to games would be automatically excused from class on Friday, as well as on Monday “if (or should I say when) we make it to the final championship game.”

The electricity of school spirit at Villanova is unlike any other community, and that is more evident than ever this March.

So long are the frigid winds of Lancaster Avenue this weekend as students flock down South by whatever means necessary. Cheers to the Final Four. V’s up, go ‘Cats.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 30, 2022 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan

STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916

VOLUME 114 | ISSUE 9

PA Mailin-Vote Court Challenge

University Responds to Excitement Following Advancement to Final Four

Eric White Staff Writer

On Feb. 16, 2022, Commonwealth Court Senior Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt issued a Supreme Court decision for Pennsylvania that would prevent mailin ballots from being utilized in future elections.

NBC Philadelphia stated that, for now, the mail-in ballots are safe, as the decision was halted by other officials, saying, “Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law will remain in place, at least for the near future, despite a state judge’s order that would have made it expire in two weeks, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.”

Absentee ballots have a long history. They were first put in place to allow enlisted members of the Armed Forces to cast their vote from locations outside the United States, while also being used by civilians at the end of the 19th century. They have historically been utilized to help displaced citizens cast their vote and participate in the election, and thus, are more relevant than ever in the modern era.

Mail-in voting is a much-needed system that increases the accessibility of making electoral decisions in the United States. If elections are to be considered a true representation of the United States’ population, then it is absolutely necessary to make voting as easy as possible in order to assist citizens without the ability to vote in person.

Why, then, was mailin voting almost removed from our electoral system?

Often, it’s claimed that mailin voting leads to an increased likelihood of election fraud, though there is no concrete evidence to support this.

In fact, election fraud is exceedingly rare, no matter the case. The Brennan Center for Justice performed Continued on p. 8

Students celebrated the Wildcats’ advancement to the Final Four at a game watch hosted at the Oreo.

Courtesy of Mia Zhu

Sarah Wisniewski Co-News Editor

As the University and its community members have celebrated the success of the Men’s Basketball Team in March Madness, precautions are being taken on campus and in surrounding areas. Some precautions were already made but more are being taken for the Final Four game on Saturday, Apr. 2.

On Saturday, Mar. 26, the Wildcats took on the University of Houston in the Elite Eight. Students and other Villanova fans were gathered all over to

watch and cheer on the men’s team. Popular venues for celebration included an on campus game watch in the Villanova Room of the Connelly Center, the local bar Kelly’s Taproom, the apartments known as “The Courts” on Montgomery Avenue and other establishments including The Grog and The Refectory.

The Radnor Police Department posted on their Instagram page prior to the game to warn residents of precautions being taken.

“Radnor Township Police have increased staffing around the University as well as off campus student housing

and liquor establishments,” the post read. “In event of a celebration, road closures for pedestrian safety may be put into effect temporarily.”

The precautions were seen as police vehicles were parked outside of Kelly’s Taproom and in front of “The Courts.” Lancaster Avenue was also closed off for a short period of time following the Wildcats victory.

Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police David Tedjeske shared that the Elite Eight games in past years have not been the source of many issues. This year there were no incidents to report, and students were

respectful and safe after the win over Houston.

Students who attended the game watch voiced the excitement of the win and the respect shown by students during celebrations. The attention of the police presence was also evident to students.

“CAT has done a fantastic job with the game watches throughout the year.

The Villanova room was absolutely packed and since we got off to a great start and never looked back, it just buzzed for the entire game,” senior Jack Roberge said.

“It was a really cool feeling of community to be getting

to complete the run. Starting and ending at the Rocky Steps, the Love Run hosted 11,000 runners. Rodman Street was flooded with people, tents and celebrations the entire morn-

ing.

parents pick them up to go downtown and grab their race swag.

Runners had the choice of running for themselves or running to support a cause of their choice. A few members of the Villanova chapter of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity came together to raise money for a cause.

“I had been running a good amount on my own, but some other Pi Kappa Phi members were doing it and turning it to a fundraiser for Continued on p. 11

Continued on p. 4

Villanovans Run Philadelphia Half Marathon Chloe Miller

Co-Culture Editor Sunday mornings.

Most students wake up facing the dreaded Sunday scaries, but the bold few woke up on March 27 around 5 a.m. to head into Philadelphia to run 13.1 miles.

Philadelphia hosted the annual Love Run, the only spring half marathon in Philly, this past Sunday. Many students, with various running backgrounds, set their alarms

The event started on Friday, with packet pick-up being held in the Philadelphia Convention Center. Students drove, took the train or had

Caitlin Gomes and her friends celebrated finishing the Philadelphia Love Run. Courtesy of Caitlin Gomes

SGA Sells Bracelets For Ukrainian Foundations p.5

Students and Advisors React to Fall 2022 Registration p.6

The Final Straw: Agave Needs to Go

Poland’s Actions Are Threat To NATO

p.7

p.9

Villanovans Hit The Road: A Weekend in Pittsburgh p. 14

Women’s Tennis Tops Seton Hall

Women’s Track Continues Outdoor Success

p. 15

p. 17

Wildcats Defeat Houston To Advance to Final Four p.18

Grace Metzger Performs “Anxious Body, Anxious Voice” p.13 Women’s Lacrosse Defeats UC Davis 12-10 p.18

4 | The Villanovan

News Opinion Culture Sports

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VOL. 114 | ISS. 9 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan

COLIN BEAZLEY VIVI MELKONIAN TINA ARON CATE McCUSKER RACHEL REINIGER SARAH SWEENEY SARAH WISNIEWSKI BELLA IRWIN JACKIE THOMAS A.J. FEZZA ELENA ROUSE CHLOE MILLER MATTHEW RYAN MEGHANN MORHARDT MOLLY BAKER OLIVIA PASQUALE

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

NEWS

Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Associate Editor-in-Chief Senior Editor Digital Editor News Editor News Editor Opinion Editor Opinion Editor Culture Editor Culture Editor Culture Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Copy Desk Chief Photography Editor

MICHAEL BRADLEY Advisor DEENA SMITH Advisor CONTACT villanovan.eic@gmail.com

Disorderly Conduct / Liquor Underage March 25, STANFORD HALL A male resident student, under the age of 21, was found intoxicated in public and was observed acting disorderly in a residential building.

The male was cited for Disorderly Conduct, Liquor Underage, and Public Drunkenness.

Liquor Underage March 26, STANFORD HALL A female resident student, under the age of 21, appeared in public and was evaluated for alcohol intoxication.

Liquor Underage March 25, GALLEN HALL A female resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication.

Liquor Underage March 27, O’DWYER HALL A female resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication.

Fire Actual March 26, M-4 DOUGHERTY DRIVE A vehicle on campus caught fire due to mechanical/electrical issues.

Liquor Underage March 27, SHEEHAN HALL A male resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated by Radnor Ambulance and transported to the hospital for alcohol intoxication.

Theft By Unlawful Taking or Disposition March 38, JAKE NEVIN FIELD HOUSE A contractor reported a theft of property valued at $150.00.

Paraphernalia /Posession- Marijuana March 28, RUDOLPH HALL One male resident student and one male non-resident student were found in possession of a small amount of marijuana and paraphernalia.

CORRECTIONS Factual errors are corrected as soon as they are brought to The Villanovan’s attention. Please send an e-mail to villanovan.eic@gmail.com to report errors.

COVID-19 TRACKER CONFIRMED CUMULATIVE CASES AS OF 6:00 P.M. TUESDAY, MARCH 29

1320

11

Cumulative Cases Estimated Active (From 1/5) Cases

16.92K

Total Number of Tests (From 1/5)

759

Residential Students

360

Non-Residential Students

201

Employees

ASK THE VILLANOVAN “My boyfriend and I booked non-refundable tickets to NOLA for the Final Four and we just broke up. What should I do?”

Sounds like you’re going to NOLA! Try your best to make the most of the trip despite your current relationship status, this game is history in the making! Focus on the game and maybe even make some new friends along the way.

“Should I drive or fly to NOLA?” There are upsides and downsides to both. The upside of flying is the convenience factor with a quick flight right to NOLA, however, these flights have been priced in the thousands. Driving means a long-time in the car, but the unique opportunity to roadtrip with your friends to a Final Four game. Either way, go ‘cats!

“My friend group booked a hotel room for eight girls and now two of them have backed out. How do we resolve this?”

Unfortunately, these situations are bound to happen. It’s just best to air everything out in the open and talk about how you guys feel, what the financial impacts are, and how to move forward.

“I get back from NOLA on Tuesday but have a huge exam on Wednesday. What should I do?”

‘Cats come first, grades come second. Study in the airport!

You’ll definitely have some downtime to do work, and it’s not worth missing this experience for it.

Final Four Excitement for the Upcoming Weekend Sarah Wisniewski Co-News Editor Continued from p.1

to watch a game like that. After the game the celebration was somewhat muted honestly. Once everyone left things kind of dispersed, and with Justin Moore being injured I think a lot of people didn’t really know exactly how to react. It also didn’t help that Villanova seemed to have called every police officer in the area to be on campus, so it honestly felt like we were being watched no matter where we went to try to celebrate.”

Many students were curious as to why Lancaster Avenue was closed following the game. Tedjeske explained that the road closures are precautionary measures taken for games to ensure student safety and avoid traffic issues for surrounding residents.

Another major event that took place was a car fire outside of Bartley Hall. Students were notified around 8 p.m. Saturday evening via Nova Alert to avoid the area.

The car was an Uber vehicle picking up students from campus and had no correlation to celebrations after the game. The fire ignited due to mechanical and electrical issues with the vehicle itself.

“I couldn’t make up the location and the timing if I tried” Tedjeske said in reference to the incident occurring at the very end of the basketball game. “It was just bad timing.”

The main motivation of

sending out the Nova Alert was to protect students who might celebrate in popular areas around campus that would near the fire, including the Quad and intersection of Lancaster Ave and Ithan Ave. The fire was successfully extinguished, and the roads eventually re-opened later in the evening.

Abby Faeth was in the car, but luckily got out safely.

“Girls ran up to the car and screamed at us to get out and we frantically made the driver park even though he didn’t seem too concerned and started reversing,” Faeth said. “It was really scary because my friend was stuck in the back seat and the Uber driver didn’t even help to get her out. I’m just glad we’re all okay though.”

This weekend will have more precautions as the Final Four game has proven to cause problems in past years.

Public Safety will ensure more VEMS personnel remain on campus and particularly at the game watch in the Finneran Pavilion. There will also be significant police presence.

Tedjeske stated that between ten to fifteen police departments will assist in maintaining the crowd and celebrations. The departments will include the state police horseback unit and major incident response team.

Fire and ambulance presence will also be heightened.

“The real win for us is when everyone goes home safe,” Tedjeske sid. “Those people and those resources will never get involved as long as it remains a safe celebration.”

Tedjeske also emphasized the “Community First” initiative and the idea that students should always be looking out for one another. Students are encouraged to think about the safety of their peers during any celebrations.

The decision to implement many of the resources has been influenced by previous years and the behaviors of past students. In 2018, some students on campus suffered injuries due to celebrations. Celebrations included fires being set, objects being thrown, fireworks being set off and students climbing traffic poles.

One of the main reasons for the chaos was due to the Pavilion being under construction, causing the watch party for the championship to be held outside at the Oreo.

Tedjeske explained that the darkness affected the ability of Public Safety officers to see what was occurring.

The game was also not a close match and therefore students began celebrating earlier, leaving more time and opportunity for mischievous behavior.

Alumni Saul Hernandez graduated in 2018 and attended the championship game watch.

“It wasn’t really a close game, so everyone was already rowdy,” Hernandez said. “When we finally won though, everyone exploded in screams and cheers. It was like no one knew what to do with themselves, you had some people hanging from traffic poles and others setting fire to anything they could get their hands on. At one point I watched a crowd pull a small tree right out of the ground and toss it into a bonfire.

I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The University encourages students to celebrate respectfully and look out for the safety of others.

The men’s team won the South Reegion, advancing to the Final Four.

Courtesy of Villanova Men’s Basketball

The Villanovan | 5

NEWS

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

SGA Sells Bracelets for Ukrainian Foundations Lydia McFarlane Staff Writer This past week, the University’s Student Government Association organized a fundraiser in partnership with the University’s Russian Club for Ukraine Crisis Relief.

SGA member Thomas Dessoye and Russian Club President Angel Sarni wrote a bill called the “Russian Club Co-Sponsored Ukrainian Crisis-Relief Fundraiser.” The bill was presented on March 16 and was passed unanimously. The bill proposed the fundraiser, where money would be going once raised, how to get students to donate and the timeframe for the fundraiser.

For those who are unfamiliar, Ukraine is in a state of crisis since neighboring country Russia invaded a few weeks ago on Feb. 24, 2022. Around the world, leaders and dignitaries have been expressing their support for the Ukrainian people and encouraging citizens to donate to relief funds.

In the United States, many citizens have become united once again in solidarity for the Ukrainian people affected by the invasion across the bipartisan divide that has been present in the nation throughout the past few years. President Joe Biden gave a speech on Feb. 22, encouraging

American citizens to denounce the actions of the Russians and unite in support of the Ukrainians, who gained refugee status virtually overnight.

“Whatever Russia does next, we’re ready to respond with unity, clarity, and conviction,” Biden said.

The University has held several events regarding the crisis in Ukraine. On March 10, the University held a vigil on the Rowan Campus Green at 3:45 p.m., which was followed by a prayer service held in the Corr Chapel in the Ukrainian Orthodox tradition at 4:00 p.m.

According to an email sent

by Sarah Peters, a program co-

ordinator within the University’s Theology and Religious studies department, the services were meant to “Protest the illegal invasion, stand with Villanova students from the region and pray for the people of Ukraine as they resist, mourn, and seek refuge.”

The University also released an official statement sent from the office of University President Father Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D., on Feb. 28 in support of Ukraine. He closed the email by saying, “In God’s name, we pray that humanity prevails, and peace returns to Ukraine.”

As the crisis in Ukraine wages on, it is important to not forget what the people living there

The conflict in Ukraine continues to be a major conversation in the global news.

Courtesy of Atlantic Council

Sexual Violence Forum

or, Women of Color, LGBTQ+ Students and Survivors and/or Vivi Melkonian Loved Ones of Survivors. StuCo-Editor-In-Chief dents will join the category they would most like to contribute to, as well as have the chance to move TW: Mention of Sexual Violence between groups.

Ideas and quotes generated Tuesday, April 5, the Vilin the event will be kept anonylanova Campus Sexual Violence mous.

The forum will create a safe Forum will be hosting an in-perspace for sharing aimed at comson workshop, aimed at creating a munity betterment.

The creators digital resource guide for students want student voices to be heard impacted by sexual violence. This and valued. unique workshop was created for The event will be held and by students, Ajani Martin, in Garey Hall room 10A from Brice McInroy, Cordy Houck, 3-5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5. If Ivan Li and Ryan Weicht, as a part students cannot arrive at three, of their Communication Senior they may come late and go as they Capstone project. please.

There will not be any auThe three goals of the dio recording of this workshop in workshop are to detail on and order to protect participant anooff-campus resources for students nymity. impacted by sexual violence, Snacks will be provided, showcase realistic methods of and the creators ask that those preventing sexual violence within wanting to participate RSVP via the University and offer direct and Google Form (QR code below). indirect response methods to these If students have any questions, incidents. contact Ryan Weicht at rweicht@ In addition to creating this villanova.edu. guide, the forum will also be writing a call-to-action letter to the Villanova administration asking for better ways to address sexual violence within our community.

The students behind the forum recognize that each student is unique and will have different ideas and responses to these goals.

To have diversity in idea sharing, participants in the workshop will spend time in different identity group spaces.

Groups will include Male Allies, Female Allies, Men of Col-

are going through. Just because it might not show up in the news as much as it was about a month ago does not mean people are not still suffering and in need of help.

Because of this, SGA decided to organize the bracelet sale in which funds raised will go to Ukraine Crisis Relief funds.

The flyer advertising the sale said that the money raised will be going to “Humanitarian aid for: The United Nations crisis relief fund, the Support Vulnerable Black Community in Ukraine GoFundMe, and the support LGBTQ Ukrainians outright relief efforts.” The “I STAND WITH UKRAINE” wristbands were being sold for $2 each.

The sale took place at the Oreo on main campus from Tuesday, March 22 to Friday, March 25 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and on Monday, March 28, with an additional pre-sale day on Monday, March 21.

“To have the opportunity to support vulnerable communities in Ukraine on Villanova’s campus shows that no matter where you are, your help and support can truly have a global influence,” Dessoye said.

SGA’s partnership with the Russian Club encouraged students to stop by the Oreo to buy a wristband and show support for those in need in the current times of crisis in Ukraine.

“In the end, we hope to help communities in Ukraine by providing them with necessary resources to sustain their lives,” Dessoye said.

Acceptance Rate Drops

basketball team has also contributed to an increase in applications Kathy Fair since 2016, and it continues to Staff Writer climb each year.

“I had never heard of VilHow is the University’s ac- lanova before the basketball team ceptance rate declining when the won in 2016 and 2018, and it class sizes continue to grow? Folcaught my attention and made me lowing Villanova’s early action and look into Villanova without ever early decision releases, it became hearing about it before,” a student apparent that the University is in the class of 2025 said. cutting admissions going into the A Forbes article explained 2022-2023 school year. While the the impact of March Madness official class of 2026 has not been success on Villanova, supporting set due to regular decision and that after the 2016 championship waitlist admissions, the University win, the University’s application projects a new acceptance rate of rate rose 21% from the year be28%. fore. This statistic has continued to Several factors may be climb as Villanova basketball has contributing to this drop in the continued to gain attention. Howschool’s admission rate: increasing ever, the ability to host 21% more attraction to Villanova through the students is not feasible, and thus basketball program, new facilities the University must commit to a and majors, the recent change lower acceptance rate compared in the early admissions process to the application rate. or the ability for students to apMost recently, new policies ply test-optional. Many of these following COVID-19 have had an hypothesized reasons justify recent impact on Villanova’s acceptance booms in the University’s applica- rate. With the ability for students tion rate, in turn forcing the Adto apply to universities without missions Office to accept a lower needing to send standardized test percentage of students to be able scores, many more students apto house and fund enough students plied to not just Villanova, but to on our small campus. all universities. The reduced presAs of 2018, the Universisure and “metric mania” around ty began to offer Early Decision standardized testing and its scores admission, wherein a quarter of encouraged more students to apthe incoming class is selected and ply. committed to the school before Each of these factors may any regular decision applications justify the steady decline in Villaare accepted. These differentiated nova’s acceptance rate. However admission options have caused Vil- the University continues to admit lanova’s overall acceptance rate to as many as possible, as shown by fall in recent years. the increasing number of students The success of Villanova’s in recent freshman classes.

6 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

NEWS

University Hosts Annual GWS Research Conference Isabella Balian Staff Writer This week, Villanova hosted its annual research conference under the Gender and Women’s Studies department.

This was the University’s 32nd Gender and Women’s Studies Research Conference, which aimed to highlight and celebrate research examining gender and sexuality produced by students from across the University over the previous year.Villanova undergraduate students presented their research and essays over a series of panels along with a Keynote speaker, Erin Murphy. Students’ papers discuss ideas of gender, sexuality or feminist theories.

The conference was a day-long affair full of intellectual discussion, learning and meaningful community bonding. The event began in the morning with coffee and opening remarks. After the opening remarks, the panelists began, which consisted of students sharing and presenting their work.

The panels were separated into categories based on similar themes. Some of the topics included deconstructing representation, resistance and oppression, intersectionality, and action and bodies inside out. Each panelist event was held in different rooms in the Connelly Center, which were open to all University students and staff.

Senior Maeve Schumacher

reflected on her experience at the conference.

“I went to the conference to support my friend Irene Koch’s work on the intersection of lesbianism and feminism in the mid to late 1900s,” Schumacher said. “It felt great to support Irene in a professional setting after casually hearing so much about her work and thesis this year. The round table setup of each panel at the conference made me feel welcomed and included in the conversations each student raised from their work and research—so this conference felt more like an open conversation than a lecture, which I enjoyed extensively. It made me think more and acknowledge identities and people I may not have considered before, ultimately broadening my worldview in the span of a quick afternoon.”

Shaniya Peart, a Math major with minors in Russian Area Studies and Economics, reflected on her experience as a panelist.

“I enjoyed listening to the different discussions at the GWS conference,” Peart said. “I particularly enjoyed how each session aimed to address different issues within GWS, giving a voice to everyone. My submission was written as a final for Professor Ma’s Philosophy of Women course and aims to explore the trauma Black women experience as a result of the controlling images placed on them by society, specifically images that demonize their sexuality. I think that the GWS conference opens the door

for important conversations about gender and sexuality that are normally avoided in everyday life to be had.”

After the first three sessions of panelists, Murphy gave her address in the Villanova Room.

She is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Boston University.

Murphy’s research and teaching focus on the intersection of literature and politics, with primary areas of focus in 17-century English literature. Specifically, her address at the conference was “Amazons and Zombies: Margaret Cavendish’s Soldiers, Gender, and the Paradoxes of War.” Murphy’s talk analyzed the plays and proto-science fiction writing of Margaret Cavendish to consider how Cavendish drew on the new militarism of her moment, challenging the hierarchies of gender.

Murphy believes that bio-

logical gender is still often used to mark the boundaries of war, and war is used to mark the boundaries of gender. She said that even some feminist histories depict women as automatically outside or in opposition to the war.

The Gender and Women’s Studies department is an active learning department and community promoting gender equality and justice. In addition to the annual research conference, the Gender and Women’s Studies department has many other on and off-campus opportunities for students to get involved in.

Coming up, the department is introducing the Feminist Book Club, the Greater Philadelphia Women’s Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Consortium Feminist Camp, along with scholarship opportunities through the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership.

Students and professors engage in discussion at the conference.

Courtesy of Villanova University

Students and Advisors React to Fall 2022 Registration Katie Reed Staff Writer It’s that time of the year, when Villanovans are vying for the best classes, best professors and best times as they start thinking about what the Fall 2022 semester holds for them. It’s either chaos, as students put in their course CRNs trying desperately to get in that class with one spot left, or it is smooth sailing, as many upperclassmen can attest to.

Rising seniors registered for classes on Monday, March 21 and Tuesday, March 22. Christina Kurian, currently a junior majoring in Political Science and Economics, is studying abroad at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, so her experience registering for classes this semester was different from previous semesters in many ways.

For starters, due to time zone differences, she was registering for classes at 2 a.m. her time. Additionally, given that she is a rising senior and had a good scheduling time, she was able to easily sign up for all of the classes she wanted and needed to take this upcoming semester.

“The schedule that I wanted was the schedule that I got, and it’s great taking classes that I actually want to in my major,” Kurian said.

She contrasted this with her previous registration experiences, which were not as easy. “[In the past] I’ve always had to over-plan, and I’ve always expected to not get the classes that I wanted,” Kurian said. “I had a top schedule

and at least two others, so it was not just one schedule I was trying to get.”

Kurian also mentioned that she always had to overload on classes to make sure that she was on track with both her majors, which was an added level of stress when trying to put together her schedule. However, the overloading has paid off for her now since she can take a lighter load of classes when she returns from studying abroad for her last two semesters at the University.

Freshman Ananya Yogarajah did not have quite the same experience as Kurian. She is majoring in Psychology and is looking to declare Sociology as her second major, though she noted how being able to declare depends on her ability to take a specific sociology class next semester. It is notoriously difficult for rising sophomores to get into classes that they want, as many upperclassmen take highly coveted spots, which can make the overall process frustrating.

Yogarajah spoke about her experience from last semester.

“Last semester, I got the third to last time on the second day, and it was just a little bit challenging,” Yogarajah said. “I felt like I was at a disadvantage because people from other colleges can take classes in CLAS, but they don’t reserve spots for us. Now I feel better because I am on the first day, so I’ve had time over the weekend to look at what classes are available, and I know there are only a few slots in front of me this time.”

Additionally, Yogarajah expressed frustration about not being able to take classes that she wanted, but rather classes that were required.

“Since I had such a late time [last semester], when I chose my classes, it was all core classes, and I had nothing related to my major,” Yogarajah said. “I just felt like I was checking off boxes on a checklist, and I had to constantly monitor to see if someone would drop.”

Yogarajah’s thoughts are common for students at the University, which offers some solace, but there is still a lack of control she felt when registering.

Both Yogarajah and Kurian offered remarks on how they wish the registration process was different.

Yogarajah expressed her desire for core classes to not be so difficult to get into, especially since they are classes that must be taken.

“I understand how they want us to have a holistic background, but it makes it challenging to want to take those classes because you oftentimes don’t get something you’re interested in,” Yogarajah said. “It’s more like you are getting something done instead of trying to learn.”

Kurian shared similar frustration with how difficult it can be to compete for spots in both core and major requirements, and she took note of how the universities of other students in her abroad program approach registration.

“At some of the schools of other kids in the program, people apply to get their classes within their major first, so you have first access to your major classes and you are more likely to get your core requirements,” Kurian said. “It would be nice if students [at the University] had access to their major before other students.”

Travis Foster, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of English and the Academic Director of Gender and Women’s Studies. He is an advisor to students in both majors, with 11 advisees in English and five in GWS, so he tries to help ease the burden of the registration process.

“I think it’s twofold: to help students obtain the best possible schedule for them in any given semester, from how many classes they have in a single day to helping them strategize what sequence of courses will work the best as they fulfill their major and their core, and to help them think about long-term goals and how coursework as well as opportunities like internships and study abroad can help to advance those goals,” Foster said about his role as an advisor.

Foster mentioned that he likes the continuity of being an advisor, since he gets to work with the same students over the years and be a part of their journey. When it comes to registration, Foster sees advisors as an important resource for students to utilize, especially when students need help. “[Registration] can feel rushed,” Foster said. “So, I encourage students to reach out to their advisors for help even when registration isn’t approaching. We can help in lots of ways with lots of different problems.”

Class registration is always a tricky and frustrating process, but rest assured that it does eventually get better.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

The Villanovan | 7

OPINION

OPINION

The Final Straw: Agave Needs to Go Audrey Ryan Staff Writer It’s a frequent occurrence: you’re rushing to your next class and stop to pick up a coffee at Holy Grounds. What should be a quick pit stop turns into a lengthy and frustrating endeavor, as you tear through multiple straws attempting to find one that doesn’t have the seemingly ubiquitous crack down its side.

After leaving a pile of crumpled wrappers and cracked straws in your wake, exasperated, you likely settle for one with as minimal a crack as possible.

On the rare occasion that you actually find a working straw, it’s apt to break in the middle of your lecture, causing it to make rasping, gurgling noises as you sip, thus providing a sufficiently uncomfortable experience for both yourself and everyone within hearing distance.

This is perhaps one of the hallmarks of the Villanova student experience. A quick scroll on YikYak unearths testimonials such as “I’m on my final straw… and it’s one of the brown ones from Holy Grounds with a hole,” and the more straightforward “I hate these straws.”

Even mentioning the straws in casual conversation sparks a litany of complaints, with people lamenting the inconvenience, and even relaying instances wherein their tongues were cut by a cracked straw.

“It’s just really annoying and wasteful. I’m going through four straws for one drink,” said

accounting for only 1% of the planet’s waste, are an essential and relatively simple stepping stone towards transitioning entirely from single-use plastics.

However, the agave straws used at Villanova are not going to end pollution. While an environmentally-conscious alternative would be optimal, a return to plastic straws would not carry a horrific detriment to the environment. NBC reports that the movement for biodegradable straws will barely make a dent in annual plastic pollution.

What’s more, substituting eco-friendly alternatives for plastic straws places the onus of sacrificing comfort and shouldering the blame for pollution on the everyday consumer, as opposed to the undisputed largest culprits in plastic-related waste: major corporations.

Unreliable straws at Holy Grounds have become a point of contention for students.

Companies such as Coca Courtesy of Jackie Thomas/Villanovan Photography Cola, Pepsi and Nestle have all one freshman. the morale of Villanova’s students. been cited as the largest contributors to plastic pollution, yet most “It’s super frustrating when Furthermore, this action would sustainability movements focus on you’re running late and it’s just an prove to the student body that consumers whose actions ultimateunnecessary delay,” said another.

Villanova listens to, and respects, These grievances, while its concerns and complaints – even ly have little bearing on pollution.

Sadly, our well-intentioned efforts trivial at face value, compound on small matters. are largely insignificant in the upon a multitude of complaints Granted, it’s incontestable grand scheme. that have been brought up against that biodegradable straws are inDo the pros of Villanova’s Villanova’s provision of basic serfinitely better for the environment agave straws outweigh the cons? vices and necessities. than plastic, breaking down in a The shortages in housing matter of months – or even weeks Ultimately, no. The infinitesimal benefit provided by agave straws and staffing concerns that have – as opposed to the conventional is undermined both by its pointed arisen at Villanova are underplastic’s 500-year decomposition functional flaws as well as their use standably difficult to reconcile in process. in plastic cups with plastic lids. the midst of continued COVID-19 As the University attempts In the wake of widespread insecurity and inflation, but findto progress towards a more suscomplaints, the University should ing a replacement for the current tainable future, it’s sensible to find a more suitable, ideally simistraws is a relatively simple fix that tackle the “low-hanging fruit” larly sustainable, alternative. has the capacity to greatly improve of plastic straws, which, despite

SCOTUS Nomination Breaks Glass Ceiling Zoë Kim Staff Writer It took 223 years, but a Black woman, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, is on the cusp of getting a seat in the Supreme Court. This is a triumph for all of America.

“It’s time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of extraordinary qualifications,” President Joe Biden said when he nominated her last month.

Jackson stood out in her hearings. It was heartening to hear her express her devotion and love to what many believe to be a flawed America. This triumph is well-deserved after years of service as a public defender and her devotion to the law. But the attitudes of right-wing senators have cast a shadow over her work and this great triumph.

The first words from Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn were staggering, yet unsurprising.

They showed the scope of what Jackson was up against. Republican Senators Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham took aim at her sterling work and rep-

utation, characterizing her in an untrue and hurtful narrative of a woman unfit to serve.

Hawley went so far as to tweet, “Judge Jackson has a pattern of letting child porn offenders off the hook.” Cruz attacked Georgetown Day School, where Jackson is one of the board of trustees, for a book it reads to young children.

In most ways, she fits the profile of justices before her as a Harvard-educated and admired federal judge. She would be the eighth justice to have graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law in the history of the court.

In the first minutes of the hearing, it was obvious it was her race and gender, rather than legitimate questions about her qualifications, that had prompted these disgraceful attacks.

Right-wing Senators do not have the power or the votes to stop Jackson from becoming a Justice. Their attacks towards her character and values are untrue and they suggest an uglier truth– some conservatives do not believe a Black woman should be given a seat in our courts.

Even before Jackson was

selected by Biden, there were attacks from the right. Complaints were largely rooted in the fact that Biden had pledged to give a seat to a Black woman. They said it was akin to a “quota” or “affirmative action,” though former presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump have taken similar pledges of giving seats to women.

Left-wing senators were pleased to welcome Jackson to the Supreme Court.

“Today we should rejoice,” Senator Cory Booker said, shining a light on what a triumph it would be for a Black woman to be on the Supreme Court.

Of the 115 justices in our history, all but seven have been White men, and we have had only two Black men – Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas.

If Jackson becomes a Justice, the court’s make-up would be striking. It would have four White men, a Black man, and four women – one Black woman and one Hispanic woman. This still does not accurately represent America, but it would be a step forward.

In all of this, the Republicans were hung up on the past hearings of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, during which Kavanaugh was

accused of sexually assaulting a woman in high school.

“No one is going to inquire about your teenage drinking habits,” Cruz joked.

But Jackson fought through it. She sat in her chair with poise and patience.

Despite his insistent disrespect, no words from Cruz could take away the first twenty minutes of the hearing.

“I know it has not been easy as I have tried to navigate the challenges of juggling my career and motherhood,” Jackson said to her daughters in her opening remarks. “And I fully admit that I did not always get the balance right. But I hope that you have seen that with hard work, determination and love, it can be done.”

It is likely that many women saw themselves in that statement and felt a sense of trust towards Jackson. With an appointment in sight, she was vulnerable and honest, fearless in a way that spoke to women in this country.

In the end, it was her qualification and story that shone through. From a young Black girl in Miami to a federal judge, one could not help but be in awe of Judge Jackson.

8 | The Villanovan

OPINION

EDITORIAL BOARD

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

The Villanovan encourages all members of the Villanova community to voice their opinions. LetEditor-in-Chief ters to the editors may be submitted via e-mail to villanovan.eic@gmail.com. Letters must not Associate Editor-in-Chief exceed 500 words and must be signed. No anonymous letters will be published. All submissions beOpinion Editor come property of The Villanovan and are subject Opinion Editor to editing for clarity and space.

COLIN BEAZLEY Editor-in-Chief VIVI MELKONIAN TINA ARON BELLA IRWIN JACKIE THOMAS

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

POLICY

The unsigned editorial that appears is the opinion of The Villanovan as determined by the majority of the Editorial Board. Other columns, letters and artwork represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Villanovan.

Make the Sunshine Protection Act a Law Joe Adams Staff Writer Last week, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Getting anything to pass unanimously in the Senate is unheard of in these polarized times.

I was also intrigued by the act because it would mean an end to changing our clocks and watching the sun set in the afternoon.

Seasonal depression is very real, and something that I, and many of my peers, struggle with.

There’s nothing worse than the cold, dark days in the winter with so little daylight. So, after hearing that the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, I was thrilled.

I strongly believe that this proposed act should become law, especially because so many Americans, regardless of political affiliation, are in favor. It makes no sense that we set our clocks back every year, meaning that this outdated tradition must come to an end.

Daylight Saving can negatively affect people’s health as well.

Disrupting the circadian rhythm is never a good thing, but it consistently occurs every time we change the clocks.

The Sunshine Protection Act must now pass through the House of Representatives, where it faces greater opposition.

Villanovans think the Sunshine Protection Act would benefit student mental health.

Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

If it passes, though, it will be a game-changer.

Millions of Americans will benefit from the sun setting later, as opposed to during the day.

Beyond this, the Sunshine Protection Act impacts us in a more narrow sense, as members of the Villanova community.

There is the possibility that, while the act would provide numerous benefits, there could be some downsides for Villanova.

For example, walking to our 8:30 a.m. classes in the dark might not be the best. Would,

then, Villanova make adjustments to its academic scheduling following this act?

Senior Associate Registrar Carolyn Bruce provided her thoughts about the act and its potential to impact class scheduling.

“We in the Registrar’s Office are not aware of any discussions taking place in the University about adjusting schedule times in response to the proposed Sunshine Protection Act,” she said. “Decisions such as these would be made at a higher administrative level than our office.”

For now, it seems that the administration has not considered the implications of the act, but it will be interesting to see if, and how, things change at Villanova.

Villanova students also shared their thoughts, and the responses were similar across the board. Students are both happy and relieved to get longer daylight hours and to no longer be as seasonally depressed.

“I think it’s great,” one student said. “There’s no worse feeling than leaving a class and having it be dark out.”

As the weather gets nicer and there are 7 p.m. sunsets again, I can sense a shifted mood on campus. Everyone is happier, excited for summer and ready to hang out with friends outside in the sunlight again.

Every year, I always look forward to seeing campus come to life in the spring, with people sitting outside, tossing around a football or taking a walk through campus.

The best times at Villanova come when people can hang out on those warm nights in the fall and springtime.

With the Sunshine Protection Act, students can have more time to spend outside while it is still light out, and I believe campus will be energized throughout the year.

Passing the Sunshine Protection Act makes sense. Congress, do the right thing. Make this act a law- it’ll make millions of people happier.

Mail-In Voting Helps Increase Voter Accessibility Eric White Staff Writer continued from p. 1 a study of previous elections in 2007 that found the rate of voter fraud was incredibly low in general.

The report “reviewed elec­ tions that had been metic­u­lously stud­ied for voter fraud, and found incid­ent rates between 0.0003 percent and 0.0025 percent.”

Even in these very rare incidents, much of the disparity was later found to be due to improper counting or mistakes in voting systems, rather than intentional fraud.

Pennsylvania in particular has had a rocky history with “no-excuse mail-in voting,” or being able to cast a ballot by mail without an officially recognized excuse, like being overseas. It was only legalized in Pennsylvania in 2020 in response to the

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court should not overturn mail-in voting.

Courtesy of The Philadelphia Sunday Sun

COVID-19 pandemic.

This is in sharp contrast to Washington State, the first state that allowed mail-in ballots of this variety to be accepted in 1974.

There are multiple additional states that cast all elections by mail, including Oregon, Utah, Hawaii, California, Nevada and

Colorado.

Voting by mail allows America’s most vulnerable citizens to cast their votes.

It allows disabled individuals, who may struggle to leave the house or get to a voting center, to vote.

Low-income citizens who

work multiple jobs, have children to take care of or who lack access to a car can all be given the opportunity to be counted in elections, when they previously may not have even bothered to vote.

During the pandemic, the use of mail voting increased drastically, showing that this type of voting can also help immunocompromised individuals who feel election centers are not safe for them, as well.

In order to have a truly representative election, it is imperative that the opportunity to vote is granted to as many citizens as possible, especially those belonging to groups whom voting may be difficult for.

As such, mail-in voting should remain in place in the United States to make voting as accessible to as many Americans as it can be. It would be a complete violation of justice to make any attempt to remove this system from practice.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

The Villanovan | 9

OPINION

Poland’s Actions Are a Threat to NATO Carter Smith Staff Writer On March 12, 1999, just 10 years after gaining independence from the USSR, Poland signed the Washington Treaty, becoming one of the first three former Warsaw Pact nations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), alongside Hungary and The Czech Republic.

This entry provided NATO with a valuable geostrategic advantage, bringing western power much closer to Russia’s doorstep.

However, what was once NATO’s most promising young member, could now be the very thing threatening to derail the alliance’s response to Russian aggression.

Poland has seen its fair share of Russian troops in its territory. In 1918, the USSR unsuccessfully attempted to invade after Poland gained independence, while successfully invading its eastern half in 1939.

When the Soviets came marching through Poland on their way to steamroll Nazi Germany, the Polish thought they’d been liberated. Instead, they faced first a direct, then political occupation until 1989, when the Soviets finally let Warsaw Pact nations choose their own future.

Therefore, Russian expansion in Eastern Europe is a per-

sonal matter to them.

Poland has been concerned with Russian re-armament and expansion for years, with then-president Lech Kaczyński commenting, “Today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, the day after tomorrow—the Baltic States and later, perhaps, time will come for my country, Poland,” during Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia.

Now, the Russian army is deep into Ukraine, with Belarus– Russia’s buffer with Poland– growing increasingly closer to doing the same. Needless to say, Poland is seeing flashbacks, and it’s eager to join the fight.

But, the nation’s desire to provide direct military aid is not flying with the more western NATO powers, particularly the United States.

According to Zbigniew Rau, the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Polish Government is “ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.

At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities.”

The MIGs, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly, would then be flown to Ukraine to bolster its air force.

The U.S. rejected the proposal, fearing that planes departing from a NATO airbase bound for Ukraine could be considered

by Russia as an act of war, drawing NATO directly into the conflict, which the alliance expressly wishes to avoid.

Furthermore, according to The National, on Wednesday, March 16, Poland’s deputy prime minister, Jarosław Kaczyński, “call[ed] for a NATO mission to provide humanitarian aid that would be ‘able to defend itself ’ and ‘protected by appropriate forces, armed forces.’”

The proposal for the first deployment of NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine was swiftly rejected, in fear of immediately escalating the conflict.

NATO’s overarching strategy, affirmed during last week’s summit, for the Ukrainian crisis is simple: Do everything possible to provide aid to Ukraine and economically weaken Russia without bringing NATO into a direct military conflict.

The alliance has been deploying additional military bulk to its Eastern European members and has been directly donating military and humanitarian equipment and aid to keep Ukrainians in the fight, all the while leveling salvos of sanctions at Russia, Vladimir Putin, his oligarchs and other politicians.

Any more would mean

direct military involvement, which would then begin World War III, as Russia has made abundantly clear.

Poland’s proposal did not fall on deaf ears. Russian State Duma General Vladimir Shamanov openly threatened Poland if peacekeepers were sent in.

According to Daily Mail, he claimed that the Poles would face the “the full scheme,” including hypersonic missile bombing of the capital of Warsaw.

Thus, while Poland’s intentions are justified and even noble, cooler heads must prevail. Putin has threatened to expand the invasion to adjacent NATO nations or press the big, red, nuclear button if the alliance makes one wrong move, such as welcoming Ukraine to NATO and/or the EU entering Ukrainian airspace or direct military involvement.

From the eyes of the outside world, Putin appears reckless enough to sideline his own oligarchs and citizens to bring Ukraine back into his fold, so there is no telling what he might do to pursue his goal.

Ultimately, Poland’s proposals threaten NATO’s overall plan of de-escalation and could invigorate Russia into expanding the war beyond Ukraine before NATO is ready. And with multiple nuclear-armed powers in the mix, the result would be undeniably catastrophic.

10 | The Villanovan

CULTURE

CULTURE

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

The Villanova Irish Dance Team’s Spring Showcase

Emily Schoonover Staff Writer

Although St. Patrick’s Day has passed, the Villanova Irish Dance team gave members of the Villanova community one last avenue to celebrate the holiday.

This past Wednesday night, the Irish Dance Team hosted its annual Spring Showcase in the Court Theatre.

Villanova’s Irish Dance Team is fairly young, as it is made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores, and they put a lot of thought and preparation into this event.

Members of the team worked hard at practice three nights a week to curate the best possible selection of dances to perform in front of an audience.

“We wanted to choose dances that would highlight our individual talents and also show how well we work together as a team,” team captain Abby Donoghue said. “Even though we all have different competitive backgrounds.”

The team danced a wide variety of dances, alternating from soft shoes to hard shoes, and from slower jigs to more upbeat reels. In the Irish Dance world, soft shoes are like ballet shoes, and hard shoes are like tap shoes but are much heavier and

The Villanova Irish Dance Team Performed last weekend for their annual showcase.

Courtesy of @tvuirishdance

more clog-like. Along with different shoes, there were different styles of dances such as a reel, hornpipe or slip jig, all of which differ by tempo and style.

Noel Doherty, otherwise known as Villanova’s TikTok star, was the MC of the event, which could not have been more fitting given his ginger hair and famous love for St. Patrick’s Day. Between dances, he spoke about some of the dancers and their experiences and told the audience about how

many of them attended high caliber competitions, such as world championships.

Needless to say, Villanova’s Irish Dance Team is an exceptional group of women. In all the dances, their energy radiated throughout the theatre. They also were extremely supportive of each other, and audience members could hear the members of the team cheering on their teammates while they were dancing.

“My favorite part of this team is getting to know all of my

teammates, and to have people on campus that I can share my love of dance with,” Donoghue said. “It is really nice to share old dance routines and crazy competition stories with all of them, and I look forward to keeping the team going.”

While the Irish Dance spring showcase was canceled due to the pandemic last year, the team did a great job planning the event on its own with little guidance.

“Organizing the event and the dances was a huge learning curve for my co-captain and I because we had never overseen an event like this, but we were extremely pleased with how our team worked together to choreograph dances,” Donoghue said.

The Irish Dance team is a very inclusive group, and anyone is welcome to join with or without experience. It gives members the option to compete against other universities and even hold an intercollegiate festival in the fall here at Villanova, where Irish dance teams from universities all over the country come to compete. The team has even performed at women’s basketball halftime shows and at various locations in the Philadelphia area, such as Irish pubs. For more information make sure to check out @ vuirishdance on Instagram.

Bag Alert, Major Bag Alert: Girl Scout Cookies on Campus Sydney Singh Staff Writer Have you noticed the Girl Scouts of America outside of the Connelly Center?

This genius business strategy for selling Girl Scout cookies on college campuses is found at many colleges throughout the country, including Villanova, University of Tampa and Georgetown, as shown on viral TikTok posts.

The Kappa Delta sorority has supported the Girl Scouts of America for more than 20 years, and Villanova’s very own chapter does workshops in the fall and sponsors the Girl Scouts to come to campus to support their bright futures. The chapter must go through training, as members work with the Girl Scouts, who are minors. Kappa Delta members teach and mentor the girls to learn how to engage in productive conversations and become prepared to be future business leaders.

Sophomore Mackenzie O’Brien, a Kappa Delta chapter member and coordinator, spoke about the chapter’s efforts, saying that selling cookies on campus is “not so much about profits but making connections.”

Coming to a college campus

might be intimidating for the Girl Scouts, but when one hears the enticing calling of “Girl Scout cookies, come and get your cookies,” they stop by and buy some cookies, as the girl scouts make bank.

In light of Women’s History month for the month of March, the Girl Scouts of America have recognized on many social media platforms the trailblazers who have struggled to fight for women’s equality. Some of the women they recognize are from the newer generation of change makers including Amanda Gorman, the youngest person in in U.S. history to read at an inauguration ceremony, and Naomi Osaka, the highest-earning female athlete of all time. The Girl Scouts of America celebrate the female change makers who are pushing for a just and equitable society.

This celebration goes back to the Girl Scouts’ mission and the importance of not just selling cookies but also making a difference for others.

The Girl Scouts of America organization was first founded in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. Juliette Gordon Low, nicknamed “Daisy,” founded the organization in her hometown where the first troop was made of only 18 members. Little did Low know that her organization would later create a global move-

Kappa Delta helps the Girl Scouts bring cookies like these to campus.

Courtesy of Girl Scouts of America

ment to make a difference to shape the future of young girls. In 2010, the Girl Scouts of America went through rebranding to better engage girls through empowerment. At the start of the pandemic, there have been many talks about the practicality of selling cookies in person. However, as the mask mandate was lifted outdoors and indoors, many Girl Scouts found

themselves back in business. The process of things going back to normal has been very comforting for the Girl Scouts, who can go back to selling cookies and engaging with their community. When you see the Girl Scouts on campus, be sure to buy a box or two because everyone has a favorite Girl Scout cookie. Hot take: thin mints remain superior when frozen.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

CULTURE

Students Run Philadelphia Half Marathon

The Villanovan | 11

Chloe Miller Co-Culture Editor Cont. from pg. 1 for Legacy of Hope,” sophomore Bruce Martin said. “I saw no reason not to hop in with them.”

A key factor for many students running the Love Run was the cancellation of the race in 2020. The race was originally canceled in March of 2020 and subsequently canceled for March of 2021. Some Villanova runners stuck out the wait and finally got to compete two years later.

“I originally signed up for the Love Run in 2020,” Joey Holland said. “Because it has been pushed back so much due to Covid, this is actually going to be my second half marathon because I ran the 2021 Philadelphia Half Marathon in November.”

Kaitlyn Riha was another participant who was signed up for the race in March of 2020 and waited until this past weekend to participate.

One of the main obstacles many student-runners faced during the process of training was finding time to get outside and run. The main training months for this half marathon took place in the dead of winter, making getting out of bed to run in 30-degree weather even harder. Preparation for most students began two to three months ago. They continuously ran four or five times a week, increasing their mileage as they trained. Despite the

school and training balance, the biggest obstacle to overcome had to do with mentality.

Plans for the race weekend itself varied. Some people had family come in, and others stayed with friends. Many members of Villanova’s Club Running team competed and hung out together before the race.

“I stayed in Philly with the club running team, went out to dinner together and stayed in a hotel

Villanova students traveled to Philadelphia to compete in the Love Run half marathon.

Courtesy of Joy Kim

room with my best friend Grace,” Riha said. “I planned for a very chill night to rest up before the big race in the morning.”

Watching the Elite Eight game was a priority for many Villanova students on Saturday night as well. Holland made sure to get some rest after the big win for the Wildcats and his early alarm.

The post-race for most included a big brunch in downtown Philadelphia after celebrating with

the other 11,000 runners outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Equipped with Philly soft pretzels, prizes and medals, the celebration at the finish line was packed.

Registration for next year’s Philadelphia Love Run is already open now. With the prospect of training in the middle of winter and spending hours every week training, the energy of the run and the presence of the Villanova community make it worth it.

Spring has Sprung at Villanova studying, and our late night practices give them a much needed break,” she said. “We’re all looking forward to the nicer weather in Over the past several weeks, spring, especially as we approach Villanovans got a snippet of what our weekend home games at Villais to come this next month and nova Stadium.” a half with days full of sunshine In addition to sports outand warmth. Although Villanova’s doors, the warm weather gives campus does look beautiful in the different organizations on camsnow, students are ready for Spring pus the opportunity to run philand what comes with it: quad anthropic events outside. In the days, sports, doing work outside upcoming month, several different and even getting a tan in.

Panhellenic Organizations will be It has been a long winannouncing their outdoor philter. With COVID-19 rampant anthropic events. Kappa Kappa throughout the past two winter Gamma just announced that its seasons, Villanovans, and the main philanthropic event of the world in general, cannot be more semester, Hoops for Health, will excited for spring and the happibe on April 2. ness linked to it. With days getting Kappa Kappa Gamma’s lighter, there is more time to spend philanthropy chair talked more outdoors. Over the past few weeks, about the event. intramural and club sports began, “Hoops for Health is a giving students an opportunity to basketball tournament outdoors at not only get more time outdoors the Sullivan Courts where all probut also more involved on campus. ceeds go to our local philanthropy, Some of Villanova’s club Mental Health America,” junior lacrosse captains explained how Pilar Wisor said. the warm weather has been a A warm weather favorite blessing for their teams. for Villanova students is quad “Our club lacrosse team days. Nothing is better than walkhas been very excited about the ing through Villanova’s quad on weather because it has allowed a beautiful Spring day and seeing us to get outside and really enjoy everyone outside enjoying the the day,” junior Cameron Castelli day. You can hear music blasting said. through the windows of Sullivan Castelli continued explain- and Sheehan Halls, and all is right ing her excitement. in the world. It has even been said “The majority of our that experiencing a gorgeous quad players spend their entire day day on tour is what gets prospecinside, whether it be in classes or tive students to commit. I know I Kendall Hayes Staff Writer

Many students head out to the Quad on warm days.

Courtesy of Elena Rouse

did.

“I am so happy the weather is getting warmer because when it’s nice out, my friends and I all will go outside and sit in the quad, do homework, and listen to music,” sophomore Bianca Santucci said. “It is one of my favorite things to do on campus.”

“You mean the reason why I didn’t transfer out of this

school?” junior Jack Sandmann asked when questioned about his days spent in the quad sunshine.

Monday marked the start of spring, and these past few weeks have truly been preparing for it. With only a little over a month left on campus, having longer, warmer and brighter days will make the end of the semester less bittersweet.

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Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Students Meet Jerome Powell at NABE Conference Anthony Grasso Staff Writer Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell had his V’s up as he showed his support for Villanova at the NABE conference in Washington D.C. last week.

On Monday, March 21, approximately 30 students and two faculty members from Villanova University’s Economics Department traveled to Washington, D.C. for the National Association for Business Economics (NABE)’s 38th annual policy conference. The conference took place at the Ritz-Carlton in Downtown Washington, D.C. The event was highlighted by an address delivered by Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

The trip was organized by professors Mary Kelly, Ph.D., Associate Chair and Teaching Professor of Economics, and Theresa Rissell, Associate Professor of the Practice of Economics.

Students boarded the bus outside Bartley Hall at 4:30 a.m.

Monday and traveled to the nation’s capital. The event began at 8 a.m. with a talk given by Raphael Bostic, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Amid this fragile situation of rising inflation, Bostic emphasized the fact that we need to see the trajectory of aggregate demand in the economy more clearly before we can make significant policy changes.

The following speaker was Cecilia Rouse, Chair of President Joe Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers. The moderator of this discussion was George Kahn, former Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Their discussion was very informative as Kahn asked Rouse some tough questions about the current state of our economy and the actions being taken by the Administration.

Rouse cited the fact that job growth continued nearly uninterrupted during the wave of the omicron variant and that the labor force participation rate is growing at its fastest pace in 30 years as indicators of the strength of our economy.

There was a little contention in the audience when Rouse seemed to be repeatedly blaming the pandemic for the entire range of economic struggles people are currently facing and when she dismissed criticism that Congress and the Biden Administration had injected too much stimulus into the economy in comparison to European countries.

After the conclusion of

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell poses with students at the 38th annual NABE Conference.

Courtesy of National Association for Business Economics

Rouse’s remarks, attendees listened to a roundtable on fiscal policy before having the opportunity to network with other conference participants. Before breaking for lunch, attendees attended one of three concurrent sessions. One of the options was a discussion on growth of entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 pandemic, one was a comparative analysis of job recovery around the globe after COVID-19 and the final was a discussion on the current state of energy markets amid Russia’s war on Ukraine. The third option was a popular selection among Villanova students. Edward Morse, one of the most well-respected energy economists in the United States, framed his remarks around two current challenges in the energy market: the energy transition crisis and the Russia/Ukraine conflict. Both Morse and the other speaker, Robert McNally, Founder and President of Rapidan Energy Group, agreed that the demand for oil will likely come down in the next 10 years. There was also consensus among them toward the idea that retribution is not how we should be addressing climate change but rather we should be doing so through market-based mechanisms.

One of the most memorable times of the day for everyone occurred when all the attendees came back together to hear the speech of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The remarks that Powell delivered caused reverberations throughout all different financial markets on both a national and international scale. Perhaps the most impactful part of the speech was

his announcement that the Federal Reserve was open to increasing the federal funds rate in increments of 0.5 percent, something that has not happened since May 2000 during the Dot-Com Bubble. For students and professors of economics and many other disciplines, meeting the Chairman of the Federal Reserve is an incredible, possibly once-in-alifetime experience.

At the conclusion of the lunch, the Villanova students, along with Kelly and Rissell, had the amazing opportunity of getting their picture taken with Chairman Powell, who even held up a Villanova V during the photo. When asked where he had us in his bracket, he first said that he did not really follow the tournament, but then he admitted that he would be rooting for us to beat Michigan.

One student present at the luncheon with Chairman Powell was senior Olivia Pfeiffer.

“Having the opportunity to be in a room with [Powell] and hear his insight was insane,” Pfeiffer said. “It was interesting because as he was talking, we watched all the markets plummet in front of our very eyes.”

Following the luncheon, attendees once again split up to attend one of three different sessions. The options this time were a discussion on U.S. immigration policy and its contribution to labor shortages in some industries, an analysis of the long-term expectations of productivity in the United States and an overview of efforts to manage the balance sheet of the Federal Reserve. Next up was another net-

working opportunity, followed by a discussion featuring Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Krugman. Krugman reduced some fear about the future worsening of inflation in the U.S. economy by explaining how medium and long-term inflation expectations were higher in 1980 than they are now. Some economists have attempted to draw comparisons between 1980 and our current situation, but Krugman said the chance of stagflation, which occurs when inflation and unemployment are high, is much lower now than it was four decades back.

Kelly, Rissell and the students then departed Washington, D.C. and arrived back at Villanova around 8 p.m. This day full of economics provided the students with an amazing chance to see so much of their coursework being applied by some of the most influential economists in the country.

Even though most of the conference attendees were business professionals, NABE was very impressed with the showing of college students.

Villanova and Temple University accounted for the two largest groups of students at the event and received recognition during the luncheon.

Attendees also mentioned that the attendance of a group of Villanova students at the conference is a testament to the faculty that we have in our economics department. The students that attended are extremely grateful to Kelly and Rissell for their efforts in organizing the event and for their generosity in giving up an entire day to afford them the opportunity to attend such a high-profile event in the world of economics.

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Grace Metzger Performs “Anxious Body, Anxious Voice” Julia Stanisci Staff Writer On Mar. 23 and 24 at 6 p.m., audience members gathered in the Communication Department Studio for “Anxious Body, Anxious Voice,” a one woman show by graduating senior Grace Metzger, co-directed by Evan Schares.

Throughout the show, Metzger mixed and matched narrative poetry, original music and personal monologue to tell the story of the relationship between “the anxious body that pulls her down and the anxious voice that pushes her forward.”

The performance took place “in-the-round,” with chairs organized in a circle around the stage and the audience completely surrounding the performer.

Metzger and Schares made the decision to utilize the round in order to encapsulate the feeling of entrapment that anxiety creates.

As Metzger performed, she was “trapped” by the audience with no escape, a feeling that anxiety often creates, trapping those who live with it inside their heads.

The round also made for a more intimate, immersive experience for the audience, which was steps away from Metzger at any point in the performance.

The show opened with an original song Metzger sang and played on guitar, its lyrics detailing the need for control that anxiety and OCD sufferers experience. Throughout the show, she switched between personally narrating her journey with anxiety, to verbalizing it through poetry, to ending it with more original music.

The switch between these different

Senior Grace Metzger performed “Anxious Body, Anxious Voice” on Mar. 23 and 24.

Courtesy of Grace Metzger

mediums demonstrated different outlets for anxiety and creativity while also embodying the experience of living with anxiety.

Metzger also made intuitive choices when it came to props on stage. Through incessantly trying to stack cards on a table, she showed the audience what it is like to have your hands be controlled by the OCD in your head.

Through the lighting of

matches and letting them burn, she portrayed how anxiety often comes in sparks of heat, with the sufferer never knowing when the flames will fade. She also carefully placed a deck of cards in a circle around her to symbolize the hotspot of anxiety at the center of the stage, later stepping in and out of the ring when the anxiety trapped her.

Overall, in combining her

own experience with the experiences of others she has spoken to and interviewed, Metzger puts anxiety on display in an intimate and artistic way.

Metzger explained what made her decide to put on this performance and tell this story in such a unique way.

“Anxiety has been so prevalent throughout my time at Villanova, and yet I feel like the conversations we have about mental health are too one-note,” Metzger said. “I wanted to share my experience just to encourage others to do the same, and we can all realize that the anxious experience doesn’t always look the same.”

The performance Metzger put on required a great deal of vulnerability as she dived deep into her largest struggles.

“The biggest challenge I faced was getting up the nerve to actually write, rehearse and perform the show,” she said. “As much as I cared about the idea, executing it was really difficult because it triggered me pretty much every day. I had to push through that each time I walked into the space.”

Despite this challenge, Metzger perservered and channeled her struggles into something beautifully moving for both the audience and herself.

“While I was proud of myself for the show, my favorite part was the pride I felt at having so many people come to support me in the audience,” Metzger said.

“The encouragement and hugs were priceless. And more than that, seeing so many of my friends relate to what I was saying made me realize I’m not alone even though sometimes my anxiety can make me think I am.”

Club Spotlight: Villanova Club Swim DJ Comerford Staff Writer It is an exciting time for Villanova Club Swim: the team is headed to Atlanta, Georgia for the Club Swimming National Championships from Apr. 8 to 10.

The season has had many ups and downs. Coming off of a nonexistent season last year, due to COVID-19, it was an uphill battle to get ready for this years’ championships.

Senior Jamie Bruno talked about the club’s turnaround postCOVID. “I was surprised with how many new members we got and was thrilled that so many sophomores and freshmen joined the team and were active members right away,” Bruno said. “One concern we had was that the sophomore class wouldn’t have been as active since club sports were on hold during when we would have tryouts during the 2020-2021 academic year. This year has been fantastic for club swimming and all club sports from what I heard. I truly believe these student organizations came out of the pandemic than the pre-pandemic period.”

The season had many highlights. The first was the 2021 Pitt

Fall Invitational at the University of Pittsburgh last October. The team traveled five hours to face 12 teams, including George Washington University, University of Michigan and Temple University.

Junior Noah Shauf shared his thoughts on the trip.

“It was a lot of fun,” Shauf said. “We got the chance to swim outside of our immediate area, to compete against fast teams in a fast pool and do really well. We proved that while our team is meant to be fun and social, we still can step up and compete with some of the best clubs on the east coast, and we did so while also having a lot of fun because in the end, the meet was a blast to go to.”

Another highlight was the University of Virginia Wet Wahoo Invitational on February 19.

The team traveled yet another five hours to face the Cavaliers, as well as other teams, including West Virginia, James Madison University and Liberty University. The meet lasted roughly five hours, due to all teams being co-ed, with the exception of Liberty, which is an allmen’s club team. Despite the meet length, the team ended up having a successful weekend.

So far, the team has had an spectacular season and has surpassed expectations in terms

Villanova Club Swim competed last month at the Wet Wahoo Invitational at the University of Virginia.

Courtesy of Villanova Club Swim

of COVID-turnaround. Right now, the team is training hard for Nationals and will be competing against clubs all around the coun-

try.

If interested in joining club swimming, email clubswimming. villanova@gmail.com.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

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14 | The Villanovan

The Barstool Sports Bar Opens in Philadelphia Julia Stanisci Staff Writer On Friday, March 18, amid the excitement of March Madness, Barstool Sports opened its long-awaited new bar in Center City Philadelphia: “Barstool Sansom Street.”

The sports and pop-culture based digital media company was founded by Dave Portnoy in 2003 and has since grown into an empire. While Barstool Sports may have started as a blog, it has morphed into a culture of its own, featuring podcasts, merchandise, sports betting and so much more.

Those who are familiar with Barstool understand the brand’s hype around sports, partying, betting and overall having a good time. The Philadelphia bar is among the inaugural locations for the newly branded sports bar concept, following only behind Chicago.

At 1213 Sansom Street, the bar boasts a prime location, just a quick SEPTA ride from Villanova’s campus. To get to the bar from the West Campus stop on the Paoli-Thorndale Line, one can ride for 35 minutes to Jefferson Station (just past Suburban Station). From there, it is just a seven minute walk to Barstool Sansom Street.

On a Saturday afternoon during March Madness, the day after the bar’s opening, the line was a brief 10 minute wait. Upon entering through the understated, simple entryway, visitors were greeted by dozens of televisions balanced with

a rustic, trendy, and casual ambiance.

The space itself featured hanging bulb-lights, ample seating, two long bars with multiple bar tenders behind each and a roped-off VIP area. Wall decor complemented the Barstool Brand, with Instagram-worthy neon signs reading “Positive Vibes Only” and “Barstool Sansom Street,” as well as murals of phrases like “Salt of the Earth.”

In line with Barstool’s audience, the clientele was mostly young people under the age of 30, with more males than females. Patrons were watching the games (and betting on them, of course), drinking, mingling and dancing. A professional photographer was there to capture each and every moment for the Barstool social media pages.

Junior and of-age Villanova student Elena Rouse spoke about her experience.

“I went because I had seen the bar had just opened and figured it would be a fun adventure into the city, or at least an interesting one,” Rouse said. “Though my college student budget severely suffered, I still had a great time.”

At three in the afternoon, no cover was required upon entry, but the drinks were definitely pricey. One shot of tequila was $13.00, and two Portnoy-endorsed High Noons plus two of Barstool’s Pink Whitney Vodka Lemonade shots added up to a hefty $40. The food menu was also on the expensive side but fairly on-par with city prices in general, featuring delicious classic

Twenty-one year old Stanisci waiting in line for the Barstool Bar. Courtesy of Julia Stanisci

bar food like shoestring fries, chicken wings, sliders and so much more.

Overall, the upbeat vibe of Barstool Sansom Street and the cul-

ture it encapsulates made the pricey drinks worth the trip. For Barstool and Portnoy fans alike, the destination is a must-visit.

Villanovans Hit the Road: A Weekend in Pittsburgh Tallulah Laska Staff Writer Villanovans from all over traveled to Pittsburgh the weekend of March 18 to watch the men’s basketball team kick off March Madness. A four to five hour drive from Villanova, the games were played at PPG Paints Arena on Friday, March 18 and Sunday, March 20.

Villanova students were able to enter a ticket lottery to win entry for $320, which included two tickets to both games. Winning against University of Delaware on Friday, the ‘Cats advanced to play Ohio State University on Sunday.

Whether they had to skip class or do a little less homework, Villanovans did not mind putting real life on pause for the weekend.

Watching Villanova advance to the Sweet Sixteen made it all worth it.

Senior Grace Pawelczyk was one of the many students who drove to Pittsburgh for the weekend.

Though it was a bit of a hike to get to Pittsburgh, Pawelczyk said it was definitely a trip she does not regret.

“March Madness is one of my favorite times of the year, and it’s even better seeing it in person,” Pawelczyk said. “It’s so fun walking around and seeing everyone wearing their team, no matter if they are in the tournament or not.”

As a senior, this was Pawelczyk’s last Villanova basketball game as a student, as the rest of the March Madness games will be played much farther from campus.

“It was bittersweet knowing

that it was my last in person game, but watching Villanova beat both Delaware and Ohio State and move on in the tournament felt like the best way to end it,” Pawelczyk continued.

In addition to watching the games and exploring the city, students and Villanova fans were also invited to a game watch for the Villanova women’s basketball team on Saturday, March 19 at the Fairmont Hotel, where the men’s team was staying for the weekend.

The women’s team advanced to the round of 32 of March Madness, only adding to the hype in Pittsburgh for the men’s round of 32 on Sunday.

“So many alumni and students showed up to watch the women’s game, so it felt like we were right there in Ann Arbor cheering them on,” Pawelczyk said.

Though they may not have been on campus for the games, Pawelczyk said that the support of the crowd was no less than at a home game.

Pawelczyk also explained that she was able to explore Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 19, taking full advantage of the free time she had. Wherever she went, Villanovans seemed to take over the city.

“It almost felt like a home game,” Pawelczyk explained. “I definitely said ‘Go ‘Cats!’ to so many Villanovans in the arena and even when we walked around Pittsburgh.”

Villanova men’s basketball advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in San Antonio, TX. The team beat

Many students travelled to Pittsburgh, including several Villanovan editors.

Courtesy of Colin Beazley

Michigan on Thursday, March 24, advancing to the Elite Eight. This past Saturday, the men beat Houston to advance to the Final Four in New Orleans.

Whether or not the trip to Pittsburgh was made, the weekend

was a success for Villanovans everywhere.

Now that the games are farther from campus, it is time for Villanovans to put their V’s up and cheer on the team from around the country.

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SPORTS

Women’s Tennis Tops Seton Hall, 4-3 Charlotte Ralston Staff Writer On Sunday, March 27, the Villanova women’s tennis team fought back after dropping the doubles point early for its second straight win of the season, narrowly edging Seton Hall, 4-3. The Wildcats won singles matches in the first, second, third and fourth slots to secure the victory at home in Bryn Mawr and improve their record to 2-5.

Senior-freshman doubles combinations of Annalise Klopfer and Emma Brogan, as well as Sabina Grigorian and Valieriia Kornieva, were bested in the first and second doubles matches to open the day.

Each pair played the Pirates’ doubles teams competitively, but both ultimately fell, 4-6. Villanova’s third doubles pair was on the verge of victory when the whistle blew on the other two matches.

“We lost the doubles point tonight which was unfortunate, it was definitely winnable,” head coach Steve Reiniger said. “All three courts were close and, as a matter of fact, our third doubles team had match point, but we were playing to clinch, so they didn’t get to finish.”

The doubles point can be a huge advantage going into the singles matches, from the numbers standpoint and also because of the momentum it gives the winner.

“Coming off a win off the doubles court, it can definitely help you get off to a fast start in singles, but

also mentally, it can be a booster for the team,” Reiniger explained. “The realization comes into play, like ‘Hey, we could really win this match here.’”

Despite their opponents having this advantage, the ‘Cats stepped up during their individual matches to rally back from the 1-0 deficit. After top-seeded Klopfer’s dominant 6-1 victory in the first set, Seton Hall’s Arina Gumerova retired to grant Villanova the No. 1 singles point.

Villanova’s second and third singles players, Brogan and junior Caitlin Fisher, also came out on top in their matches, both claiming victory in straight sets. Brogan, still playing up a spot due to senior Emily Strande’s shoulder injury, grinded out a close 7-5 win in the first set, but pulled away in the second with a score of 6-3. Fisher also had an impressive performance, routing Seton Hall’s Aina Plana Ventosa 6-2, 6-3.

Having moved up to the fourth slot following her dominant match in the fifth position last week against Drexel, Kornieva shined for the second week in a row.

“Valieriia was out the whole fall, so she’s been the one I’ve been most curious about,” Reiniger said.

“She’s just starting to play better and better and better, sitting out the fall, and then she was out actually the first maybe week and a half of the spring.

She’s really had a late start, but she just gets better every day.”

After dropping the first set, 6-4, Kornieva battled back to win the next two, 6-4, 6-2, in a display of the

Annalise Klopfer (above) picked up a win in the tops singles position against Seton Hall Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

optimism and spirit that Reiniger emphasizes is so special about this team.

“The kind of team we have, they’re very positive, so when we were 0-5, you didn’t really know it,” he said. “They kept fighting, and they all have great attitudes. It makes coaching a lot easier.”

While No. 5 sophomore Bella Steffen and No. 6 junior Amanda Rivera-Gonzalez fell to their Seton Hall opponents, wins in the top four matches were enough to tip the scale in Villanova’s favor. The dual match victory extends Villanova’s win streak to two and marks its first Big East conference win of the season.

“All matches are important, but definitely Big East matches are

more important,” Reiniger said. “I’m sure [players] realize any time we play a Big East opponent, our seeding for our conference tournament comes into play, so everybody tries to gear up for that.”

As the ‘Cats prepare for their next competition, another Big East matchup against St. John’s, they look to continue this hot streak and maintain their perfect conference record with a third straight victory on the season.

Powerhouse St. John’s is 3-0 in the Big East this spring and has won five matches in a row, so it will be a tough contest for Villanova. The dual match kicks off this Friday, April 1, at 12 p.m. in Queens, NY.

Softball Loses to Princeton, Sweeps St. John’s Aphrodite Dimopoulos Staff Writer Villanova softball had a busy week, playing four games over a five day period. On Wednesday, the Wildcats matched up with the Princeton Tigers for an away game that they lost, 6-5, before traveling home for a three game series against St. John’s, spanning from Friday to Sunday. The women dominated on the field, winning all three games and setting a strong Big East precedent in just their second conference matchup of the season.

Wednesday’s game, although a loss, was a close matchup. Looking at the game statistics, Princeton posted 14 hits throughout the game, while Villanova had just six. The final score was only a one run difference, a testament to the optimization of the offensive hits and the strategy defensively to keep the Tigers within reach.

Sophomore pitcher Caroline Pellicano showed tremendous discipline and ability throughout the game as she worked through 3 ⅔ innings of scoreless relief.

Starting pitcher, freshman Kelsey White, who was ultimately relieved by Pellicano, proved to be a strong underclassman force on the mound. Beyond defensive work, however, the story of this game was perseverance.

The Wildcats were trailing

6-0 when they came to bat in the fourth inning, but rather than falling defeated after those scoreless innings, the team rallied to score five unanswered runs over the next three frames and, while they never came to fruition, the team managed to get both tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position late in the sixth inning. Leading offensively, senior shortstop Megan Kern went two-for-four with two RBIs in the matchup, while graduate first baseman Paige Rauch and junior third baseman Chloe Smith each singled, walked and scored a run at top of the lineup. White made it on base three times with a single and two walks. The loss in the books does not quite show the resilience from this game, but the following three-game sweep does.

Leaving Princeton both optimistically and fired up, the team headed home to take on St. John’s, looking to bounce back after a tough two-loss Big East series against Butler in early March. Freshman second baseman Ava Franz was the star of Friday’s game, leading the offense with two home runs. Rauch started on the mound for the ‘Cats and, behind a pristine three-hit, home run performance, she pitched up to the best of her ability, throwing her fifth complete game of the season.

Rauch showed complete control throughout six innings, retiring the first 15 batters she faced, recording

six strikeouts and not walking a single batter throughout the game.

One of Franz’s home runs and Rauch’s big-league hit came in the fourth inning and, with both of them scoring two runs, Villanova flew ahead of St. John’s. Totaling 10 hits at the end of the game, Villanova went into Saturday confident.

Saturday’s matchup was a special one as it was the Lacing Up 4 Cancer fundraising game. The event meant hosting the Upper Merion Little League at the Villanova Softball Complex, and the young fans were not disappointed.

With 11 total hits, Villanova beat St. John’s, 9-1, led by junior third baseman Chloe Smith, who totaled three hits and three RBIs. Smith went three-for-four and ultimately raised her batting average to a .349 on the season. Continuing their success from the previous day’s game, Kern and White each had two hits and together brought in three runs to seal the team’s win.

Defensively, senior pitcher Sara Kennedy allowed only five hits with no earned runs allowed.

This was her first complete game of the season, and she broke her season record of strikeouts with her new high of six.

To close out the weekend, the Wildcats finished the week with another 9-1 victory on Sunday afternoon. Rauch took the mound again, bringing her to

eight wins this season. Although allowing only one run the whole game would seem to be her highlight, Rauch stunned the crowd on the offensive end, hitting one home run and tallying three RBIs throughout the game. White continued her impressive series the same way, adding on one homer and three RBIs herself. This was White’s first collegiate home run and, with it taking place in the first inning, set the tone for the rest of the game.

Sunday brought extremely cold temperatures and scattered snow showers that threw off the offense some. The early 3-0 lead for the Wildcats’ held until the bottom of the fifth inning when White and junior catcher Ally Jones singled back-to-back, loading the bases with one out. Scoring off of a Red Storm error, Villanova’s lead increased to 5-0 with pinch runners Tess Cites and Elaina Wager each scoring as Villanova closed out the series hot.

All in all, Villanova outscored St. John’s by a 24-4 margin in its dominant three-game sweep.

The women struggled getting their footing at the start of the year, but as they enter into April, they are showing a true upwards trend both overall and in Big East play.

The Wildcats play St. Joseph’s on Wednesday and then travel to Chicago for another Big East series against DePaul this weekend.

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Men’s T&F Competes in Raleigh Relays fortitude is needed to believe in the ability to make a good jump.

On Saturday, sophomore sprinter Nicolas Mollica ran in In the second meet of the the 400 meter hurdles. Mollica outdoor season in Raleigh, North ran a time of 54.20, which was six Carolina, the emphasis for associhundreths of a second better than ate head coach Anthony Williams last week’s result of 54.26. Again, was seeing improvements and Mollica’s times will be better with teaching lessons to move forward more practice, especially timing in the chase of better times and the jumps over the hurdles. form.

“To be honest, that was Villanova competed in a lot better run than last week three events on Friday and Saturbecause the conditions here really day, March 25 and 26 — the pole wasn’t that good,” Williams said. vault, 400 meter hurdles and the “It was on the cold side and very long jump. windy, but just had better competiSenior Jim Keys was the tion, so he rose to the occasion.” first to compete out of the three, With better competition, taking part in the pole vault. Keys the times will naturally improve, highest clear of the bar came at but the main focus is competing. the 4.57 meter mark on his final at- The response to the competition is tempt, and he was unable to clear key for the track and field athlete the next height of 4.72 meters. to run a faster time.

Keys was having difficulty Saturday’s mark is the with his form, which made it more second fastest of Mollica’s career, difficult to clear the thresholds he as he won Big East Athlete of the wanted.

Week last week.

“He [Keys] was having Graduate jumper Michael some trouble trying to get his Troup competed in the long jump steps,” Williams said, who coaches on Saturday. Troup finished with a the sprinters, hurdlers and jumpmark of 6.49 meters on his second ers. “He just fought through it and jump. Like the other two, Troup got a little bit better mark.” needs to work on his fundamentals For Keys, getting his steps to get better marks. right will come through one area, “We’re trying to work and that is practice. The ability to on his approach, and he really practice well is made tougher with showed some good,” Williams the volatile and sometimes unfasaid. “He had some good runs in vorable weather in the northeast practices during the warmups, but during March, but the value of just wasn’t able to put it together Jacob Artz Staff Writer

during competition.”

Another factor that the jumpers had to adjust for was the wind, as the inconsistent wind speeds created challenges. Adjustments for the wind have to be made mentally and physically to secure a good jump.

“You pay attention to what is going on during the warmups because that’s going to give you an indication of what adjustments you need to make if it happens during the competition,” Williams said.

“You do try and gauge based off of what’s going on during the warmups, which a lot of times is pretty similar to what’s going on during the competition itself.”

Considering Troup is working through adjustments and the wind, the effort was good, and the progress is there for the future meets.

Next week, a portion of the Wildcats travels to Florida for the Pepsi Florida Relays from Thursday to Saturday, while other Wildcats will be local for the Philadelphia Big 5 Meet. Some races to focus on include the 400 meter sprinters for the men, who should have a solid showing because they had off this past weekend, and the field events will continue to get repetitions to strengthen what the team members have been working on in practice. The focus for all the athletes is improvement towards the bigger events at the end of the season.

Men’s Tennis Loses Two To Butler Noah Swan Staff Writer The Villanova men’s tennis team stuttered at the beginning of Big East play, dropping two matches this past weekend to Xavier and Butler, each by a 6-1 score.

Despite the persistence of some difficulties within the team, the Wildcats continue to exhibit signs of growth as they battle through a treacherous schedule. With such a young team, match experience will prove vital for the future success of the team.

Coach Brad Adams continued to mix the doubles lineup in search of an optimal combination. Following their successful outing against Lehigh, senior Matthew Jones and junior Justin Suarez played at the top of the lineup for the first time after having played at the #2 spot against Lehigh.

The team has fewer than five matches under their belt together, so these matches helped to establish further consistency in the doubles lineup.

Sophomore Anthony Prokurat and freshman Trey Fourticq similarly jumped a spot in the doubles lineup to the #2 position despite losing both their matches this weekend again. With at least two years left to play for the Wildcats, this could be a doubles team to watch moving forward as Adams looks for partnerships to anchor the team in the future.

Sophomore Noah Winton joining sophomore Josh Robinson at the #3 spot indicates the tumultuous lineup changing that has occurred throughout the season. Another team

Matthew Jones (above) picked up a singles win against Xavier.

Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

with fewer than five games of experience together, Winton and Robinson picked up a convincing 6-1 win against Xavier before dropping the match against Butler. The positive results from the newfound team continue to provide Adams with headaches when determining the doubles setup.

“They are very familiar with each other, they’re roommates,” Adams said of the sophomore tandem.

“I think their energy against Xavier was excellent. Josh and Noah set a good atmosphere, a positive atmosphere during the doubles point that transferred over to the singles point.”

The singles lineup provided little outside a grim picture of the current squad. Robinson extended an unfortunate streak of three straight matches losing at the top of the lineup. Fortunately, the sophomore benefits from youth that could help turn this tough stretch into increased resilience throughout the rest of the season.

Fourticq entered the weekend’s matches with high hopes follow-

ing wins in both doubles and singles against Lehigh, but the youngest player in the lineup struggled against both #3 singles opponents in his journey to establish himself as a well-defined college player. Adams has emphasized his message to Fourticq as one of growth over immediate results during his first year as a Wildcat.

The two points for Villanova came courtesy of the two most successful singles players on the team this season. Senior Matthew Jones won his singles match against Butler, while sophomore Ryan Nguyen secured the first of his two matches at the #6 spot.

Both players performed to team-best records during the fall exhibition season. However, neither had successfully recreated that form during the spring.

Although both play further down in the lineup, each singles match win is vital for this Villanova team.

“Against Xavier, he performed very well,” Adams said of Nguyen.

“He had a tough matchup against Butler. It came down to a lefty-righty matchup where the Butler player was

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

WEEKLY SCOREBOARD Mar. 23 - Mar. 29

Wednesday, March 23 Softball @ Princeton 6-5 L Thursday, March 24 Women’s T&F @ Texas Relays Women’s T&F @ Raleigh Relays No Team Scoring Men’s Basketball vs. Michigan 63-55 W Friday, March 25 Women’s T&F @ Texas Relays Women’s T&F @ Raleigh Relays Men’s T&F @ Raleigh Relays No Team Scoring Men’s Tennis @ Xavier 6-1 L Baseball @ Richmond 7-4 W Softball vs. St. John’s 6-2 W Saturday, March 26 Water Polo @ LIU 16-11 L Women’s T&F @ Raleigh Relays Men’s T&F @ Raleigh Relays No Team Scoring Softball vs. St. John’s 9-1 W Women’s Lacrosse vs. UC Davis 12-10 W Baseball @ Richmond 14-12 W Men’s Tennis @ Butler 6-1 L Men’s Lacrosse vs. Delaware 18-13 W Water Polo @ St. Francis 16-15 W Men’s Basketball vs. Houston 50-44 W Sunday, March 27 Water Polo @ Marist 12-9 L Baseball @ Richmond 15-4 W Softball vs. St. John’s 9-1 W Water Polo @ Siena 15-12 W Women’s Tennis vs. Seton Hall 4-3 W Monday, March 28 Men’s Golf vs. Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate T-7th of 15 Tuesday, March 29 Men’s Golf vs. Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate T-4th of 15 Baseball @ Delaware State 15-5 W slicing to Ryan’s forehand. Against Xavier, I was really happy with his competitiveness.”

The Wildcats get little rest before their next match-up against St. John’s on Wednesday when they begin a five-match homestand. Following their matchup with the Red Storm, the ‘Cats will host Loyola Maryland this weekend. With such a young and developing team, Villanova will need to bounce back quickly to remain competitive.

“Every year I challenge the guys with the schedule,” Adams noted of the tough upcoming stretch. “It’s challenging the guys every time they are on the court. [I want] to get them physically and mentally ready to win three matches to win a conference championship.”

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

The Villanovan | 17

SPORTS

Women’s Track Continues Outdoor Success

Ashley Preston cleared the bar on her first attempt at 3.70 meters.

Continuing this successful weekend, senior Lydia Olivere placed second out of 38 runners in The Villanova women’s the 3000 meter steeplechase, with track and field team traveled south a time of 10:01.65. Following close and competed in the Texas and behind her was teammate junior Raleigh Relays. Over two four-day Anna Helwigh, who finished in third competitions, the team showed with a personal best of 10:04.14, outstanding success in a variety of putting her in third place. Olivere’s events.

The weekend was marked as performance puts her third in the all-time fastest performance in Vila season opener for many athletes.

“There are a lot of freshmen lanova history, along with Helwigh, who sits in sixth place overall. in the group, so this was their first “Veterans like Lydia Olivere big meet to really see what it’s like and Anna Helwigh went out and racing the good college competiestablished themselves in their signation,” head coach Gina Procaccio ture event, and with them we were said. looking to get regional qualifying To kick off the weekend standards, and they came away from in Texas, graduate thrower Sade the weekend with number one [and] Meeks broke her third school renumber two times in the nation,” cord within the past three months.

Procaccio said.

She added to her extensive list of Graduate middle distance accomplishments when she broke runner McKenna Keegan continues the 20 year record with a mark of to show her intensity and versatil55.60 meters in the hammer throw.

Meeks earned 10th place among the ity as an athlete through her first rest of the competitors. She now has collegiate performance in the 1500 meter race. She finished with an the title of being the all-time proimpressive time of 4:18.94, which gram record holder in the shot put, is now the Big East-leading mark in the weight throw and the hammer throw. This performance moves her this event. “[Keegan has] always wantup to second place on the Big East ed to run [in the 1500],” Procaccio performance list for this outdoor said. “She is such a competitor season. and... is always competing for the “[Meeks] is somebody we win. She ended up running one of are looking at to qualify for the the top times in the nation and in NCAA Championship and… to finish among the top of the Big East the Big East [for] her first time ever rankings,” Procaccio said. “So, she is running in the event.”

Junior middle distance runjust living up to what we had expectner Maggie Smith earned a time of ed.”

4:22.55 in her first appearance in Simultaneously, the team the 1500 meter event of the season also competed in Raleigh, North as well. Rounding out the Wildcats Carolina, where senior pole vaulter Catherine Browne Staff Writer

Lydia Olivere placed second in the 3000 meter steeplechase in Raleigh.

Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

in the 1500 meter is the freshmen quartet of Sadie Sigfstead (4:28.51), Emma McGill (4:33.79), Emily Robinson (4:36.39) and Margaret Carroll (4:42.41).

Junior sprinter Jane Livingston competed in the hurdles event for the time this season and finished with a time of 14.02.

Four Wildcats competed in the 400 meters, with junior Madison Martinez leading the team with a time of 57.19. Freshman Maya Dorer crossed the finish line in 58.90, and freshman Alex Stasichin followed close behind with a time of 59.70.

Back in Texas, graduate thrower Taryn Ashby competed in the javelin to begin her season and threw a distance of 43.70 in the A

Baseball Sweeps Richmond

Loghan Hirkey Staff Writer Villanova had a successful time at the University of Richmond this past weekend when it won 7-4, 14-12 and 15-4, improving to 6-13-1 on the year. These wins came at a great time to snap the Wildcats’ five-game winless streak. This was also their first sweep since May 2021, when they defeated Georgetown in three straight contests.

On Friday, graduate Chris Rotondo started the game with not just a hit on the first pitch to continue his hitting streak, but his fifth home run of the season.

Junior Jack O’Reilly hit a double a few batters later, and graduate Joey Castellanos hit a single to bring O’Reilly home and give the ‘Cats a 2-0 lead.

The Spiders answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first to make the score 3-2. However, in the top of the second, the Wildcats responded when senior Will Reiner and Rotondo got on base with a couple of walks.

Graduate Pat O’Neil then singled to bring Reiner home.

The bottom of the fourth saw the Spiders score two runs to give them a 4-3 lead, and the next three innings were scoreless until the ‘Cats exploded in the eighth.

Castellanos opened the inning with a single and advanced

on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Cameron Hassert. Junior John Whooley cracked a double down the left-field line to bring Castellanos home and make the score 4-4.

Junior AJ Hansen and freshman Connor Hale both walked to load the bases, and a wild pitch from the Spiders allowed Whooley to come home and give the ‘Cats a 5-4 lead. Another walk to Rotondo loaded the bases again, and, after a bullpen change for the Spiders, Hansen and Hale scored on wild pitches.

Senior Cole Patten received the win as he was able to strike out six batters with only three earned runs in six innings. Junior Danny Wilkinson relieved him in the seventh and only allowed two hits in his two and 2/3 innings. Graduate Cole Mathes rounded out the day in the bottom of the ninth with a bases-loaded strikeout to secure the win.

On Saturday, the Spiders started strong with a 3-0 lead at the bottom of the first. After two scoreless innings, the ‘Cats got on the board with a sacrifice fly from O’Reilly, sending O’Neill to third and Hale home. Castellanos whizzed a single up the middle to bring O’Neill home and cut Villanova’s deficit to just one. The Spiders tacked on another run in the bottom of the third to make it 4-2 before the Wildcats erupted in the fourth.

With the bases loaded, Ro-

tondo extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a two-run single to tie the game 4-4. O’Neill had a groundout, scoring Hale and giving the Wildcats their first lead of the game. O’Reilly hit a single to score Rotondo, and Castellanos worked a walk before the Spiders went to the bullpen with two ‘Cats on base and two outs.

Even with a new pitcher, the hitting continued as Hassert cracked a single that scored O’Reilly, giving the Wildcats a 7-4 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Spiders tacked on a run to try and close the gap. However, that didn’t discourage the ‘Cats from scoring more runs in the top of the fifth when Hansen hit a blistering home run, Hale hit a double, and O’Neill secured a single to send Hale home. A double from O’Reilly brought O’Neill home and made the score 10-5.

Four more runs were tacked on by the Wildcats in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded, Whooley, Reiner and Hansen reached home from a multitude of walks, passed balls and hit batters.

Castellanos made the score 14-5 with an RBI single.

The Spiders turned up the heat in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six runs, including a grand slam, to cut Villanova’s lead to 1411.

The seventh and eighth innings went scoreless for both teams with one more run tacked on

section. She placed 12th among some of the top javelin throwers in the country.

To wrap up the competition, Martinez competed in the 800 meter event in the Raleigh Relays.

She finished with a time of 2:09.50.

Dorer earned first place in her heat of the 800 event, with a time of 2:10.56. Smith posted a time of 2:13.55, also finishing in first place in her respective heat. Senior sprinter and jumper Trinity Hart recorded a mark of 5.41 meters in the long jump during her second attempt.

This week, the Wildcats will compete in the Pepsi Florida Relays from Thursday to Saturday while some athletes also compete in the Philadelphia Big 5 Meet on Saturday.

by the Spiders in the bottom of the ninth. However, it was not enough, as the ‘Cats won, 14-12.

Graduate Tyler Arella received his first win of the season, going three and 2/3 innings and only allowing five runs while striking out three. Sophomore Devin Rivera picked up the save, going three innings and giving up just one earned run.

On Sunday the ‘Cats finished out the series with their highest score affair yet, winning 154. They walked a season-high 14 times. Eight Wildcats tallied at least one RBI, with Rotondo leading the pack with five RBIs as well as two home runs. His hitting streak has now extended to 19 games, and he has 29 hits on the season.

Junior Brandon Siegenthaler picked up his first win of the season, pitching six innings and striking out a season-high seven batters. Mathes relieved him for two innings with two strikeouts.

Wilkinson relieved Mathes for one inning and had a strikeout, and sophomore Patrick Montfort finished out the game to secure the win.

With a multitude of hits, home runs and walks, the ‘Cats appear to be heating up. The ‘Cats pitching also improved during this series with multiple strikeouts and very few hits given up.

The Wildcats hope to keep up the momentum as they open up Big East play against Georgetown.

SPORTS

18 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Women’s Lacrosse Downs UC Davis, 12-10 Amanda McKean Staff Writer On Saturday, March 26, the Villanova women’s lacrosse team defeated UC Davis, 12-10, improving its record to 4-7 and dropping UC Davis to 4-5. The Wildcats faced the Aggies in the Villanova Stadium on Alumni Day, when they honored past players, and former head coach Julie Young.

The leading scorer for the Wildcats was freshman attacker Sydney Pappas, who scored a career-high five goals on a career-high eight shots on goal. Senior attacker Caroline Curnal was the next leading scorer, adding four goals for the Wildcats, while junior attacker Cara Moreau, senior attacker Olivia Piccirilli and senior midfielder Alexa Tsahalis had one goal each. Senior defender Sydney Frank moved into fifth all-time in school history for career draw controls with 124.

At the start of the first quarter, the Aggies were able to build an early lead over the Wildcats with two goals. The Wildcats responded quickly, scoring within 16 seconds of the second Aggie goal. Senior midfielders Caroline Phelps and Libby McKenna connected passes in front of the goal before passing it off to Moreau who had a clear shot to get the ‘Cats on the board. The Wildcats tied it up with 90 seconds left in the quarter

as freshman attacker Sami Carey assisted a heavily guarded Pappas, who snuck the ball past the UC Davis goalie, but the Aggies responded with a third goal to give them a 3-2 lead going into the second quarter.

To start the second, the Wildcats tied the game again when McKenna tallied her second assist of the game and found Pappas, who cradled the ball past defenders straight into the goal. The Aggies were unphased, going on to score two more goals to extend their lead back to two, until the 4:40 mark when Pappas found an open lane and scored again for the Wildcats, giving her a hat trick and bringing Villanova back within one goal. The Wildcats continued to fight, as only 40 seconds later, Curnal scored by taking a deep shot unassisted that slid past the goalkeeper. After tying the game again, the Wildcats took their first lead of the game when Pappas recorded her fourth goal of the game after getting her own rebound and capitalizing on the second chance opportunity. The Wildcats extended their lead with seven seconds left as Curnal evaded her defender to score her second goal of the game, leaving the ‘Cats with a 7-5 advantage at the half.

Going into the third, the Aggies tried to get back into the game with an early goal, but the Wildcats responded as Moreau quickly fired a pass to a cutting Curnal, who struck

Caroline Curnal (shown earlier this season against Michigan) had four goals in the win.

Courtesy of Maggie Graw/Villanovan Photography

it hard into the goal for a hat trick.

After the fast start to the quarter, the game was stagnant until the two minute mark when Pappas earned a free position shot and scored her fifth goal of the game, giving the ‘Cats a threegoal lead entering the final quarter of play.

Within the first couple of minutes of the fourth quarter, the Aggies tried to spark a comeback with an early goal to cut their deficit to two, but Piccirilli cradled the ball from the back of the goal and was able to get it up and over into the net to regain the three goal advantage.

Within the next minute, Tsahalis attacked the next as well to score the 11th goal of the game for Villanova.

The Aggies were able to cut the lead

to two again, but the Wildcats would not let up. With four minutes left, Curnal scored her fourth and the Wildcats’ last goal of the game. The Aggies scored one goal in the final minutes, but it was not enough, and the Wildcats finished with the win.

The next game for the Wildcats will be on Saturday, April 2 at Villanova Stadium, when they will face Georgetown for their first conference game. The last time the Wildcats faced the Hoyas was on March 21, 2021, when they were defeated 18-8. The Wildcats will look to break an 11-year losing streak against Georgetown. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be streamed through FloSports.

Wildcats Defeat Houston to Advance To Final Four Colin Beazley Co-Editor-In-Chief

SAN ANTONIO — When the final buzzer sounded on Villanova’s 50-44 defeat of No.5 Houston, sending the Wildcats to the Final Four, the players’ celebrations were muted. Jermaine Samuels leaped around, hugging Kevin Voigt. There were a couple hollers, some hugs, but no launching the ball to the rafters, no Kobe Bryant/Doug Edert jumping on press row, no confetti snow angels, no waving goodbye to the crowd.

Collin Gillespie had the ball at the end, dribbling up the floor, and he did yell, at least a little. When the buzzer sounded, Gillespie flipped the ball at the hoop, but immediately after the ball landed, Gillespie made a beeline for the corner of the bench, where his teammate sat in tears.

Justin Moore, who had been so good throughout the tournament, had slipped with 35 seconds left, falling to the floor in agony clutching his calf.

Moore was helped to the bench by his teammates, at first headed for the locker room, before deciding he’d stay, stoically watching on as if he wasn’t in pain. The fact that he wasn’t on the floor told a different story.

In the final seconds, Moore tried to stand. He couldn’t. While the Wildcats celebrated, Moore sat on the bench in tears, knowing that whatever happens next weekend, he won’t be able to be a part of it.

“I’ve been in that position before,” Gillespie said of his celebration.

“I know what it feels like. … A lot of our guys ran right over to him because we’re not in the position that we are without him. So we just wanted to go over to him and just appreciate what he does for us and know that we

got his back.”

The game itself was no instant classic. Villanova struck first, making its first two shots and holding the Cougars to just two points in the opening 7:50. Villanova led through the entirety of the contest, forcing Houston to shoot just 29.8% from the field. The Cougars made just one of their 20 attempts from three, while Villanova shot 28.8% from the field, making five of 21 from beyond the arc.

Villanova led by seven points at halftime and by multiple possessions through most of the game, but with 5:25 remaining, Houston’s Taze Moore hit a layup to bring the Cougars within two. The entirety of an overwhelmingly pro-Houston crowd at the AT&T Center rose to its feet, just as they had after every Houston basket, trying to will the Coogs to a victory. But Gillespie, Villanova’s graduate leader, appeared in the biggest moment as he always does, hitting a floater to lead by four again.

It was Gillespie’s only made field goal of the game.

“We couldn’t get Justin or Collin in ball screens. They just took it away,” Wright said. “We couldn’t get Justin and Collin in post-ups. They took it away. It was hard to even get them back door cuts. … They took away our two leading scorers, and other guys had to step up.”

Graduate forward Jermaine Samuels was the leader for the ‘Cats, as he has been all tournament. Samuels scored 16 points and added ten rebounds, and was rewarded by being named the South Region’s Most Outstanding Player after the game.

Redshirt senior guard Caleb Daniels was the only other Wildcat in double figures, scoring 12 points despite making just four of his 16 attempts.

Daniels was also named to the All-

Collin Gillespie (above) cuts down the net following the team’s Elite Eight win.

Courtesy of David J. Phillip/AP Photo

South Region team, alongside Villanova teammates Gillespie and Moore.

Moore had a double-double for the Cougars, scoring 15 points and grabbing ten rebounds, including five on the offensive end. However, Moore scored his 15 points on 21 attempts.

“I don’t think (Moore) took a bad shot all night,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said. “He just didn’t finish around the basket. …

Taze was getting good shots, especially in the paint, transition. Just couldn’t finish.”

While the Wildcats struggled from the field and from three, they were perfect from the line. Villanova attempted 15 free throws in the game, making all 15. Houston attempted 14, making just nine.

With the win, the Wildcats advanced to the Final Four, which will take place next weekend in New Orleans. Villanova will face either No.1 Kansas or No.10 Miami, where in all likelihood, it will have to play without its second leading scorer. After freshman Jordan Longino went down with an injury before the tournament, Villanova’s seven man rotation was cut to

six, and with Moore’s injury, that core group was cut to five.

“He’s done so much for this team,” Gillespie said of Moore. “(He) always guards the best player, is one of our best offensive players, and will do anything for any one of our guys on either end of the floor.”

“Things happen. It’s part of the game,” Samuels said. “We were just grateful, I was just grateful to be able to celebrate with these guys, get the victory in a tough environment and be able to do it for him.”

Regardless of the challenges that the ‘Cats will face the rest of the way, as confetti fell in San Antonio, one truth remained: Villanova is going to its third Final Four in the last six editions of the tournament. The ‘Cats are just 80 minutes away from a fourth national championship.

“It feels great, man,” Wright said. “It feels great to be going back to the Final Four. It never gets old.

“We’re going to enjoy this.

Tonight and tomorrow we’re going to enjoy this. We’re going to rest up, and then we’re going to get to work. We get to keep playing. That’s what we enjoy the most.”

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

MARCH MADNESS

The Villanovan | 19

FINAL FOUR

Jay Wright vs Jayhawks: Satirical Preview Jackie Thomas Co-Opinion Editor Bella Irwin Co-Opinion Editor It’s that special time of March, when four basketball schools from around the nation with the most skill, luck or spirit recognize the all-too-familiar smell of car fires in the air and sight of greased-up light poles across campus. That’s right, it’s (nearly) Final Four weekend.

Luckily for you, just as we at The Villanovan had you covered for your bracket predictions earlier this month, so too do we have your easy, stress-free guide to the weekend as a fan looking to get the most out of your experience here on campus while doing your part to ensure a Wildcat win. Look no further for your comprehensive Final Four agenda from now through Saturday.

There is much more to this week’s festivities than the games alone, so this to-do list begins well in advance of the anticipated ‘Nova-Kansas matchup on Saturday.

Ideally, you should have been practicing the relevant morning affirmations for weeks by this point, but, of course, it is better late than never. Assuming you’re starting from scratch, start beginning your mornings with pro-Wildcats affirmations in the mirror.

Ideas include: “All things are possible through Jay Wright who strengthens me,” “Villanova cannot lose in a swampy southern city” and “A miracle week-long recovery from a torn Achilles is absolutely, totally, completely possible.” Note, too, that it can’t hurt to keep your affirmations running mentally throughout the day.

Thursday evening, eat a hearty meal at Outback Steakhouse. Specifically, enjoy The Collin Gillespie Meal—complete with Aussie Cheese Fries, a bone-in New York strip steak, Steakhouse Mac and Cheese and a house salad (with ranch)—to maximize the Collin clout going into the weekend. The near-$50 cost is a small price to pay to prove yourself as a real fan.

Let’s move into Friday, perhaps better known as Final Four Game Eve. On this most hopeful,

expectant day, square away your bets on the game. Keep in mind that taking bold risks is a known way to reap massive rewards, as well as manifest luck for the ‘Cats through sheer confidence. Thus, it’s a de facto requirement to go all-in with your life savings on a Villanova victory.

To up the risk (and reward) factor, spurn the transparent, quasi-responsible online sports betting platforms and bet through a sketchy bookie with questionable connections instead. Making this a possible life-or-death situation is a great way to ensure primo luck for the Wildcats as we approach the game.

The rest of your Friday should be dedicated to immersing yourself in New Orleanian culture from afar to get in the good graces of the game’s host city. Use your own creativity and discretion here— you could stage a Mardi-Gras-esque parade down Lancaster, raid the Pit kitchen and make enough beignets for the entire student body, put on a one-person jazz performance at the Oreo or stage a crawfish boil on the campus green.

By the logic of karma, putting out positive vibes toward New

Orleans means that New Orleans will return them.

Now for the big day, which, in the interest of providing a disclaimer, will involve a fair amount of travel. On Saturday morning, rise at dawn and head down to Lawrence, Kansas (your means and mode of travel are up to you).

Once there, you have two tasks: boo on the court inside the empty Allen Fieldhouse, and find a student to remind them that, not only is their mascot an entirely un-intimidating bird, but an imaginary one at that. The agenda’s elements thus far have served to bolster the Wildcats’ luck enough.

This little day-trip is to actively sabotage the luck and confidence of the Jayhawks.

With the Kansan foray complete, get back to ‘Nova, give University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D. a hug and head to the Finneran Pavilion for the game-watch. If (and only if) you have dutifully abided by this foolproof to-do list leading up to the game, a Villanova win is inevitable.

Go ‘Cats, and get working on those affirmations.

Villanova vs Kansas Preview: Daily Kansan Q&A Colin Beazley Co-Editor-in-Chief Before Villanova’s Final Four matchup with Kansas, we interviewed Nathan Swaffar, the Kansas basketball beat writer from The University Daily Kansan, Kansas’s student newspaper, about his team and his predictions for Saturday’s game.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and cut to fit the print edition. For the full interview, visit villanovan.com.

Q: Kansas has a rich basketball tradition, as the Jayhawks have been a powerhouse for decades.

What’s been the key to Kansas’s historical success?

Nathan Swaffar: I kind of split KU’s historical success up into quite a few different timeframes. Obviously you have Phog Allen, Father of College Basketball, coached here.

He started this culture of winning.

Pretty much all the way from the 1920s up to his retirement, they were winning, and they were winning a lot.

So he kick-started that culture and it’s just continued from there.

As you get up into the Roy Williams era, he never won a championship, but took that team to four Final Fours. That success continued when Bill Self came in and won a National Championship in 2008.

He’s now on his fourth Final Four.

Historically it’s really just been a culture.

They’ve been able to continue that because blue-bloods like KU and Kentucky and North Carolina, I’d throw Duke in there, but those three teams have been so good for so long.

Duke didn’t really come onto the scene until the 70s when Coach K

came in, but those other three teams they’ve been around since the forties, fifties, sixties. They’ve really been able to just continue that culture all the way up until this point.

They have a chance to really add another chapter to it if they can somehow manage to win the national championship this year.

Q: Kansas entered the season ranked third, with Final Four aspirations. It has met those goals and made it to New Orleans. How have the Jayhawks been able to meet high expectations and make it this far?

NS: It’s been a long season for KU. They really came in with national championship aspirations.

They returned most of everybody from last year’s squad. Ochai Agbaji and Jalen Wilson, who tested the draft waters, decided to come back and try to win a championship. You’ve had the emergence of Christian Brown, he’s taken his game to a whole other level this year. David McCormick, as inconsistent as he’s been, he’s really come up clutch when it mattered for KU the most.

They have a lot of depth pieces, especially talking about transfers. They brought in Remy Martin and Jalen Coleman, who’s been a pretty good shooter. They had a really good freshman class. They had some big men, Zack Clemens and KJ Adams who have provided that extra depth, maybe when McCormick or Mitch Lightfoot have been in foul trouble.

They came into this season thinking they’re going to dominate all year. Ochai Agbaji is having one of the best seasons by any player ever.

He’s in the conversation for National Award’s Consensus, All-American, which hasn’t been one since Devonte’ Graham in 2018. He took his game to a whole other level when we got

into the season.

But the big question mark had been Remy Martin because he’s had lingering injuries all season long, and they never been a hundred percent up until we got near the end of the season and into the Big 12 tournament where he has emerged as the player that everybody thought he would be at the beginning of the season. He’s been that floor director, but not as a dynamic of a scorer as he was at Arizona State. But he hasn’t had to be, he’s not the only guy. I wouldn’t say he’s the glue guy, but he’s been their most important player in the post season so far.

Coming into the tournament, not many people thought Kansas would be able to make it this far, but Martin has had other plans.

Q: Everyone’s saying that Kansas just played their best half of basketball season in the second half against Miami. Would you say that’s true, and what’s the key to continuing that play?

NS: I would absolutely say that was the best half of basketball they’ve played, on both ends. I’d say the keys to success is that this team all season had been pretty poor on defense. They didn’t have one of those stifling Bill Self defenses like in 2008, when they won the National Championship.

That’s really been one of the keys to success: their defensive efficiency has gotten so much better.

I don’t really pay attention to KenPom a lot, but I know they’ve risen from 40th to 20th in defensive efficiency rankings, which is seemingly unprecedented in a tournament like this. When you look at what they did against Miami, they absolutely shut them down defensively in the second half.

The thing for KU is that defense leads the offense because

their transition game is probably the best in the country. They are so good on the fast break. If they get you in a track meet, they’re probably going to beat you most of the time. If KU can play like (they did against Miami) in their next four halves they’re there. I don’t think there’s anybody that could stop them from winning a National Championship at [that] rate.

Q: What’s your prediction for the game?

NS: I think the Justin Moore injury is really gonna hurt Villanova.

I remember watching that and the first thing I thought is that, if KU wins, [Villanova vs Kansas is] an immediate, complete mismatch, especially with depth. KU, as much as Bill Self likes to play at a consistent seven or eight (player rotation), he can go as deep as 10 because he has so many playmakers. Maybe not as much talent, but he’s got guys who can come in and give consistently good minutes.

I think that’s really gonna hurt Villanova in this game. But, if this game does get ugly, which KU has been proven to do this season, that definitely favors Villanova.

If ‘Nova can make it an ugly game, that gives them a much greater chance to win. However, if this starts to be a KU-type of game, it’s going to be a track meet, and that will really hurt ‘Nova because of their depth issues.

I think it will actually be a combination of the two. I think there will be moments where ‘Nova has the game going their way and having it be a more ugly game, but, what we saw against Miami with KU is that once they get into an offensive rhythm, it’s nearly impossible to get them out of it.

I think KU is going to finally get past this Villanova demon that has plagued them for a while. I think I’ll have to go 79-70, KU.