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Good Morning, Nova Nation 5/16: Senior Celebration

Good Morning, Nova Nation 5/16: Senior Celebration

Baseball hosts Senior Weekend, two Wildcats announce their return and more!

Sydney Fields
May 16, 2025

The Official Newsletter of Villanova Athletics

Good morning, Nova Nation! Former Wildcat men’s basketball star and current New Orleans Pelican Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will serve as the student speaker at Villanova’s 2025 Commencement ceremony today!

What else is going on in Nova Nation?

⚾️ Senior Weekend
🎽 Track & Field competes at conference championships
🔷 And much more!

Starting Up is powered by our friends at Jeff D’Ambrosio Auto Group, a leading auto dealership serving Chester County and the surrounding communities since 1975.

🔼 Senior Celebration. Villanova baseball started the weekend with an 8-2 win over Seton Hall last night! Fans saw home runs from Josue Valdez and Michael Whooley. JP Podgorski fired a career-best tying five strikeouts in five innings. The series will continue today at 3 p.m.

Tomorrow is Senior & Alumni Day! Celebrate seniors Connor Hale, Marcus LaBuda, Shane Solari and Josue Valdez along with graduate students Luke McCollough, Jake McElroy, Jason Neff, Bobby Olsen, Alec Sachais, Tyler Shaw and Stephen Turzai. There will be a pregame tailgate starting at 11:30 a.m. Alumni and parents can RSVP by clicking here.

🔼 Podium Placement. Women’s thrower Alex Payne tied the best-ever finish by a Villanova athlete in the women’s hammer with a silver medal performance at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships! Distance runner Margaret Carroll took bronze in the 10,000m.

🔼 They’re Back. Villanova forward Matthew Hodge and guard Tyler Perkins will return for the 2025-26 season. Hodge, a partial qualifier, practiced with the team last season but did not play. Perkins appeared in all 36 games and averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

🎙️ Men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard joined Jon Rothstein’s podcast with CBS Sports! Click here to watch.

🔼 Just Do It. Men’s lacrosse sophomore Jake Melchionni was named a 2025 Nike Lacrosse Media All-American Honorable Mention by Inside Lacrosse! He becomes the second Wildcat this season to earn an All-American honor. The long-stick midfielder was named the BIG EAST Co-Specialist of the Year, along with All-BIG EAST First Team honors.

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