VILLANOVA, Pa. - A busy and exciting schedule of Homecoming Weekend events begins on Friday with a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the new West End Zone building in Villanova Stadium. The event begins at 5 p.m. and is open to the public free of charge. The ribbon cutting will officially open the newest Villanova Athletics venue, which will house the Wildcats football program along with academic, training and wellness facilities that benefit all Villanova student-athletes.

Saturday will be a full day of events on campus, including the Homecoming football game against Albany and a men's basketball Blue/White Scrimmage which is open to the public. The men's soccer team is also home against BIG EAST rival Creighton on Saturday afternoon, while the men's and women's swimming & diving teams will host Drexel and La Salle in their first home competition of the season. Below are more details on each of this weekend's Homecoming events.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21

4:30 PM / 5:00 PM -- Men's and Women's Cross Country -- Haverford Invitational
Several members of the men's and women's cross country teams will be competing at the Haverford Invitational on Friday afternoon. The local meet takes place on the Haverford campus and is just a short drive from Villanova. The three-mile women's race gets underway at 4:30 p.m. and will be followed by the four-mile men's race at 5 p.m. Admission is free and parking is available at Haverford in the parking lot located behind Alumni Gym.

5:00 PM -- West End Zone Building Ribbon Cutting -- Villanova Stadium
The Villanova Stadium West End Zone Project will add on to the Jake Nevin Field House by creating a new facility that will serve as home to the football program, while also providing important amenities to meet the growing athletic performance demands for student-athletes across Villanova's 24 varsity sports. This new state-of-the-art facility will house the Athletic Department's sports medicine operations and the "Howie Long Strength & Conditioning Training Center," while other amenities will include a new football locker room, coaches' offices, equipment room, academic support, a 100-seat meeting room and a reception/training table area. Parking for this event will be in the Main Lot.

5:00 PM -- Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving at Philly Relays (La Salle)
One night before their first home meet of the season, the Wildcats swimming & diving teams will get the 2016-17 season underway at the Philly Relays. Several local teams will be competing in the meet, which is being hosted by La Salle at Kirk Pool. The pool is located inside the Hayman Center on the La Salle campus.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22

10:00 AM -- Men's Basketball Blue/White Scrimmage
Admission is free and open to the public as the national champion men's basketball team offers fans a glimpse of the upcoming 2016-17 squad. Doors to the Pavilion open at 9:30 a.m. and the scrimmage will begin at 10 a.m. Fans attending the scrimmage may park in the Main Lot.

12:00 PM -- Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving vs. Drexel/La Salle
The first home meet of the season is a triangular meet at the Villanova Swim Complex. Villanova will host Drexel and La Salle, with the meet getting underway at 12 p.m. Prior to the meet, head coach Rick Simpson will unveil "The Arege Family Record Board" which will prominently display the history of the Wildcats program. The new record board was made possible through a generous donation by former Villanova swimmer Geraldine Arege '90 and her family. Admission to the swim meet is free and fans can access the pool by entering the Jake Nevin Field House at the Ticket Office entrance and then walking down the stairs to the pool. Parking will be available in the Main Lot.

1:00 PM -- Men's Soccer vs. Creighton
Villanova hosts No. 10 Creighton in a pivotal BIG EAST showdown at Higgins Soccer Complex. After earning a point on the road with a 2-2 tie at Xavier last weekend, the Wildcats defeated Penn, 4-0, on Wednesday afternoon in the start of a three-game home stand. Villanova is currently 7-5-2 on the season and 2-2-1 in conference play entering Saturday's matchup. Admission to Higgins Soccer Complex is free of charge, and parking is available on West Campus for fans attending the game.

3:30 PM -- Football vs. Albany
For the second straight week, the Wildcats will play in a game featuring two nationally-ranked teams. Villanova checks in at No. 16 in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll and will be hosting No. 23 Albany in just the third meeting ever between the teams. Entering Saturday's game, the Wildcats are 5-2 overall and 3-1 in conference games. The visiting Great Danes come in with a record of 4-2 overall and are 1-2 in league play. Tickets to Saturday's game can be purchased here, and parking information can be accessed here.