VILLANOVA, Pa. – For a second consecutive season, Villanova is set to compete in the Knecht Cup this weekend on the Cooper River. The two-day event is set to start Saturday in Cherry Hill, N.J.
 
Last year was Villanova's first appearance at the event in four years with all three boats making it into Sunday finals. The Varsity Eight boat had the highlight performance of that weekend, finishing fifth in a tightly contested race that saw just 11 seconds separating first and sixth place.
 
This year, Villanova will send four boats onto the Cooper River, two of those being the first groups of fours this season.
 
"This is going to be a good weekend.  We are still watching the weather but all in all we are hopeful that we will have a great opportunity for fair racing," head coach Carissa Adams said. "This weekend is the first time we will be breaking down into our fours and we are looking forward to seeing these athletes perform.  This race will be important to assess how we compare to our conference rivals and use it as a building block to determine our focus for the next four weeks."
 
Villanova is two weeks removed from its first true test of the season at the Doc Hosea Invitational that opened up the spring slate of events. All three boats in that event logged fifth-place finishes.
 
This weekend, the Wildcats will be in a field of well-over a dozen teams including fellow CAA sides Connecticut, Delaware, Drexel and Eastern Michigan. Saturday will be numerous heats that will set the stage for Sunday's finals. The top time in each V4 heat plus the next three fastest times will head to the Grand Final while the next six fastest boats will go to the Petite Final. In the 2V4, the first and second boats in both heats will advance to the final along with the two next fastest times. The Varsity Eight is set to have three heats racing for lanes in the semifinal while the 2V8 will have the first and second boats from each of the three heats moving to the grand final with the third and fourth fastest from each heat advancing to the Petit Final.  
 
"The athletes are ready to take care of business and have fun this weekend," Adams said. "I am excited to watch them realize how their growth as a team translates to their performance on the water.  As a coach, I couldn't be more proud of a group of student-athletes, they are a joy to lead."
 
Villanova is set to race with the following lineups at the tentative times listed:
 
V4 (Heat 1 - 8:10 a.m.)
Cox – Gianna Zajac
1- Sarah Robillard
2- Sofia Lopez
3 – Sabrina Pauli
4 – Cecilia Jenkins
 
2V4 (Heat 2 – 8:58 a.m.)
Cox – Olivia Kachurak
4 – Addison Wittnebert
3 – Kelechi Onuigbo
2 – Grace Quirk
1 – Rose Baker
 
V8 (Heat 2 – 10:10 a.m.)
Cox – Madison Girard
8 – Erin Welch
7 – Kara Dempsey
6 – Maggie Coyne
5 – Olivia Krause
4 – Sheila Joyce
3 – Ellie Falk
2 – Alexandra Petrozzi
1 – Madeline McCarthy
 
JV8 (Heat 3 – 12:56 p.m.)
Cox – Cate Donnelly
8 – Caroline Shea
7 – Jadyn Ramos
6 – Julia Kreisl
5 – Isabella Thorne
4 – Olivia Frizzell
3 – Jillian de Merlier
2 – Anna Flynn
1 – Caroline Colgan