VILLANOVA, Pa. –  It was the most jam-packed week of Villanova athletics yet, with nine teams competing. Women's Tennis, along with Men's and Women's Cross Country opened their seasons; and Women's Cross Country even won their first meet. On the topic of wins, Volleyball won both of their first two home games of the season, while Football and Women's Soccer each added a victory of their own. This week's edition of the Weekly Wrap features nine student-athletes whose performances stood out over the past week. The Villanova Athletics Weekly Wrap is sponsored by Zajac and Padilla.
 

Men's Cross Country
Dan Watcke
Senior/Hinsdale, Ill.

The middle-distance specialist made his cross country debut in Villanova's opening competition at the Main Line Invitational. Watcke placed 18th overall, leading the group of four Wildcat runners. The Illinois native finished the four-mile course in 20:05.9, completing the longest race of his collegiate career.
 

Women's Cross Country
Hannah Jicha
Freshman/Strongsville, Ohio
 
Jicha welcomed herself to Villanova with a podium finish in her college debut. The freshman placed third at the Main Line Invitational, leading the way for the Wildcats. She crossed the line at 17:49.3, helping Villanova secure its ninth straight Main Line Invitational win.
 

Field Hockey
Maddi Sears
Senior/Goalkeeper/Avondale, Pa.
 
Sears racked up 14 saves across two games for the Wildcats. She saw 10 shots on goal against UConn, stopping eight. She stopped two scoring chances in the first three minutes of the game and came up big with a penalty stroke save in the third period. The goalkeeper saved all but one of the seven shots she faced from Drexel. Sears was unbreakable in the first half, saving all five shots that came her way.
 

Football
Ja'briel Mace
Junior/Running Back/Somers Point, N.J.
 
Mace totaled two touchdowns in Villanova's 20-16 win over LIU, the second of which was the game winning touchdown reception with one minute to go. His first score capped the opening drive of the second half with a 20-yard touchdown run, giving the Wildcats their first lead of the game. Mace ran for 97 yards and added 35 more on three receptions. He wound up with a game-high 170 all-purpose yards for the day when factoring in his two kickoff returns for 38 yards.
 

Golf
Vibhav Alokam
Junior/Ypsilanti, Mich.
 
Alokam was Villanova's highest placing golfer at The Goat, pacing the Wildcats in two of three rounds in Annapolis. He tied for 16th place, shooting 217 (+4) on the weekend. He shot 73 (+2) in round one, 70 (-1) in round two, and 74 (+3) in round three. His round two score was the sixth lowest in the entire field for that 18-hole stretch.
 

Men's Soccer
Karson Vazquez
Junior/Midfield/Winter Garden, Fla.
 
Vazquez scored his first goal of the season against St. John's to lead the Wildcats in scoring this week. He received a pass from Sam Nyenka to score the contest's opening goal ten minutes into the game. His two points tied his single-game career high.
 

Women's Soccer
Campbell Dez Zapata
Junior/Forward/Smyrna, Del.
 
Zapata earned points in each of Villanova's two-game undefeated week. She assisted Kaydee Amorosa's opening goal in the 72nd minute of Villanova's win over Delaware. This was her fourth assist of the season, a team high. The Delaware native scored the lone Wildcat goal to even the score against Princeton, solidifying a 1-1 draw.
 

Women's Tennis
Alina Kornyeva
Sophomore/Dnipro, Ukraine
 
Kornyeva won three matches at Villanova's opening competition, the Villanova and Delaware Invitational. She won two singles matches in straight sets, beating Temple's Aditi Vaidya (6-2, 6-4) and Johns Hopkins' Sahana Sanjeev (6-4, 6-3). In double play, she joined forces with Riley Cicero to earn the win over Johns Hopkins' Cueng & Zhou, 6-1. 
 

Volleyball
Campbell McKinnon
Junior/Middle Blocker/Collierville, Tenn.
 
McKinnon had a stellar week helping the Wildcats win two of three matches. She had a career day in the home opener, setting a career high with 20 kills against UMBC. She earned a career high 23.5 points with a season-high two aces, along with three blocks. McKinnon didn't stop there, contributing seven kills in Villanova's dominant 3-0 win against Princeton. She also tacked on her first assist of the season, as well as three blocks.
 

 

Villanova Performers of the Week for September 14-20
Sport	Name	Class	Hometown
Men's Cross Country	Dan Watcke	Senior	Hinsdale, Ill.
Women's Cross Country	Hannah Jicha	Freshman	Strongsville, Ohio
Field Hockey	Maddi Sears	Senior	Avondale, Pa.
Football	Ja'briel Mace	Junior	Somers Point, N.J.
Golf	Vibhav Alokam	Junior	Ypsilanti, Mich.
Men's Soccer	Karson Vazquez	Junior	Winter Garden, Fla.
Women's Soccer	Dez Zapata	Junior	Smyrna, Del.
Women's Tennis	Alina Kornyeva	Sophomore	Dnipro, Ukraine
Volleyball	Campbell McKinnon	Junior	Collierville, Tenn.

Villanova Athletics Scoreboard
September 14-20
 
Men's Cross Country
September 18: Main Line Invitational (no team scoring)
 
Women's Cross Country
September 18: Main Line Invitational (1st of 13)
 
Field Hockey
September 18: Villanova 1, Connecticut 3
September 20: Villanova 0, Drexel 2
 
Football
September 19: Villanova 20, LIU 16
 
Golf
September 19-20: The Goat (9th of 15)
 
Men's Soccer
September 18: Villanova 1, St. John's 2
 
Women's Soccer
September 17: Villanova 2, Delaware 1
September 20: Villanova 1, Princeton 1
 
Women's Tennis
September 18-19: Delaware Invitational (No team scoring)
 
Volleyball
September 15: Villanova 1, Penn State 3
September 18: Villanova 3, UMBC 2
September 19: Villanova 3, Princeton 0