Athletic Director’s Update August 2026
Nova Nation,
The summer months were as busy as ever for our Villanova Athletics staff, and I am excited about our continued momentum as we welcome our student-athletes back to campus to begin a new year of competition. As you are aware, we are operating in an unprecedented environment in intercollegiate athletics, and even as I write this the headlines are changing. One thing that remains steadfast is Villanova’s commitment to competing at the highest level while providing an exceptional college experience in all areas of campus life.
We have success because of our people. This summer, we announced several important hires, including Randy Foye ’06, Devin Hassinger ’18 and Justin Mirenda ’23. Randy, Devin and Justin made immeasurable contributions to Villanova Athletics while working for Friends of Nova – our former NIL maximization parter – and their roles have now been brought in-house. Their efforts have put us in a strong position as a department in the areas of revenue generation and student-athlete recruitment and retention.
Over the summer, we also welcomed our newest head coach, Eduardo Ugalde, who will lead our men’s tennis program. Eduardo has experience at some of the nation’s premier institutions – most recently Yale – and his passion for mentoring young people combined with his outstanding ability to develop student-athletes make him an excellent fit for Villanova.
Football season is kicking off this week, and we are excited to begin a new chapter in the Patriot League. The team is ready to build on the momentum created by a record-setting 2025 season that included an amazing run to the FCS playoff semifinals, and our staff has been working tirelessly to create amenities and gameday experiences that will help support our ambitious goal of filling Villanova Stadium every game!
I am excited for you to experience the new stadium features we have added, including premium field level seating, the Wildcat Den, seatbacks, pre-game live music, a free tailgate for all fans and a rebranded fan zone. We need a full stadium and high energy to create an intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams and a home environment that our student-athletes deserve.
Our Fall sports season is already off to a strong start with women’s soccer posting consecutive shutouts on the road and men’s soccer tallying two straight shutout wins at home. We are also looking forward to the beginning of the seasons for volleyball, field hockey and cross country. Volleyball is our newest ticketed sport, and I hope to see many of you in attendance when we open our home schedule with the Villanova Classic on September 18-19.
The men’s and women’s basketball seasons will be here before we know it. We are incredibly fortunate to have our teams open the season against the University of Notre Dame in the Eternal City Tip-Off in Rome. This opportunity is a unique celebration of both institutions shared Catholic missions and heritage and will feature a basketball doubleheader along with special programming that brings together academics, athletics and spirituality.
Season ticket sales and renewals for men’s and women’s basketball are ongoing. We announced our full women’s non-conference schedule and men’s non-conference schedule this week, and we are already looking forward to bringing our community together for an on-campus basketball kickoff celebration this Fall.
The Cavanaugh Family Boathouse, a state-of-the-art facility that will house the women’s varsity and men’s club rowing programs, is set to open this Fall. In addition, we are making continued progress on several other capital projects to benefit our student-athletes, including a full renovation of the West Campus tennis complex.
Villanova’s new 112-acre Cabrini Campus is officially open, and this transformative expansion will allow us to move our field hockey program back onto campus. The team’s locker room and coaches’ offices have already moved to Cabrini and we are in the final stages of planning for the construction of our new field hockey facility.
Your support of Villanova Athletics has never been more important for us as our student-athletes pursue their goals. I am humbled by the generosity of Villanova alumni, families and fans as you helped us raise $36.4 million across 24 varsity sports programs during the fiscal year which ended May 31, 2026. Our shared commitment to excellence inspired 7,411 individual donors, including 1,250 who made their first-ever gift to Villanova. There were 13,535 gifts made in all, including 62 of $100,000 or more. Going forward the continued support of Nova Nation through ticket sales, attendance, sponsorships and philanthropy is critical for us to compete in this new era of collegiate athletics.
As a new academic year begins, Villanova remains among the world-class universities who offer our combination of academic and athletic excellence. On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches and athletics staff, I sincerely thank you for all that you do to support us. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming game or athletic event soon.
