Villanova Wildcats women's basketball

The Villanova Wildcats women's basketball team represents Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States.

Villanova Wildcats
2024–25 Villanova Wildcats women's basketball team
UniversityVillanova University
Head coachDenise Dillon (5th season)
ConferenceBig East
LocationVillanova, Pennsylvania
ArenaFinneran Pavilion
(capacity: 6,500)
NicknameWildcats
Student sectionNova Nation
ColorsNavy blue and white[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


NCAA tournament Elite Eight
2003
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
2003, 2023
NCAA tournament second round
1986, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2018, 2022, 2023
NCAA tournament appearances
1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2013, 2018, 2022, 2023
AIAW tournament Final Four
1982
AIAW tournament Elite Eight
1982
AIAW tournament Sweet Sixteen
1982
AIAW tournament appearances
1982
Conference tournament champions
1986, 1987, 2003
Conference regular season champions
1984, 1985, 1987

History

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The school's team currently competes in the Big East, where it has competed since the 1982–83 season.[2] The women's basketball team began competing in 1969–70 under coach Liz Cawley, obtaining a 4–6 record in its inaugural season, and an 8–5 record and its first winning season the following year.

Harry Perretta coached the team starting in 1978.[2] In the fall of 2019 it was announced that Perretta's 2019–2020 season would be his last season coaching the Wildcats after a 42-year tenure with the program. He was honored at the team's last home game of the 2019–2020 season at Finneran Pavilion.[3]

The Wildcats are currently coached by Denise Dillon.[4]

On January 20, 2023, Maddy Siegrist became the Wildcats' all-time leading scorer, breaking Shelly Pennefather's record. She also led the nation in scoring in 2022–23 and earned Big East Player of the Year in two consecutive seasons.[5]

Yearly record

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Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Liz Cawley (1969–1970)
1969–70 Liz Cawley 4–6
Liz Cawley: 4–6 (.400)
Jane Sefranek (1970–1975)
1970–71 Jane Sefranek 8–5
1971–72 Jane Sefranek 9–3
1972–73 Jane Sefranek 10–5
1973–74 Jane Sefranek 10–4
1974–75 Jane Sefranek 14–6
Jane Sefranek: 51–23 (.689)
Joan King (1975–1978)
1975–76 Joan King 7–7
1976–77 Joan King 6–11
1977–78 Joan King 15–7
Joan King: 28–25 (.528)
Harry Perretta (1978–1980)
1978–79 Harry Perretta 17–8
1979–80 Harry Perretta 20–5
1980–81 Harry Perretta 22–6
1981–82 Harry Perretta 29–4 AIAW Final Four
Big East Conference (1982–2020)
1982–83 Harry Perretta 14–15 4–4 T-4th
1983–84 Harry Perretta 22–7 6–2 T-1st
1984–85 Harry Perretta 21–9 12–4 T-1st
1985–86 Harry Perretta 23–8 12–4 T-2nd NCAA second round
1986–87 Harry Perretta 27–4 15–1 1st NCAA First round
1987–88 Harry Perretta 20–9 11–5 2nd NCAA First round
1988–89 Harry Perretta 18–12 11–5 2nd NCAA First round
1989–90 Harry Perretta 9–19 1–15 9th
1990–91 Harry Perretta 12–17 4–12 8th
1991–92 Harry Perretta 11–17 7–11 T-3rd
1992–93 Harry Perretta 15–13 10–8 T-4th
1993–94 Harry Perretta 13–14 7–11 T-6th
1994–95 Harry Perretta 19–9 13–5 2nd
1995–96 Harry Perretta 21–7 13–5 3rd (3rd BE6)
1996–97 Harry Perretta 14–14 8–10 T-6th (5th BE6)
1997–98 Harry Perretta 19–10 12–6 T-4th (T-2nd BE6) WNIT 1st Round
1998–99 Harry Perretta 14–14 9–9 T-6th
1999–00 Harry Perretta 15–15 7–9 T-6th WNIT 1st Round
2000–01 Harry Perretta 22–9 11–5 T-4th NCAA second round
2001–02 Harry Perretta 20–11 12–4 T-3rd NCAA second round
2002–03 Harry Perretta 28–6 12–4 T-3rd NCAA Elite Eight
2003–04 Harry Perretta 23–7 12–4 T-2nd NCAA second round
2004–05 Harry Perretta 19–12 10–6 T-4th WNIT 1st Round
2005–06 Harry Perretta 21–11 9–7 T-6th WNIT Quarterfinals
2006–07 Harry Perretta 8–21 2–14 16th
2007–08 Harry Perretta 17–16 5–11 T-11th WNIT Round of 16
2008–09 Harry Perretta 19–14 12–4 T-4th NCAA First round
2009–10 Harry Perretta 14–16 3–13 15th
2010–11 Harry Perretta 12–19 3–13 T-13th
2011–12 Harry Perretta 19–15 6–10 T-10th WNIT Round of 16
2012–13 Harry Perretta 21–11 9–7 T-6th NCAA First round
2013–14 Harry Perretta 23–9 12–6 T-3rd WNIT 2nd Round
2014–15 Harry Perretta 22–14 12–6 3rd WNIT Round of 16
2015–16 Harry Perretta 20–12 12–6 T-2nd WNIT 2nd Round
2016–17 Harry Perretta 20–15 11–7 4th WNIT semifinals
2017–18 Harry Perretta 23–9 12–6 3rd NCAA round of 32
2018–19 Harry Perretta 19–13 9–9 4th WNIT 2nd Round
2019-20 Harry Perretta 18-13 11-7 T-3rd N/A
Harry Perretta: 742–467 (.614) 322–264 (.549)
Denise Dillon (Big East) (2020–Present)
2020-21 Denise Dillon 17-7 9–5 5th WNIT Quarterfinals
2021-22 Denise Dillon 24-9 15-4 2nd NCAA round of 32
Denise Dillon: 41 -16 24-9
Total: 825–521 (.613)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Postseason results

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NCAA Division I

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Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1986 #7 First Round
Second Round
#10 La Salle
#2 Rutgers
W 60–55
L 58–85
1987 #6 Second Round #3 NC State L 67–68
1988 #8 First Round #9 Wake Forest L 51–53
1989 #11 First Round #6 Old Dominion L 41–66
2001 #5 First Round
Second Round
#12 Drake
#4 NC State
W 66–58
L 64–68
2002 #9 First Round
Second Round
#8 Pepperdine
#1 Oklahoma
W 67–46
L 53–66
2003 #2 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#15 St. Francis (PA)
#7 George Washington
#6 Colorado
#1 Tennessee
W 51–36
W 70–57
W 53–51
L 49–73
2004 #7 First Round
Second Round
#10 Ole Miss
#2 Purdue
W 66–63
L 42–60
2009 #8 First Round #9 Utah L 30–60
2013 #9 First Round #8 Michigan L 52–60
2018 #9 First Round
Second Round
#8 South Dakota State
#1 Notre Dame
W 81–74 (OT)
L 72–98
2022 #11 First Round
Second Round
#6 Brigham Young
#3 Michigan
W 61–57
L 49-64
2023 #4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#13 Cleveland State
#12 Florida Gulf Coast
#9 Miami (FL)
W 76–59
W 76-57
L 65-70

AIAW Division I

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The Wildcats made one appearance in the AIAW National Division I basketball tournament, with a combined record of 2–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
1982 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Miami (OH)
Delta State
Rutgers
W, 69–61
W, 87–72
L, 75–83

References

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  1. ^ Villanova Athletics Identity Standards Guide and Apparel Specifications (PDF). February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Villanova Women's Basketball All-Time Results, retrieved 2013-Aug-15.
  3. ^ Jarman, Dave. "42 Years Later". AKSM Media. AKSM News. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  4. ^ Newsome, Victoria (November 6, 2024). "Denise Dillon: Reshaping a Villanova Dynasty". The Villanovan. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  5. ^ Subhan, Amna (February 16, 2023). "Maddy Siegrist, the nation's top scorer, is breaking records, leading Villanova women's basketball to rare heights". NCAA.com. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
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