"It's not the coach who wins 600 games," the 55-year-old Perretta said. "It's the players that have played in this program. Getting 600 wins is more a reflection on the players that have played here than the coach. I just happened to be here for all of them.

"Obviously that UConn game means a lot and when we made the Final Four in 1981. You always remember those type of games. But it's the other games. You can't get to 600 with just those wins. I can't remember every one, but I remember most of them."

His 600th victory came against Iona, which is coached by his good friend Tony Bozzella. The Gaels presented Perretta with a ball after the game and his team mobbed him as the crowd chanted, "Harry, Harry, Harry."

"Harry is everything that's right with women's basketball," Bozzella said. "How could I not honor him? I'd want my daughter to play for him."

VU 76 Iona 47

Whoa Nellie! We have a barn full of thoroughbreds and a stablemaster that lets them run, jump and play!

After the exciting and unexpected win against Michican State, a letdown was almost anticipated against Iona today and that looked to be the case as the Lady Cats came out cold, shooting 2 for 12 (no threes) and falling behind 11-4. The game turned around quickly as the shots started falling and the shot percentage for the rest of the game was 57%! After getting a small lead midway through the first half and trading baskets most of the rest of the way Nova forged ahead at the half 37-29 with a 10-3 run.

Opening the second half with a close out defense, the Cats ran out a 13-2 streak to put the game away in the first five minutes, leading by as much as 36 points at one time before the bench was cleared in a 76-47 wipeout. Once again, lots of assists, not many turnovers, double figure threes, lots of boards on both ends, great shooting from all points and after some first half lapses, a great all around defense.

For the second game in a row they crashed the offenseive boards, pushed the ball up court and generally played a totally different style of game than we have seen for at least the last 10 years. For some perspective, the last time we scored more than 70 points in a game was February of 2010 (only time that year). The last time we had 75 points or more in consecutive games was in December 2007 with that NCAA record-setting 3-point team and they only did it twice that year.

The young players look poised and capable. The veteran players are playing like veterans and the coach with 600 career wins has seemed to completely reverse his offensive style of play to accomodate them. For what appeared to be yet another rebuilding season, this season now seems to hold promise for some exciting and entertaining games.

Nova website has game notes and Harry's story as well as the box score. The attached link gets you the ESPN website story on Harry that was probably penned by Mel Greenberg who made an un-anticipated trip up to Iona for the game and will probably have a similar story run in the Philly Inquirer Sunday as their "special correspondant".

Tough road games ahead at Marist on Wednesday and Saturday at Princeton before the home opener Tuesday the 22nd to face Dela-ware and Della- Donne. Harry to be honored before that game.

ESPN web story on Harry Perretta's 600 career win

Bobby Curtis ran 2:16:44 to finish 15th in the NYC marathon yesterday, that's his first one.

Both teams won, but I have no individual results.

I found video of the 400m final and 4x400m at Mexico City and posted them on my blog.

Mexico 1968

We lose two "starters" and are picked 13th. I think Amanda avg. 19 minutes a game and Heather about 13 min. Who knows. Last time we were in NCAA's I think we were picked to come in 10th in league and ended up fourth with a two round bye in the BE tournament. Hope springs eternal.

Great get for the women's team by coach Procaccio. Piccirillo is a Foot Locker nationals finalist. Click below for her announcement via the PA MileSplit site. She chose Villanova over Georgetown, Tennessee, and others.


This post was edited on 10/19 10:38 AM by LSU-Nit

Angel Piccirillo Picks Villanova

Reid wins at Wiscy; Washington Huskies take team title; I have no idea how we did as a team. My info on the team title might be incorrect. We finished 4th as a team with the discrepancy between our 4th and 5th place runners was the difference.
This post was edited on 10/14 4:58 PM by whitecat

Is the impact it will have on our olympic sports especially in the running department. Any thoughts from the Villanova Sports page denizens on what will happen if our athletic programs wind up in a lesser status? As if I don't already know the answer.

GO CATS!!!

I noted that she was to run in the B division, but I haven't found any results. Has she ever truly recovered from last year's injury?

Providence women won with 101 points. Nova was second with 104; they ran without Reid. Mimic won the race, but there was a big gap back to Lipari who was second for Nova and Akande right behind her. The spread was 1:15 which would be a problem in the NCAA's. Georgetown was 4th but ran without Infeld.

The men were also 4th. Oklahoma won with 33 points, and Nova had 177. No Mildenhall or McEtee. McEtee did run unattached again in another race.

Both coaches were very pleased as we dominated at the season's opener. They were especially impressed with our times compared to running the same course last year.

There are detailed write-ups on the university site. I hope some of our real
experts post their thought; I would like to hear about which runners might
surprise on both teams.

When do they usually get around to posting the rosters?

Apparently, have given a verbal to Villanova. Their brother plays quarterback for Temple. Guards 5'10" prototypical Harry players (blonde with ponytails). Steve T. close to you geographically any additional info?

Villanova women's soccer hosts Penn at PPL park in Chester at 7pm next Friday night, Sept. 9,2011 at 7:00 PM. I don't know whether and how they would charge to park but I do know it's only $5 to get general admission seats for walk-up. VILLANOVA STUDENTS WILL BE ADMITTED FOR FREE, WITH STUDENT ID.

I have no vested interest in these two teams, however I will say that I've always been impressed by the players of both programs - and with the stadium - so I will be attending. While Nova is 13-1-1 in the all-time head-to-head series, I expect Penn to have the edge this year, or at least make it competitive.

Great way to visit the Union's stadium and preview the alternate home stadium of Villanova football. We'll have a good time, and also see some quality women's soccer one more time in 2011 before the fields get snowed under. Come on out, Villanova fans. It should be a good time.

villanova.com press release for PPL game

The following is freshly posted at the Kiwi website NZrun.com:

Adrian Blincoe, the New Zealand 5000m record holder, is expected to announce his withdrawal tomorrow from the 5000m at the World Championships in Daegu.

NZRun understands that Blincoe suffered a calf strain on Saturday during his final track session prior to the 5000m heats on Thursday.

Blincoe's preparation is reportedly the best he has ever had and he is said to be disappointed not to be able to represent New Zealand at this pinnacle event. Only two weeks ago, in his last race before the Championships, Blincoe finished fourth in the Falmouth Mile in 3:55.

Jake Robertson will now be the only Kiwi athlete lining up in the 5000m heats following a personal best of 13:22 set in the Netherlands in May.

Chapman seems to have come back from whatever malady she was experiencing last Fall. She recently finished 3rd in NY State 1500m Championships to Cain and Cuffe with a 4:23. See video of her anchoring F-M's DMR at New Balance Nationals. Think she made her move too soon. But it was probably too much to overcome. Think VU may have something here. Definitely a leg on 4x1500. See Penn Relay splits.

New Balance Results

I just read on Letsrun that Rob Denault has signed with Villanova.

The men look to be better than last year, losing Hugo Beamish from the top 7 but adding Ryan Sheridan. The guys look to be quite deep: Sheridan, Gibney, Mildenhall, Long, K. Capecci(?), Kane, Mackenzie, LoRusso, and anyone else who enters the fray (McEntee, Denault?).

The women's depth issue now looms large. Last year's team was top-4 heavy, with Lipari thrust into the job of holding down #5 as a true frosh. She did the trick, and the women repeated despite not having great depth. Now, however, they lose All-Americans Amanda Marino and Ali Smith (who were Villanova's 2nd and 3rd finishers at last year's national title race). Their top two (Sheila Reid and Bogdana Mimic) are great, but the women need breakout years from Emily Lipari (who jumps from #5 last year to the #3 runner this year) and anyone else (Sarah Morrison, Callie Hogan, Nicky Akande, someone else?) who wants to fill the rest of the top spots.

Georgetown is the clear #1 in the women's voting. They return 6 of the top 7 from last year's team. Comparing the top 5 Villanova women returnees' performance at the 2010 NCAA championships race (404 places) with Georgetown's (222 places) shows why they're ranked ahead of Villanova this year.

PRESEASON NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY RANKINGS -- MEN
Rank Institution Points Region Conference Location 2010 FINAL

1 Oklahoma State (10) 357 Midwest Big 12 Stillwater, Okla. 1
2 Stanford (1) 342 West Pac-12 Palo Alto, Calif. 4
3 Wisconsin (1) 335 Great Lakes Big Ten Madison, Wis. 3
4 Oregon 299 West Pac-12 Eugene, Ore. 6
5 Iona 292 Northeast Metro Atlantic New Rochelle, N.Y. 8
6 Oklahoma 288 Midwest Big 12 Norman, Okla. 5
7 Colorado 284 Mountain Pac-12 Boulder, Colo. 15
8 Florida State 261 South ACC Tallahassee, Fla. 2
8 Indiana 261 Great Lakes Big Ten Bloomington, Ind. 7
10 Portland 252 West West Coast Portland, Ore. 13
11 Princeton 225 Mid-Atlantic Ivy Princeton, N.J. 12
12 Northern Arizona 223 Mountain Big Sky Flagstaff, Ariz. 9
13 NC State 222 Southeast ACC Raleigh, N.C. 20
14 Syracuse 218 Northeast Big East Syracuse, N.Y. 14
15 Arkansas 201 South Central SEC Fayetteville, Ark. 10
16 BYU 192 Mountain West Coast Provo, Utah 18
17 Villanova 153 Mid-Atlantic Big East Villanova, Pa. 23
18 Providence 148 Northeast Big East Providence, R.I. 22
19 Virginia 134 Southeast ACC Charlottesville, Va. 17
20 Louisville 131 Southeast Big East Louisville, Ky. 28
21 New Mexico 110 Mountain Mountain West Albuquerque, N.M. 16
22 Georgetown 82 Mid-Atlantic Big East Washington, D.C. 29
23 Notre Dame 79 Great Lakes Big East South Bend, Ind. 25
24 Texas 78 South Central Big 12 Austin, Texas 26
25 Ohio State 66 Great Lakes Big Ten Columbus, Ohio DNQ
26 Florida 65 South SEC Gainesville, Fla. DNQ
27 Minnesota 58 Midwest Big Ten Minneapolis, Minn. 27
28 Eastern Kentucky 40 Southeast Ohio Valley Richmond, Ky. DNQ
29 Arizona State 30 West Pac-12 Tempe, Ariz. DNQ
30 Dartmouth 24 Northeast Ivy Hanover, N.H. DNQ

Others Receiving Votes: Alabama 20, Penn State 20, North Carolina 17, William & Mary 17, Michigan State 13, Washington 12, Michigan 10, Lamar 6, Arizona 4, Texas A&M 2, Columbia 1.

PRESEASON NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY RANKINGS -- WOMEN
Rank Institution Points Region Conference Location 2010 FINAL

1 Georgetown (10) 358 Mid-Atlantic Big East Washington, D.C. 4
2 New Mexico (1) 334 Mountain Mountain West Albuquerque, N.M. 5
3 Providence (1) 333 Northeast Big East Providence, R.I. 9
4 Colorado 324 Mountain Pac-12 Boulder, Colo. 6
5 Villanova 308 Mid-Atlantic Big East Villanova, Pa. 1
6 Florida State 278 South ACC Tallahassee, Fla. 2
7 Stanford 276 West Pac-12 Palo Alto, Calif. 13
8 Arizona 242 West Pac-12 Tucson, Ariz. 11
9 Duke 241 Southeast ACC Durham, N.C. 17
10 Iowa State 236 Midwest Big 12 Ames, Iowa 8
11 Washington 219 West Pac-12 Seattle, Wash. 16
12 North Carolina 203 Southeast ACC Chapel Hill, N.C. 14
13 Michigan 198 Great Lakes Big Ten Ann Arbor, Mich. 22
14 Texas 190 South Central Big 12 Austin, Texas 20
15 Syracuse 172 Northeast Big East Syracuse, N.Y. 10
16 Oregon 156 West Pac-12 Eugene, Ore. 12
17 Virginia 144 Southeast ACC Charlottesville, Va. 21
18 Penn State 134 Mid-Atlantic Big Ten State College, Pa. 26
18 Boston College 134 Northeast ACC Chestnut Hill, Mass. 19
20 Texas Tech 129 Mountain Big 12 Lubbock, Texas 3
21 NC State 108 Southeast ACC Raleigh, N.C. 24
22 Princeton 106 Mid-Atlantic Ivy Princeton, N.J. 15
22 Florida 106 South SEC Gainesville, Fla. 29
24 West Virginia 105 Mid-Atlantic Big East Morgantown, W. Va. DNQ
25 BYU 98 Mountain West Coast Provo, Utah DNQ
26 Oklahoma State 88 Midwest Big 12 Stillwater, Okla. 17
27 Toledo 75 Great Lakes Mid-American Toledo, Ohio 28
28 Iowa 69 Midwest Big Ten Iowa City, Iowa DNQ
29 Michigan State 60 Great Lakes Big Ten East Lansing, Mich. 23
30 Minnesota 52 Midwest Big Ten Minneapolis, Minn. 27

Others Receiving Votes: Columbia 43, Arkansas 15, Kansas State 13, Indiana 9, UCalifornia 7, Tulsa 6, San Francisco 6, Vanderbilt 2, James Madison 1, Stony Brook 1, La Salle 1

This post was edited on 8/30 9:13 PM by LSU-Nit

Georgetown women #1 in region; Princeton on the men's side. National pre-season poll is out tomorrow.

XC Pre-season regional rankings

After Coghlan ran 4:00.79 last month, he went 3:44 low a few days ago (equiv to 4:02.00 mile). Hope the kid gets there.

Irish Milers Club 1500 Meters @ Belfast
1. David Rooney Raheny IRL 3.44.17
2. John Coghlan MSB IRL 3.44.29
3. Tommy Carroll Sligo AC IRL 3.50.11
4. Patrick Brennan Letterkenny IRL 3.52.08
5. Sam Kelly St Abban's IRL 3.53.13
6. Andrew Monaghan Lagan Valley IRL 3.53.42
7. Eoin Pierce Clonliffe IRL 3.53.67
8. Andrew Agnew Striders IRL 3.53.79
9. Thomas Fitzpatrick Tallaght AC IRL 3.55.81
10. Brian Kelly St Abban's IRL 3.56.00
11. Gary O'Hanlon Clonliffe IRL 3.56.49
12. Ray Hynes Crusaders IRL 3.58.99
13. James Budde North Down IRL 3.59.54
14. Aaron Hanlon Dunleer AC IRL 4.00.01
15. Owen Carleton Striders IRL 4.00.74

I decided to do a little piece on Sydney Maree and how he was shafted twice by apartheid in his inability to participate in the 1980 olympics, and i thought i would share it.

Sydney Maree

Nice article in "Running Times" about Procaccio's approach to training and getting ready for the XC season.

Summer Training 101

News from Eire on some Villanova recruits, past and present

Mark English won the 800 in 1:50.22 (where he beat David McCarthy among others). Ciara Mageean won the 1500, but got beat into second in the 800 in 2:06.86. Sara Louise Treacy was 5th over 1500 in 4:23.43. Eamonn's son John was 2nd in a slow sit-and-kick 1500 (he ran a 4:00.79 mile last month). No Richie Corcoran in the results.

Men's 800 m
Place Name Club Time
1 Mark English Letterkenny A.C. 1.50.22
2 Brian Kelly St. Abbans A.C. 1.50.83
3 Anthony Lieghio Tallaght A.C. 1.50.88
4 David Mc Carthy Le Cheile A.C. 1.51.00
5 Dean Cronin Blarney/Inniscara A.C. 1.52.12
6 Tommy Carroll North Sligo A.C. 1.52.20
7 Daniel Mooney Letterkenny A.C. 1.52.28
8 Conor Healy Clonliffe Harriers A.C. 1.53.04
9 Fintan Reilly Dunleer A.C. 1.55.51
10 Darragh Greene Dunleer A.C. 2.00.50

Women's 800 m
Place Name Club Time
1 Siobhan Eviston Raheny Shamrock A.C. 2.06.69
2 Ciara Mageean City of Lisburn 2.06.85
3 Laura Crowe Riocht A.C. 2.07.93
4 Ciara Everard U.C.D. A.C. 2.10.82
5 Clare Mc Sweeney Leevale A.C. 2.11.50
6 Sinead Denny Dundrum South Dublin A.C. 2.11.81
7 Fiona Kehoe Kilmore A.C. 2.12.08
8 Niamh Kearney Sli Cualann A.C. 2.14.00
9 Aislinn Crossey Newry A.C. 2.16.76
Annette Quaid Leevale A.C. DQ

Women's 1500m
Place Name Club Time
1 Ciara Mageean City of Lisburn 4.16.36
2 Stephanie Reilly Sli Cualann A.C. 4.16.43
3 Fionnualla Britton Kilcoole A.C. 4.18.03
4 Orla Drumm U.C.C. A.C. 4.18.37
5 Sara Louise Treacy Moynalvey A.C. 4.23.43
6 Claire Tarplee Solihull & Smallheath 4.33.01
7 Emma Mitchell Banbridge A.C. 4.34.64
8 Lauren Scott North Down A.C. 4.36.72
9 Kate O'Neill Metro/St. Brigid's A.C. 4.38.20
10 Una Britton Kilcoole A.C. 4.41.69
11 Niamh Roe Eagle A.C. 4.46.21
12 Ellie Hartnett Sli Cualann A.C. 4.46.87
13 Amanda Crotty Paralympics 5.17.45
Becky Woods Clonliffe Harriers A.C. DNF
Eleanor Alexander Clonliffe Harriers A.C. DNF

Men's 1500 m
Place Name Club Time
1 Paul Robinson St. Coca'S A.C. 3.50.41
2 John Coghlan Metro/St. Brigid's A.C. 3.51.44
3 Rory Chesser Ennis Track A.C. 3.52.62
4 Joe Warne Doheny A.C. 3.52.69
5 Mark Hanrahan Leevale A.C. 3.52.69
6 Conor Bradley City of Derry 3.53.94
7 Eoin Pierce Clonliffe Harriers A.C. 3.55.13
8 Tommy Carroll North Sligo A.C. 3.55.54
9 Thomas Fitzpatrick Tallaght A.C. 3.56.34
10 Sam Kelly Fingallians A.C. 3.57.02
11 Gary O'Hanlon Clonliffe Harriers A.C. 3.57.73
12 Mark Mc Donald Clonliffe Harriers A.C. 4.00.59

Complete Results: Championships of Ireland

From ESPN....

Brandi Teague, F Davie,FL American Heritage H.S. (FL)
Grade: 89 Position Rank (F): 33

Villanova goes to Florida for third 2012 commit

Brandi Teague, the three-star 2012 forward prospect from Davie, Fla., has verbally committed to Villanova, her father, James Teague, told ESPN HoopGurlz.

Teague, a 6-foot-2 rising senior at American Heritage High School (Plantation, Fla.), plans on focusing her studies on nursing.

"Brandi fell in love with Nova after spending a weekend with the team and touring the facilities," James Teague said.

Teague will join two guards, Caroline and Katherine Coyer, twin sisters from Oak Hills, Va., who committed to the Wildcats in May. Teague also gives the Wildcats two three-star commitments. The team has seven juniors on its roster for next season so it may transition its recruiting focus to the 2013 class now.
This post was edited on 7/21 9:55 PM by Coach4pride

Florida F verbals to the Wildcats