PHILADELPHIA – Villanova's 1V4 boat posted a team-best fifth-place showing as the Wildcats opened their season at the Head of the Schuylkill on Saturday.

All told, Villanova had three boats post sub-14-minute times on Saturday. The Blue and White saw four of its eight boats record top-10 finishes.

The shell of Kate Shipley, Sylvia Marks, Jalyn Colon, Natalia Brozyna and Sadhbh McDonnell led the pack for the 'Cats in the Championship Fours to start the day, crossing fifth in 13:55.511. Abby Shang, Bella DeVito, Mary Tracy, Sarah Kearney, Farrah Bardouille and Abby Shang finished 19^th with a time of 14:57.529. Not far behind in 22^nd were Lorelei Cadorette, Mary Eagle, Abi Siddons, Sarah McKee, Nicola Ranone and Lorelei Cadorette in 15:03.797. In 37^th was the boat of Jessica Repetto, Lilly Wavle, Ellen Kovats, MaryKate Cohen, Taylor Pansy and Jessica Repetto, crossing in 15:31.160.

In the Frosh/Novice Eights, Gianna Martinez, Ava Malloy, Isabella Zrebiec, Jasmine Ouatu, Sophia Malloy, Lily Harrick, Alyssa Wardell, Kaitlyn Wilson and Maia Dadakis finished eighth in 16:47.461.

The first race of the afternoon saw the crew of Shang, Imani von Wulffen, Siddons, Eagle, Bridget Blaney, Silvana Torres, Rachel Patrykus, McKee and Ranone post a 13:10.934 time that was good enough for sixth place. In 30^th was Bailey Pietricola, Wavle, Pansy, Gaby Cossi, Callie Hopkins, Sofia Broughman, Fiona Crosby, Meg Wolf and Ella Larken with a time of 14:03.163.

The last race of the day for Villanova was in the Championship Eights with Kate Shipley, McDonnell, Brozyna, Colon, Marks, Kearney, Bardouille, DeVito and Tracy finishing 10^th in 13:09.107.

Villanova heads to Princeton, N.J. on Nov. 1 for the Princeton Chase.