Kyw Newsradio's 1-on-1 With Matt Leon

The Villanova women’s basketball team is having a great season. The Wildcats are 17-7 overall, 11-4 in the Big East, and last week they turned everyone’s head with an impressive 72-69 win in Hartford against UConn. Matt Leon caught up with Villanova head coach Denise Dillon to talk about how her team is preparing for Sunday’s home game against DePaul, what’s working for her squad, and what the UConn win means for the program. The Wildcats' game with DePaul on Sunday will be a 2pm tipoff at the Pavilion. 

One of the best performances on the local college basketball scene this season occurred this past Tuesday night when Division II University of the Sciences beat Goldey-Beacom, 64-56. In the win, Sciences graduate student guard Jess Huber poured in a program record 45 points. She went 14 of 22 from the field, 6 of 11 from the three point line, and a perfect 11 of 11 from the foul line. 32 of her points came in the second half when she actually outscored the entire Goldey-Beacom team by 8 on her own. The win improved Sciences to 18-3. Matt Leon caught up with Huber, a North Penn HS product, to talk about her incredible night.

Theresa Shank Grentz is a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. As a player, the Cardinal O’Hara product was a star on those incredible “Mighty Macs” teams at Immaculata in the early 70’s that won three straight national championships. She then went on to win more than 650 games as a head coach at St. Joseph’s, Rutgers, Illinois and Lafayette. In Episode #119 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Grentz about her career in hoops. They talk about what it was like to be a part of those historic teams at Immaculata, how she got into coaching and much, much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The Drexel men’s basketball team will be looking for a third straight win on Thursday night when the Dragons host Hofstra. Drexel is 11-10 overall this season, and 6-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Of course Drexel is coming off of a 2020-2021 season that saw them win the CAA Conference Tournament and advance into the NCAA Tournament. Matt Leon caught up with Drexel head coach Zach Spiker to talk about his team’s progress, what’s been working as of late, and what he expects against the Pride. 

Janelle Benner has been the head field hockey coach at Division III Ursinus College since the 2011 season. During her time in Collegeville, she has led the Bears to five Centennial Conference championships and six NCAA Tournament appearances – reaching the national semifinals in 2011 and 2015.  In Episode #118 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Benner over Zoom about her career in field hockey. They chat about her success with the Bears, how she got into coaching and also talk about Benner’s passion for music. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Jim Connolly is in his third year as the head women’s basketball coach at Division II Chestnut Hill College and in a short time he has turned the Griffins into one of the top teams in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. His coaching career follows his playing days where he starred at Jefferson University, scoring more than 1,500 career points for Hall of Fame coach Herb Magee. In Episode #117 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Connolly over Zoom to talk about his success at the helm of Griffins, how he got into coaching and what it was like playing for Coach Magee. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.  

The Swarthmore College men’s basketball team is once again one of the top teams in Division III. The Garnet are 16-3 heading into a Wednesday night road game at Washington College and they are tied for first place in the Centennial Conference with a 10-2 league mark. Swarthmore have been ranked in the top twenty all season long. We caught up with head coach Landry Kosmalski about his squad, how they approached this season after missing last season because of the pandemic and much more.  

Chris Widger is a Pennsville, New Jersey native who spent ten years in the Major Leagues as a catcher. He was drafted by Seattle in the 3rd round in 1992 and played for six different teams in the big leagues, helping the Chicago White Sox win the 2005 World Series. These days he is a minor league manager and was named Baseball America’s Minor League Manager of the Year following the 2021 season after leading the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits in the Kansas City Royals' system to a championship. In 2022, he will manage the Royals' Double-A squad in Northwest Arkansas. In Episode #116 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Widger over Zoom about his life in baseball, looking back at his career as player and talking about his success as a manager. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The Drexel University women’s basketball team is red hot right now. The Dragons are 13-2, 5-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association, and riding a ten game winning streak. Sunday, the Dragons will play rival Delaware in a critical CAA matchup at the DAC. Matt Leon caught up with Drexel head coach Amy Mallon to talk about her squad and find out what is key to her team's success. 

Jill Reeves has been the head women’s soccer coach at Division II Holy Family University since 2012. Reeves is a Northeast Philadelphia native, and on her watch the Tigers have been consistent contenders in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, winning more than 60% of their games and advancing to the CACC title game three times. In Episode #115 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Reeves over Zoom to talk about her life in soccer and her success at Holy Family. They also look back at her playing career at Little Flower Catholic High School and Kutztown University. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Niki Clement is in her 12th season as the head men’s and women’s squash coach at Division III Haverford College. On her watch, the Fords have captured two men’s division titles and two women’s division titles. Her coaching career follows a very successful squash playing career as Clement, a Radnor High product, starred at Bowdoin College and went on to become a professional. In Episode #114 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks over Zoom with Clement to talk about her life in squash. They talk about how she was introduced to the game and fell in love with it, her playing career and her success at Haverford. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.  

Bill Rodgers has been the Director of Esports at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania since June of 2021. Prior to being elevated to his current position, he served as head coach for the game Hearthstone since Arcadia’s program originated in 2019. In Episode #113 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon, “ Matt speaks with Rodgers over Zoom to talk about how Esports have become so popular, get some insight into what it takes to run an Esports program at the collegiate level, and learn what has lead to success for the Knights. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Alisa Kintner has been the head women’s basketball coach at Division III Widener University in Chester since 2003. On her watch, the Pride have been a constant contender in the region, and she has led the team to the NCAA Tournament four times. In 2013, they advanced all the way to the National Quarterfinals. Her coaching career follows an outstanding playing career where she rewrote the record book for assists at Delaware Valley University. In Episode #112 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Kintner over Zoom about her success at Widener. They look back at her playing days at DelVal, and also talk about her biggest victory, beating cancer. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The Villanova University football team is still alive in the FCS Playoffs. The Wildcats beat Holy Cross in the second round this past Friday 21 to 16 at Villanova Stadium. The Wildcats will be home again for their quarterfinal matchup as they welcome South Dakota State to the Main Line on Saturday. The Jackrabbits advanced with a 24 to 19 win over Sacramento State in the 2nd round. We talked with Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante about the Holy Cross win and what he expects against South Dakota State. You can follow 1-on-1 on Twitter @1on1pod, and you can follow Matt Leon on Twitter as well: @MattLeon1060.   

Tom Carlin has been the head men’s soccer coach at Villanova University since 2008. The winningest coach in program history, this past season, Carlin led the Wildcats into the NCAA Tournament for the second time and picked up the Wildcats’ first ever tournament win. Carlin is a Holy Ghost Prep High School product who starred as a player at Arcadia University in Glenside. In Episode #111 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Carlin over Zoom to talk about his life in soccer, his time at Villanova and Arcadia, what that first tournament win was like and much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

One of the greats in the Philadelphia sports media scene has decided to retire. Donald Hunt has spent more than 4 decades covering sports in Philadelphia and this week he retired from the Philadelphia Tribune. He is one of the truly genuinely good people you will ever meet. Hunt has left a lasting legacy in the city, and we caught up with him to talk about his decision to retire. Listen to Donald Hunt's episode of 1-on-1 with Matt Leon from back in 2019 here: https://omny.fm/shows/kyw-newsradio-s-1-on-1-with-matt-leon/donald-hunt-tribune-legend

The Villanova University Football team is getting ready for the FCS Playoffs. The Wildcats are 9 and 2 and they earned a share of the Colonial Athletic Association title with a 7 and 1 league mark. They had a first round playoff bye and now are getting ready to host Holy Cross on Friday night at Villanova Stadium. Villanova is in the FCS playoffs for the 14th time in program history. Holy Cross is the champion of the Patriot League and coming off a first round win over Sacred Heart. We caught up with Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante about his team’s success and what he expects against the Crusaders. You can follow 1on1 on Twitter @1on1pod, and you can follow Matt Leon on Twitter as well, @Mattleon1060.

Bonnie Rosen has been the head women’s lacrosse coach at Temple University since the 2007 season. This past season in 2021 she led the Owls into the NCAA Tournament, earning the program’s first tourney win since 1998. In Episode #110 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Rosen over Zoom to talk about her career on North Broad Street, her amazing career as a player, what it was like to play for the US National team and much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The Delaware Valley University football team has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Aggies will host Muhlenberg on Saturday in Doylestown. The Aggies improved to 11-0 on the season with an impressive 62-10 win over Anna Maria College in the first round this past weekend. The Aggies defense gets a lot of attention because it has been dominant all season along but DelVal’s offense gets it done as well, averaging more than 40 points a game. It’s an offense led by senior running back Donte Simmons who has rushed for 1,063 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, and he was named the Middle Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. 

The Delaware Valley University football team has qualified for the Division III NCAA Playoffs and the Aggies will be at home for the first round on Saturday, hosting Anna Maria College out of Massachusetts. The Aggies are one of the elite Division III teams in the country, 10-0, champs of the Mid Atlantic Conference for a fourth straight season and they have outscored their opponents 381-57 this year. The Aggies defense is a truly special unit. They have shut out three of their last four opponents, allowed double figure points just once this season and Del Val last allowed a touchdown back on October 16th. We caught up with head coach Duke Greco to talk about his team’s season, that defense and this first round playoff matchup.