Meet Peter Weaver, the best Villanova athlete you probably haven’t heard of

Peter Weaver may be the most accomplished athlete at Villanova.

Odds are, you’ve never heard of him. Even among students, Weaver’s athletic abilities are largely anonymous. He’s OK with that.

“I’d like to be viewed as just another student,” Weaver said. “... Going around campus, I would rather just be one of many than [being seen as] the guy.”

Weaver, a senior from Missouri, is the best golfer in Villanova history. His career accomplishments include the school’s lowest scoring average, most wins, most birdies, and most rounds at or under par. Yet he enjoys the anonymity of being a great golfer at a basketball school.

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“I’m not doing anything crazy, like the basketball kids are,” Weaver said. “I don’t need all the attention.”

Weaver knew what he was getting into. While a senior at St. Louis Priory School, he was drawn to Villanova more for its engineering programs than its golf. The school reminded him of his high school, a small institution run by Benedictine monks. Of course, he was also excited by the golf program’s upward trajectory, boosted by the promise of new indoor facilities (they opened in December) and the opportunity to play at top courses in the region.

For longtime Villanova coach James Wilkes, recruiting Weaver was a coup. Weaver was a top-200 high school golfer nationally, the equivalent of a four-star recruit in football or basketball. Such golfers usually head for warmer weather (a Northeast school hasn’t won an NCAA title in men’s golf since Yale in 1943), but Weaver chose Villanova.

Wilkes knew immediately that Weaver would be good. He also knew that getting Weaver would encourage other talented players to come to Villanova.

“We knew that, with his ranking, he would be a foundational piece,” Wilkes said. “He would be somebody that we would be relying on that could help elevate the program.”

Weaver did not have a typical welcome to collegiate golf. His freshman year fall was wiped out by COVID-19, and his first tournament, held in Savannah, Ga., required a van ride all the way down the East Coast. The trek was grueling enough, but to meet protocols, the teams wore masks, had assigned seats, and kept the windows down the entire drive. It didn’t matter that it had snowed up to 10 inches in Philadelphia the day before — windows down, the whole way.

“Yeah, not fun,” Weaver said, fighting off flashbacks. “12 hours there, 12 hours back.”

After the chilly start, Weaver has found nothing but success. He earned All-Big East second-team honors as a sophomore and made the first team as a junior. Weaver has won four career tournaments and earned Big East male golfer of the week four times, most recently on Sept. 13. Even the freshman year van ride had little effect on him; he finished his first college round under par.

That success has continued into this fall, as the team won the Matthews Auto Collegiate tournament in Apalachin, N.Y., last weekend. Weaver (7 under par) finished second overall and has finished in the top 10 individually in all three of Villanova’s events this fall.

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The Weaver effect in recruiting is clear. Four of Villanova’s recent commitments have been from Midwesterners like Weaver. One, Ohio native Ryan Pamer, was Villanova’s first Big East freshman of the year last year.

What draws recruits is not just Weaver and the team’s golf success, but what Weaver has done off the course. He’s majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering, and he has made the athletic director’s honor roll every semester. Wilkes lists Weaver’s accomplishments with pride, but also as a pitch to future Villanova golfers.

“He’s an A student,” Wilkes said. “He’s in engineering. He’s taking these incredibly complicated subject matters in these classes and he’s succeeding there. He’s excelling on the golf course. He’s the captain of the golf team. He’s a great leader. … He’s just showing what can be done at Villanova.”

Weaver already owns many program records, and he’ll improve those and break more during his senior season. He’s eyeing the Big East individual title, although he’s hoping more for team wins, like the tournament in New York state.

More victories will lead to more buzz, but Villanova’s greatest golfer isn’t focused on that.

“If I focused on that too much, I wouldn’t be able to play as well as I would hope,” Weaver said. “Sticking to what I can control in the next tournament is usually just what I have in mind.”