Big East Conference ( 1979 – 2013 ) The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of 15 universities in the eastern half of the United States . The conference ' s members participate in 24 NCAA sports . Three members have football programs but are not Big East football schools : Notre Dame football is independent while Georgetown and Villanova compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Another five schools — DePaul , Marquette , Seton Hall , St . John ' s , and Providence — discontinued their football programs . In football , the Big East has had all eight members play in bowl games since the 2005 realignment and has had seven of eight teams ranked in the Top 25 since 2003 . In that time , the Big East has seen the emergence of new national players with West Virginia rising to as high as No . 1 and was ranked in the Top 10 for three - straight years ( 2005 , 2006 , 2007 ) , South Florida rising as high as No . 2 , Cincinnati and Louisville both as high as No . 3 , Rutgers as high as No . 7 , Pittsburgh as high as No . 9 , and Connecticut as high as No . 13 in BCS standings . Also , Big East football has seen an increase in attendance and is enjoying a new , $ 250 million plus television package that lasts through 2013 . In basketball , Big East teams have made 16 Final Four appearances and won six NCAA Championships ( UConn with three , Villanova , Georgetown , and Syracuse with one each ) . Of the Big East ' s 16 full members , all but South Florida have been to the Final Four , the most of any conference , though Marquette , DePaul , Notre Dame , Rutgers , Cincinnati , and Pittsburgh made all their trips before joining the Big East . In 2011 , the Big East set the record for the most teams sent to the NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Championship by a single conference with eleven out of their sixteen teams qualifying . On July 1 , 2013 the non - football playing schools ( known collectively as the " Catholic 7 " ) will continue the Big East Conference name and form a seven - team non - football playing conference . The remaining football playing members will continue in the current structure , add several schools from other conferences , and rename the conference . History . The 2012 – 13 academic year is the Big East ' s 34th year of existence . The early years . The Big East was founded in 1979 when Providence , St . John ' s , Georgetown , and Syracuse invited Seton Hall , Connecticut , Holy Cross , Rutgers , and Boston College , with Rutgers and Holy Cross declining to join . Villanova joined a year later in 1980 and Pittsburgh joined in 1982 . In 1982 , Penn State applied for membership , but was rejected , with only five schools in favor ( Penn State needed six out of eight ) . It was long rumored that Syracuse cast the deciding vote against Penn State , but Mike Tranghese confirmed that this was not the case and that Syracuse had , in fact , voted for Penn State ' s inclusion . Football expansion . About a decade after the conference ' s inception , Big East members decided to become a major football conference and thus added five schools including Rutgers , Miami , Temple , Virginia Tech , and West Virginia . The inaugural Big East football season launched in 1991 . West Virginia and Rutgers joined the Big East as full members in 1995 , and Virginia Tech joined as a full member in 2000 . Temple remained a football - only member until 2004 , when it was voted out of the conference due to poor attendance figures , lack of playing success , and inadequate facilities . The Big East offered Notre Dame a non - football membership effective 1995 . Instability , departures , and replacements . The unusual structure of the Big East , with the " football " and " non - football " schools , led to instability in the conference . In 2003 , the ongoing press reports of tensions between the football schools and the basketball - only schools finally exploded into a months - long public tug - of - war between the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference over several Big East members . The end result was that three Big East schools — Virginia Tech , Miami and Boston College — moved to the ACC , while five teams moved to the Big East from Conference USA — Louisville , Cincinnati , South Florida , Marquette , and DePaul . The addition of the three football schools , along with Big East non - football member Connecticut moving up to the Big East football conference , ensured that the league would keep the minimum eight teams needed to keep its BCS bid . In addition , two traditional basketball teams , DePaul and Marquette , were added to gain the Chicago and Milwaukee television markets and help the already solid basketball status of the conference . Meanwhile , Loyola University Maryland ( then Loyola College in Maryland ) also joined the Big East as an associate member in women ' s lacrosse for the 2005 – 06 academic year . Continuing instability . In 2010 , Texas Christian University accepted an invitation to join the conference as an all - sports member beginning in the 2012 – 13 academic year . On September 17 , 2011 Syracuse , a charter member of the conference , and Pittsburgh announced that they would be leaving the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference . Both schools originally intended to fulfill their commitment to the 27 - month waiting period . TCU also reversed its decision and accepted an invitation from the Big 12 Conference to move there . On October 28 , 2011 it was announced by the Big 12 Conference that West Virginia accepted its invitation to join , with membership beginning in 2012 . This timeline was challenged by the Big East , and countersuits were launched by the school and conference . Eventually , a settlement was reached with allowed West Virginia ' s departure for 2012 in exchange for sizable compensation . Syracuse and Pittsburgh then used the acquiescence of the Big East to West Virginia ' s departure to challenge the validity of their own commitment , and the Big East agreed to a settlement with both schools in July 2012 to allow their departure for the 2013 academic year . In December , after the 2011 football regular season was completed announcements were made that Boise State University and San Diego State University , both of the Mountain West Conference , would join the Big East in football only ; and that Conference USA members University of Central Florida , Southern Methodist University , and the University of Houston would join in all sports for the 2013 academic year . On January 24 , 2012 , the Navy Midshipmen accepted an invitation to join the Big East for football only starting in 2015 . On February 9 , 2012 , the Big East invited the University of Memphis to join as a full member in all sports to begin play in 2013 . On March 7 , 2012 , it was announced that Temple University would return to the conference for football in the 2012 season , filling the void left by West Virginia . Temple will join for all sports in 2013 . Temple basketball will move over from the Atlantic 10 Conference , where they have been a perennial powerhouse . On August 29 , 2012 , Loyola and the Patriot League announced that all Loyola athletic teams , including the school ' s Big East team in women ' s lacrosse , would join that conference on July 1 , 2013 . On September 12 , 2012 , Notre Dame announced it would follow Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC , joining that league in all sports except football . Notre Dame and the Big East reached agreement on March 13 , 2013 the exit will take place July 1 , 2013 . On November 20 , 2012 , Rutgers announced it would be leaving the Big East to join the Big Ten Conference as a full member , effective with the start of the 2014 – 15 academic year . Rutgers ' announcement came one day after the University of Maryland departed the ACC to join the Big Ten . One week later , on November 27 , Tulane University accepted the Big East ' s invitation to join as an all - sports member . East Carolina University ' s football program will also join the Big East in 2014 ; both schools were previously with Conference USA . The following day the ACC voted to invite Louisville to join in 2014 , making them the seventh school since 2004 to leave the Big East in favor of the ACC . Split of the non - football member schools . Less than two weeks after Louisville announced its departure for the ACC , multiple media reports indicated that the Big East ' s seven remaining non - FBS schools , all Catholic institutions , were considering a mass exit from the conference . By December 13 , it was likely that the non - FBS schools would indeed leave to form a new conference , and on December 15 , the seven schools ( soon to be called the " Catholic 7 " by the media ) made their departure official , effective with the 2015 – 16 school year . Many details remained to be worked out , with one major issue being whether the " Big East " name would stay with the FBS schools . On December 31 , Boise State announced they had decided to stay in the Mountain West conference , leaving the Big East , much like TCU , without ever playing a game in it . With Boise State staying in the Mountain West , it was noted that San Diego State would indeed try to rejoin the Mountain West as well . On January 16 , 2013 , reports surfaced that SDSU would indeed stay in the Mountain West . Rumors of the MWC looking at potentially adding Houston and SMU as its 13th & 14th football members , both of which have stated they will join the Big East in 2013 , continue to circulate as well . In February 2013 , multiple media reports indicated that the " Catholic 7 " would depart in July 2013 , two years earlier than originally planned . On March 5 , the Associated Press reported tenative details of a financial agreement : In exchange for selling both the Big East name and a contract with Madison Square Garden ( MSG ) to host the men ' s basketball tournament to the " Catholic 7 " , as well as $ 10 million , the football schools would receive $ 100 million of a $ 110 million pool that had accumulated from entry fees , exit fees , and proceeds earned from appearances in the NCAA men ' s basketball tournament . Current status . Big East schools compete in Division I . Most of the football playing schools play in Division 1 FBS , while Georgetown and Villanova have Division I FCS ( formerly I - AA ) football programs Georgetown football competes in the Patriot League . Villanova competed in the Atlantic 10 through the 2006 season , but along with all other members of the A - 10 football conference joined the new football conference launched by the Colonial Athletic Association in 2007 . In September 2010 , in the wake of a Division I realignment that affected a number of conferences around the country , the Big East asked Villanova to consider becoming a football member . The school once considered the offer , which required the school to substantially expand its football budget , as well as expand its stadium to meet FBS requirements or find another suitable venue in the Philadelphia area . Villanova presented a plan to the Big East football members on April 10 , 2011 , which included the use of PPL Park as a football stadium , but the league declined to schedule a vote to offer membership on the objections of Pittsburgh , West Virginia and Rutgers to the plan . Before Villanova could present a revised plan to the Big East Conference , Pittsburgh sought and was granted admission to the Atlantic Coast Conference , causing Villanova ' s application to be tabled indefinitely . Commissioners . Mike Tranghese retired at the end of the 2008 – 09 academic year , which he announced in June 2008 , and was replaced by former senior associate commissioner John Marinatto . On May 7 , 2012 , John Marinatto resigned as commissioner . He was replaced by Joseph Bailey , on an interim basis , while the search for a new commissioner progresses . Mike Aresco Executive Vice President , Programming of CBS Sports , was named Commissioner of The Big East on August 14 . Member schools . Current members . As of the beginning of the 2012 – 13 academic year , there are 15 full members and two associate members . Full members . Pink indicates departing school . < br > † Denotes schools that will be leaving Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference on July 1 , 2013 . < br > † † Denotes schools to reorganize into a full sports league including football to a yet unnamed conference in 2013 . < br > † † † Louisville will play in the yet unnamed full sports league in 2013 and has announced it will depart for the ACC in 2014 . < br > † † † † Rutgers will play in the yet unnamed full sports league in 2013 and has announced it will depart for the Big 10 in 2014 . Full members except in football . Pink indicates departing school . < br > < nowiki > * < / nowiki > These seven members , known as the " Catholic 7 " , are leaving the conference and establishing a new conference on July 1 , 2013 ; the new conference will be named " Big East " as the group has bought the rights to the name from the current conference . < br > ‡ Notre Dame has indicated it is leaving the Big East for the ACC on July 1 , 2013 . Associate members . † Loyola will join the Patriot League for all sports , including women ' s lacrosse , on July 1 , 2013 . < br > † † Denotes schools to reorganize into a full sports league including football to a yet unnamed conference in 2013 . Former members . Former full members . " Virginia Tech was an associate member of the Big East from 1991 – 2000 . " " West Virginia was an associate member of the Big East from 1991 – 1995 . " " Note : Syracuse , Pittsburgh , Notre Dame and Louisville have accepted an invitation to join the ACC . Syracuse and Pittsburgh will depart the Big East on July 1 , 2013 ; each will pay the Big East $ 7 . 5 million to depart on that date . Notre Dame and Louisville have announced they will also leave for the ACC on July 1 , 2014 . Rutgers has announced it is leaving for the Big 10 on July 1 , 2014 . Former associate members . " Rutgers and West Virginia joined the Big East as full members in 1995 . " " Virginia Tech joined the Big East as a full member in 2000 . " " Temple was removed from the Big East as a football only member after the 2004 football season . Temple was invited to the Big East as a full member in March 2012 , with football returning in July 2012 and all other sports joining in July 2013 . " Defected future members . " TCU was to join the Big East as a full member in 2012 before accepting an invitation to the Big 12 . " " Boise State and San Diego State were set to join the Big East as associate members for football only in 2013 before deciding to remain in the Mountain West . " Sports . The Big East Conference sponsors championship competition in eleven men ' s and thirteen women ' s NCAA sanctioned sports . Future member Temple is an Associate member for football , and Loyola , Maryland has been an Associate member for women ' s lacrosse , but is moving to the Patriot League . Future competition in some sports may be in doubt , due to the massive membership changes the conference is about to undergo . NOTE : Under NCAA rules reflecting the large number of male scholarship participants in football and attempting to address gender equity concerns ( see also Title IX ) , each football playing member institution is required to provide two more women ' s varsity sports than men ' s . Men ' s basketball . The Big East was founded by seven charter schools in 1979 ( Providence , St . John ' s , Georgetown , Syracuse , Seton Hall , Connecticut , and Boston College ) . Villanova joined the following year , followed by Pittsburgh in 1982 . Georgetown , led by senior Sleepy Floyd and freshman Patrick Ewing , made the NCAA Championship Game in 1982 . Just two years later , in 1984 , Georgetown won the Big East ' s first NCAA basketball championship with a victory over the University of Houston . The following year three Big East teams ( Villanova , St . John ' s , and Georgetown ) all advanced to the Final Four , culminating in Villanova ' s stunning championship game victory over the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas . The conference ' s 1985 success was nearly duplicated in 1987 , when Syracuse and a surprising Providence both made the Final Four , followed by the Orangemen ' s narrow loss to Indiana University in the tournament final . Two years later , the Seton Hall Pirates also advanced to the NCAA Championship Game , but were defeated by the Michigan Wolverines in an overtime heartbreaker . Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s , Georgetown , Villanova , St . John ' s , and Syracuse were the primary powers in the conference . UConn became a power in 1990 with a # 1 seed and a trip to the Elite 8 before being defeated by Duke . Georgetown was led by John Thompson Jr . , who was named three times as the conference Coach of the Year . They won five regular season conference championships and six Big East Tournaments to go with their 1984 national title . Villanova was coached by Rollie Massimino , who led them to the 1985 NCAA Championship in a histotic 66 – 64 win over No . 1 ranked Georgetown where forward Ed Pinckney was named the Most Outstanding Player . In their first 11 seasons in the Big East , Villanova made 9 trips to the NCAA Tournament including advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1982 , 1983 and 1988 as well as their 1985 Championship season . Massimino coached for 19 seasons at Villanova , compiling a record of 357 – 241 ( . 596 ) . In the NCAA Tournament , Massimino had an incredible 20 – 10 record ( . 667 ) . St . John ' s was led by Lou Carnesecca , who won the National Coach of the Year honor in 1983 and 1985 . He led the Redmen ( now the Red Storm ) to the 1985 Final Four , and made a post - season appearance in each of his 24 years at the helm . Syracuse has been led by alumnus Jim Boeheim since the 1977 season . He was named conference Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1991 . During this period , the Orangemen won five regular season conference championships , three Big East Tournaments , and were invited to the NCAA Tournament every year but two ( 1981 and 1982 ) , losing the 1987 National Final to Indiana . Syracuse eventually won its first national title in 2003 , led by coach Boeheim and freshman Carmelo Anthony . Beginning with their first Big East championship in 1990 , Connecticut has become the preeminent power in the Big East . Over the past two decades , UConn has made many deep runs in NCAA tournament , playing in the Elite 8 nine times and making four appearances in the Final Four . Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun ' s program , led by such stars as Ray Allen , Richard " Rip " Hamilton , Caron Butler , Emeka Okafor and Kemba Walker , averaged nearly 26 wins per year during that time span , won numerous Big East regular season and tournament championships , and claimed the National Championship in 1999 , 2004 and 2011 . The conference got a then record eight teams into the NCAA Men ' s Tournament in 2006 and again matched their own record in both 2008 and 2010 . At the start of the 2008 – 2009 season , many sports analysts predicted that the conference would surpass the record by sending 10 teams to the 2009 NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Tournament . When the brackets were revealed , seven made it , but three of them ( Louisville , Pittsburgh and Connecticut ) gained No . 1 seeds , and Louisville earned the top seed overall . Connecticut and Villanova ( a No . 3 seed ) both reached the Final Four . At the finish of the 2010 – 11 season , the Big East eclipsed its record , sending 11 teams to the 2011 NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Tournament The conference has a number of former players currently playing in the National Basketball Association with some of the most recent being Ray Allen , Caron Butler , Carmelo Anthony , Ryan Gomes , Austin Croshere , Richard " Rip " Hamilton , Ben Gordon , Emeka Okafor , Troy Murphy , Hakim Warrick , Quincy Douby , Dante Cunningham , Randy Foye , Kyle Lowry , Rudy Gay , Matt Carroll , Jake Voskuhl , Etan Thomas , Samuel Dalembert , Charlie Villanueva , Donte Greene , Ron Artest , Chris Quinn , Jason Hart , Tim Thomas , Aaron Gray , Sam Young , DeJuan Blair , Wilson Chandler , Jeff Green , Joe Alexander , Marcus Williams , Jonny Flynn , Terrence Williams , Earl Clark , Roy Hibbert , Wesley Johnson , Wesley Matthews , Lazar Hayward , Jimmy Butler , Steve Novak , Jae Crowder , Maalik Wayns , and Darius Johnson - Odom . Women ' s basketball . Big East women ' s basketball is nearly as powerful as the conference ' s men ' s programs . Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma has led his women ' s team to seven national championships ( including four between 2000 and 2004 ) and four undefeated seasons ( 1995 , 2002 , 2009 , and 2010 ) . Connecticut set the record for longest winning streak in all of NCAA women ' s basketball history with a 70 - game winning streak stretching from 2001 – 2003 . This streak was ended in 2003 when Villanova beat Connecticut for the Big East tournament title , in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in women ' s basketball ( Villanova would go on to reach the Elite Eight that year ) . The Huskies broke their own record with consecutive unbeaten championship seasons in 2009 and 2010 , and stretched their streak to 90 , a Division I record for both sexes , before losing to Stanford during the 2010 – 11 season . Due to the strength of the Connecticut program , 2001 national champion and 2011 and 2012 national runner - up Notre Dame , and 2007 national runner - up Rutgers , the Big East has emerged as one of the major powers in women ' s college basketball . In 2009 two Big East schools met in the national championship game ( Connecticut and Louisville ) and the South Florida women ' s basketball team defeated Kansas to become the WNIT champions . In 2011 , UConn and Notre Dame both made the Final Four ; the Irish defeated the Huskies in their semifinal but lost to Texas A & M in the NCAA Championship Game . The Irish returned to the championship game in 2012 , losing there to unbeaten Baylor . Football . Big East began football during the 1991 – 1992 season with the addition of Miami and was a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series . The league obtained immediate legitimacy with the addition of powerhouse Miami . In the league ' s early years the University of Miami dominated , winning nine of the first thirteen championships and two national championships in 1991 and 2001 . Virginia Tech also did well , winning the conference in 1995 , 1996 , and in 1999 , when they also earned a No . 2 national ranking . West Virginia and Syracuse were the only other teams to win conference titles during the league ' s original alignment . The conference experienced a major reconstruction when Miami and Virginia Tech left for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004 , followed by Boston College in 2005 . Initially , Syracuse University was in place to make the jump instead of Virginia Tech , but in 2003 , the governor of Virginia Mark Warner put pressure on the ACC ( via the vote of the University of Virginia ) to ensure that Virginia Tech was not left out of the conference expansion . Syracuse , then , was not invited to the ACC and was left to remain in the Big East . Temple had joined the Big East for football only in 1991 , but found it difficult to compete with the other league teams and drew very poor attendance to its games . The conference was compelled to expel the Owls voluntarily in 2004 ( after playing two seasons as an independent , Temple joined the MAC in 2007 ) . The universities that replaced them were Louisville , South Florida and Cincinnati from Conference USA . The league also invited the University of Connecticut to play football a year earlier than planned . At about this time , the BCS announced that it would adjust the automatic bids granted to its six founding conferences based on results from 2004 – 07 , and that there would be five , six , or seven such bids starting in 2008 . The obvious inference was that soon the Big East might lose its bid . The conference ’ s fortunes improved in 2005 . The three new teams from Conference USA began play that year , restoring the league to eight teams . West Virginia won the conference title and the Sugar Bowl , and finished 11 – 1 and finished No . 5 in the AP poll . Newcomer Louisville also ranked in the Top 20 . In 2006 , West Virginia , Louisville , and Rutgers all entered November undefeated . However , they did not stay that way , as in a trio of exciting games over the next month , Louisville defeated West Virginia 44 – 34 , Rutgers defeated Louisville 28 – 25 , and West Virginia defeated Rutgers 41 – 39 in three overtimes . Rutgers ’ resurgence after a century of mostly futile play was a national story , but Louisville won the conference title in the end . In bowl action , the Big East went 5 – 0 , including an Orange Bowl victory for Louisville over Wake Forest and a win by West Virginia over Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl . Louisville would finish the season ranked 6th , West Virginia 10th , and Rutgers 12th in the final AP Poll . In 2007 , USF rose to No . 2 in the BCS rankings . They lost their next three games , however , to drop out of the rankings . They eventually finished the season No . 21 in the final BCS polls . The Connecticut Huskies , getting as high as No . 13 , and West Virginia remained in the top 25 . Cincinnati also rose as high as No . 15 in the rankings eventually finishing the season with 10 wins and a No . 17 ranking . Connecticut lost subsequent games and dropped substantially in the rankings , ultimately finishing 25th . On the final day of the season , Pittsburgh upset No . 2 WVU 13 – 9 in the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl to give the Huskies a share of the conference championship , while WVU was stopped on the doorstep of the BCS National Championship Game . In bowl games , WVU upset the Big 12 Champion Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl , despite having lost their highly touted coach , Rich Rodriguez to Michigan less than a month before the game . West Virginia finished the season ranked No . 6 and Cincinnati finished ranked # 17 . The 2009 season saw Cincinnati finish the regular season undefeated at 12 – 0 and climb to No . 3 in the final BCS standings . After completing a fourth quarter comeback to beat Pittsburgh on the final day of the season , the Bearcats narrowly missed a spot in the BCS national championship game , as No . 2 Texas pulled out a last second win in the Big 12 Championship Game . The Bearcats would go on to lose the Sugar Bowl to No . 5 Florida and finish the year 12 – 1 . On September 18 , 2011 , both Pittsburgh and Syracuse were accepted as Atlantic Coast Conference members although the exact date of the move is still uncertain . ( " ESPN " . ) There are also rumors that UConn is also looking to leave the Big East and join Pittsburgh and Syracuse in the ACC . ( " ESPN " . ) On October 28 , 2011 , West Virginia announced it was leaving the Big East to join the Big 12 in 2012 . TCU , who had accepted an invitation to join the Big East in the 2012 season , withdrew its acceptance and instead accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 . In 2011 , as a response to major shifts in the college football conference landscape , the conference added five new members to help offset the losses of Pittsburgh , Syracuse , and West Virginia . On December 7 , 2011 , the conference officially added the University of Houston , Southern Methodist University , and the University of Central Florida as all - sports members . Additionally , Boise State and San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference were added as football - only members , but Boise State eventually decided not to join the Big East , which allowed San Diego State to withdraw without penalty . Rutgers is leaving the conference to join the Big Ten in 2014 . At the same time , Louisville will leave the Big East to join the ACC . Champions . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > No official championship awarded in 1991 and 1992 , as the conference did not start full league play until 1993 . < nowiki > * * < / nowiki > Louisville received the BCS bid since they were the highest ranked team in the final BCS poll . Big East in BCS Bowl Games . The Big East has a 8 — 7 record in BCS bowl games , including a 1 — 2 record in National Championship games . Men ' s lacrosse . In 2010 , the Big East created a men ' s lacrosse league with Georgetown , Notre Dame , Providence , Rutgers , St . John ’ s , Syracuse , and Villanova participating . Men ' s lacrosse is the 24th sport sponsored by the Big East Conference and is the 11th men ' s sport . The teams play a six - game single round - robin regular - season schedule . There was no Big East men ' s lacrosse championship tournament in 2010 and 2011 . Instead , the Big East champion was determined by conference - game winning percentage at the conclusion of the regular season . This winner received the league ' s automatic bid to the 16 - team NCAA Division I Men ' s Lacrosse Championship . The first Big East championship tournament was played beginning in the 2012 season . Cross country . The Big East Conference has been crowning men ' s cross country champions since 1979 and women ' s cross country champions since 1982 . Over the years six different women ' s teams have won Big East Championships : Boston College , Georgetown , Notre Dame , Providence , Villanova and West Virginia . On the men ' s side six teams have won Big East Championships as well : Georgetown , Louisville , Notre Dame , Providence , Syracuse and Villanova . In both the 2009 and 2010 season , the Villanova women captured the NCAA Cross Country Team Championship as they have largely dominated the Big East over the years with numerous Conference Titles . Led by Sheila Reid , a junior from New Market , Ont . who won the 2010 individual champion , the top - ranked Wildcats captured their second straight NCAA Division I women ’ s cross country championship . Reid sprinted past Georgetown ’ s Emily Infeld and Jordan Hasay in the final 200 meters to win the individual title . It was the Villanova Women ’ s ninth NCAA Team Championship overall in Cross Country . The Wildcats captured six consecutive NCAA Championships from 1989 – 94 and also won the title again in 1998 , 2009 and 2010 . Conference champions by year . † Received the Conference ' s BCS ( or Alliance Bowl ) berth Facilities . New Big East members highlighted in grey . Others leaving The Big East highlighted in pink . Renamed Big East ( America 12 ) Members are in white . Notes : < br > < br > < br > < br > < br > < br >