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Michael O'BrienJanuary 9, 20175min
Student-athlete Jordan Stone '17 not only ended the Cardinal football season as tri-captain of the team, he also scored a professional career thanks to Wesleyan's Athletic Advantage Program (A+). Head Coach Dan DiCenzo says he was not surprised with the decision his team made to elect Stone as a captain. "Jordan is a special kid and has a presence about him. He works hard and leads by example. He is everything we are looking for in a student athlete." A 255-pound, 6'4" athlete, Stone was named 1st Team All NESCAC in 2015 and 2016 and contributed to the team's defense being in the top…

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Olivia DrakeJanuary 5, 20174min
Sixty-eight Wesleyan student-athletes were honored for their excellence in the classroom when the New England Small College Athletic Contest (NESCAC) announced its 2016 Fall All-Academic Team. Nine others were named to the All-Sportsmanship Team. To be honored on the All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.40. A transfer student must have completed one year of study at the institution. The women's soccer team led the way for Wesleyan with 14 selections, followed by men's soccer with 12, golf with nine and football…

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Michael O'BrienJanuary 5, 20172min
The 2016 Wesleyan University fall athletic season featured several strong performances and achievements, both on the field and off it. Sixty-eight Cardinals earned New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) All-Academic and 16 were named NESCAC All-Conference. In team sports, football, volleyball and women's crew highlighted the fall for the Cardinals. The Wesleyan football team finished with a 6-2 overall record and claimed the Little Three title for the second time in the past four seasons, and 14th time in program history, with a 20-0 win over Amherst College and a 59-14 rout of Williams College. The 45-point margin of…

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Olivia DrakeNovember 23, 20162min
The Wesleyan women's soccer team hosted a free kids' soccer clinic on Nov. 12 for ages 5-13 to benefit the Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Middletown. The event called Kicking4Hunger encouraged area children to donate a non-perishable food item in exchange for the free clinic. Around 25 kids from the Middletown area attended and were taught the basic skills of soccer — passing, dribbling, shooting — by members of the team. Senior captain Carly Swenson '17 spearheaded the second annual event, along with former player Tess Daggett-Edenholm. Swenson and Daggett-Edenholm started a program on campus called Athletes C.A.R.E (Creating Abundant…

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Olivia DrakeOctober 28, 20162min
The Wesleyan women's crew team continues to excel as the Cardinals finished first out of 28 boats from Division I, II and III programs at the 52nd Annual Head of the Charles Oct. 23 in Cambridge, Mass. Wesleyan's Varsity 8 boat finished in 18:04.538, almost a full second ahead of the second-place boat and nearly four seconds ahead of the third-place boat. The crew consisted of Sarah Osborn '19, Clara Babbott-Ward '20, Emma Halter '17, Allison Quintana '19, Annalee Holmdahl '17, Rachelle Flowers '19, Amanda Molitor '18 and Ava Miller-Lewis '17 and coxswain Rachael Crunkleton '20. Ithaca College finished in…

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Olivia DrakeOctober 26, 20166min
Wesleyan inducted its eighth class to the Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 21. The class features Bill Brooks '49, P '71, Jenna Flateman Posner '04, Alexis Keeler '02, Peter "Kosty" Kostacopoulos, Don Russell, and the 1994 Wesleyan women's soccer team. "All of this year's inductees have very impressive credentials and are well deserving of this recognition," said Director of Athletics Mike Whalen '83. "It was particularly gratifying for me to have Don Russell and Peter "Kosty" Kostacopolous inducted as both were at Wes during my time as a student-athlete. There were a large number of former student-athletes who played…

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Michael O'BrienSeptember 15, 20163min
On Sept. 10, Wesleyan's football team welcomed its newest member to the program, 10-year old Michael from Team IMPACT. Michael, from Cromwell, Conn., was born with an immune dysfunction and is blind in one eye. He also suffers from cardiac issues, developmental delays and cognitive impairments. Michael started speaking at 4 1/2 years old and took his first step at 2 1/2. He now walks independently and has scoliosis in his spine. Because of his immune deficiency, he is very susceptible to getting sick. Partnering with Team IMPACT, whose focus is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening…

Michael O'BrienAugust 31, 20162min
Wesleyan, in partnership with PrestoSports, has launched a new athletics' website, http://athletics.wesleyan.edu. The platform will serve as the home for all news, information, scores and schedules for the college's 29 varsity athletics teams. PrestoSports has crafted a website that features not only a modern look, but also improved fan amenities. The website host has designed and built over 2,000 successful websites for college athletics, conferences, high schools and other sports organizations. The new website will provide fans, parents, alumni and media with easy access to game stories, press releases, video features, live statistics, photos and email sign-up, as well as…

Cynthia RockwellAugust 29, 20163min
The list of athletes who ran on Elmer Swanson's teams over the 30 years he served as Wesleyan's track and cross-country coach "reads like a 'Who's Who' in elite running," observed Hartford Courant Sports Columnist Lori Riley. She remembered Swanson, who died Aug. 12, at the age of 92, in an piece rich with comments from some of his well known—and fleet-footed —alumni. Riley's roundup notes: "He coached [Amby] Burfoot [’68], who won the Boston Marathon in 1968, his senior year, and went on to become the editor of Runners World magazine. He coached Bill Rodgers [’70], who won four Boston marathons and…

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Cynthia RockwellMay 31, 20162min
The Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC) invited Wesleyan coaches for “A Slice and A Celebration” in the Warren Street Lobby of Freeman on May. Over pizza and a beverage, the coaches were celebrated for their community involvement, as well as offered the opportunity to learn more about the Community Foundation and how it can be a resource to the nonprofits and our broader community. Foundation leaders in attendance were Cynthia Clegg, president and CEO; Thayer Talbott, senior director of programs and operations; and Wallace Jones, CFMC board chairman. (more…)

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Michael O'BrienMay 12, 20164min
The Wesleyan women’s tennis and women’s crew teams both qualified for the NCAA Championships this week. Women’s tennis, ranked No. 8 in the ITA national rankings, returns to the postseason tournament for the first time since the 2000-01 season, and only the second time in program history. The Cardinals earned a first round bye after posting an 11-5 overall record, and will face the winner of No. 14 Mary Washington and Simmons on May 14 at 11 a.m. on the campus of Amherst College, the regional host. If Wesleyan wins, it would advance to play either No. 7 Amherst, SUNY Geneseo…