Brian KattenFor the first time in men's basketball history at Wesleyan, three members of the same class are 1,000-point scorers. All-time leading scorer Shasha Brown '13 has 1,745 points; Mike Callaghan '13 finished with 1,175 career points to rank sixth; and Derick Beresford '13 ranks 18th with 1,055 points. Brown, who averaged 18 points a game over his career, also will graduate as the Cardinals' all-time leader for assists (393) and free throws made (438). During the New England Division III Women's Indoor Track Championships at Southern Maine, Sierra Livious '14 set a Wesleyan record in the shot put with a…
Gabe Rosenberg '16Mateusz Burgunder ’15 returned recently from competing in the 2013 Ski Mountaineering World Championships, where the U.S. National Ski Mountaineering Team finished ninth out of 23 competing teams. This year was Burgunder’s third time competing for the U.S., participating in both the sprint race and the men’s individual race. He placed 51st and 65th, respectively. The U.S. won its first medal in the world championships, with Dartmouth College alumna Nina Silitch taking a silver medal in the sprint race. The Ski Mountaineering World Championships, hosted by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation, were held in Pelvoux, France from Feb. 9–16.
Three Wesleyan women's soccer players, two of whom are graduates of Newtown (Conn.) High School, took part in Soccer Night in Newtown Jan. 7 as Newtown continued to heal from the tragic incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School Dec. 14. Team quad-captain Jen Brewer '13 of Sandy Hook, Conn. and Madeline Keane '16 of Newtown, Conn. were joined by Kaylin Berger '13 of Farmington, Conn., at the Newtown Youth Academy Sports and Fitness Center for the festivities. Nearly 50 major professional soccer players, including Major League Soccer (MLS) stars Landon Donovan and Kenny Cooper, women's national team standouts Kristine Lilly,…
For the second year in a row, the Wesleyan Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) sponsored a gift drive known as "Stuff the Nets" on Dec. 8. During this time, hockey goals were positioned around the Freeman Athletic Center and athletic-contest goers donated unwrapped new toys for students at the MacDonough School, one of the eight elementary schools in Middletown. The result of the drive was more than 100 items, which were then wrapped by a combination of Wesleyan student-athletes, coaches and staff members as well as personnel from the MacDonough School. The gifts will be distributed to students at the school…
This fall, the Wesleyan softball team has expanded its efforts beyond the sports field in order to help others. In November, the team "adopted" a 13-year-old Cromwell, Conn. girl who struggles with multiple health problems, and donated to the Red Cross' Hurricane Sandy relief effort. Joining the Wesleyan softball team through the Team IMPACT program is 13-year-old Stephanie Lubogo (shown seated in middle of photo with younger sister Emily on the right). Team IMPACT matches local youngsters suffering from a variety of maladies with college athletic teams to boost their confidence and sense of belonging. Stephanie was born with an…
Between 2000 and 2011, Wesleyan garnered just four New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Players of the Year honors. The first came in the spring of 2001 when John Landay ’01 led Wesleyan to a 17-3 record in men's lacrosse and a spot in the ECAC Championship game by leading the nation in scoring with 121 points on 73 goals and 48 assists. The following fall, Alexis Keeler ’02 paced women’s volleyball to a best-ever 30-6 mark and a spot in the NCAA Division III tournament with 548 kills and a .379 hitting percentage. She was all-New England and…
Wesleyan student-athletes on the men's ice hockey team are growing mustaches in support of the Movember, an initiative that brings vital awareness to men's health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer. Once registered, the men started Nov. 1 clean shaven. For the rest of the month, the "Mo Bros," groom, trim and wax their way into the "annals of fine moustachery," explains the Movember website. The Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts. Through their actions and words they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health. The…
Matt Long '14 a tight end on Wesleyan's Football Team, hopes to make a new friend in about a year. Why would a 6-foot 5-inch, 240 pound scholar-athlete at a prestigious college like Wesleyan who was named an academic all-NESCAC choice in 2011 need to wait 12 months to make a new acquaintance? One very special reason. This past spring, Long, of Williston, Vt., was coaxed by a schoolmate to enlist in a bone marrow donor program during a drive on campus. It was sponsored by DKMS, the world's largest bone marrow donor program. Thus, Matt was on a donor matching…
Cynthia RockwellAt Wesleyan's Neighborhood Preschool on Lawn Avenue, a 23-year-old wooden playscape with safety issues needed to come down. Mark Woodworth ’94, father of current NPS student Dylan, and head coach of Wesleyan's baseball team, signed up to help. On Oct. 5, Woodworth and his team set aside the baseball bat and took swings with sledge hammers and mallets, wielding tools, and lifting timbers between their Friday morning classes. During playtime, the NPS students looked on in amazement, repeating to each other what their teacher, Karyn Hurlbert reminded them, "Stay out of the sandbox"—where the baseball team was dismantling their old climber. The…
David PesciMichael Barsotti ’12, signed a contract to pitch for the minor league Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League. Barsotti, a government major, is Wesleyan’s all time strike-out leader. In his first appearance for Joliet he threw a scoreless inning in relief and did not allow a batter to reach base. On July 14, he was named the M&M Bank Player of the Game for the Slammers after inducing a ground out, a fly out and a pop out while throwing just nine pitches, seven of them strikes. Barsotti was twice named the NESCAC pitcher of the week during his Wesleyan…
Q&As with outstanding students is an occasional feature of The Wesleyan Connection. This issue we speak with tennis star Jeff Legunn from the Class of 2013. Q: You have been playing No. 1 singles for Wesleyan since your arrival and you currently have a career record of 33-11. How do you see your role on the team as a top player and team captain? A: I believe myself, and the other upperclassmen, all maintain leadership roles. As the top player, I think I have the ability to set the bar high and hold the other players accountable. We have a talented…
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