Brian KattenWesleyan's Office of Sports Information provided the following athletic highlights on March 24: Holding Pomona-Pitzer to seven hits and two runs with five strikeouts, Gavin Pittore ’16 upped his record to 2-1 on the season, while giving baseball a win in its final game out west. Pittore was named NESCAC Pitcher of the Week. Jon Dennett ’15 added four hits during the final four games to join the 100-hit club as the 49th Cardinal to do so. Andrew Yin ’15 hit .438 over the week with seven safeties as he rose to No. 5 on the all-time Cardinal hits list…
When the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced the names this month of 939 athletes among its conference member schools who earned the distinction of academic all-NESCAC during the winter 2014-15 season, Wesleyan celebrated its largest pool ever in winter with 89 student-athletes. These student-athletes, sophomores and above, meet the criteria of being significant contributors to their teams while achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher. The student-athletes play in the following winter sports: men's and women's basketball, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's squash, men's and women's indoor track and wrestling. Some highlights from this season's group…
Wesleyan men's tennis will have ample opportunity this spring to test its mettle. Head coach Mike Fried, who set up a challenging schedule for his young Cardinals, is hoping it will achieve the desired effect. "When trying to bring the program up to the top national mix, we needed to do something more competitive with our spring training trip," he said. In past years, the Cardinals traveled to Orlando, Fla. during March break, playing 4-6 matches against high-level Divisions I, II, III and NAIA opponents, but not the top teams in Division III. Breaking from tradition, (more…)
Michael Whalen '83, who returned to his alma mater as head football coach and associate athletics director in 2010, has stepped down as head football coach, effective Feb. 1, to devote his full attention to his post as athletics director. He assumed that position in July 2012. Dan DiCenzo, who has been associate head football coach and defensive coordinator at Wesleyan the last five years, is taking over the head coaching position, succeeding Whalen. “Coach Whalen has dramatically improved Wesleyan’s football program,” said Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth, “and I am grateful for his remarkable service as coach. Now it’s…
He loves “chick-flicks” and played alto-sax in high school. But he also wants to earn a spot in the Special Forces after graduation. In short, the Cardinals' No. 80 in football has many layers. They all start and end with respect, and comfort in being himself, on and off the field. He’s no prima donna, even though he has only played one position since he was 9 — wide receiver. Being a distraction to the team is not in his DNA. “I’ve never been that way,” said Jay Fabien '15. “I love all aspects of being a wide receiver.” (more…)
#THISISWHY In this Q&A meet Laila Samy from the Class of 2018. Q: You came to Wesleyan from your hometown of Cairo, Egypt. Can you describe your life growing up in a foreign country? What was your secondary-school education like? A: Growing up in Egypt and going to school there made me feel very grateful because I had a great opportunity to both play squash and get a decent education which lead me to move on to the next experience which is completing my last two years of high school in the U.S. and that lead me to be able to…
In November, the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston named Associate Head Football Coach Dan DiCenzo the Division III assistant coach of the year. In addition, NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year Jake Bussani '14 received a Joe Zabilski Award for being the top Division III defensive player in New England. The honor is annually awarded to New England's best collegiate players in Divisions II and III. Bussani was one of four NESCAC players chosen for the New England Football Writers Division II/III all-star team. The last Cardinal to grace the NEFW all-star squad was Shea Dwyer '10 during the 2010 season. Bussani is currently enrolled…
Placekicker Ike Fuchs '17 (#10) accounted for 16 of the Cardinals' 22 points during a 22-0 football victory at Williams College Nov. 1, raising Wesleyan's record on the season to 6-1. For his performance, Fuchs received three regional awards and one national honor. Fuchs was named NESCAC Special Teams Player of the Week as well as ECAC Division III Northeast Special Teams Player of the Week. He also was the recipient of the New England Football Writers' Association weekly Gold Helmet Award for the top effort by a regional Division II/III player during the week. He is the first Cardinal to earn…
During Homecoming, men's soccer highlighted the day with a 2-1 overtime win against Amherst College to gain a share of the Little Three title. Adam Cowie-Haskell '18 delivered the golden goal as Wesleyan handed Amherst, ranked 10th nationally, its first loss against a NESCAC rival in three years, spanning 37 games. Also scoring his third goal of the year in the game was Matt Lynch ’15, as he spotted the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the second half. Goalie Emmett McConnell ’15 posted seven saves, five in the second half, in holding Amherst to a lone goal. Watch a video of the men's winning…
It's a long rivalry. Wesleyan and Amherst have played nearly every year since 1913, missing just three seasons during World War II. They first met on the gridiron in 1882, with Wesleyan prevailing. The teams will battle for the 120th time during Wesleyan’s Homecoming, Oct. 18. A webcast of the game is available here. One aspect of the game is unmistaken. It represents the second straight year both teams bring identical 4-0 records into the encounter. A Wesleyan triumph would add significant historical perspective to the proceedings. Having ended an 10-year skid versus Amherst last season with a 20-14 road…