Michael O’Brien

Former Wesleyan University men's soccer player Danny Rubenstein '17 and rising junior Tara Berger ’19 of the women’s basketball team, both won gold medals recently in their respective sports at the 20th Maccabiah Games in Israel. The games were hosted at Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium and featured roughly 10,000 Jewish and Israeli athletes from over 80 countries. Forty-three sports competed at the "Jewish Olympics." Rubenstein—a member of the United States of America men’s soccer team— played in all six contests during the tournament and earned the starting nod after the second game. After going 2-1 during the round robin format, USA defeated Uruguay…

For the third consecutive year, Eudice Chong '18 of the women's tennis team was named the Division III Honda Athlete of the Year nominee for tennis, as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda. "This past season has been a crazy ride, with our team trying to make small steps each day to improve our chances of coming up on top every match," said Chong, the three-time NCAA Individual Singles Champion as well as the 2017 Individual Doubles Champion. "The camaraderie we have in our team is what keeps our team focused…

On April 8, Wesleyan's men’s and women’s lacrosse teams defeated arch rival Williams College to win the Little Three Championships outright. It marked the first time in the history of Wesleyan athletics that both lacrosse programs won the title in the same season, and it was the fifth Little Three crown by a Cardinals team this season, joining football, men’s basketball and men’s ice hockey. The “Little Three” schools — Wesleyan, Amherst and Williams — first formally banded together in 1899 as the Triangular League. The League broke up briefly but reestablished competition in 1910, and has competed annually since then as…

Hannah O’Halloran '20 and Caroline Murphy '20 of the women’s swimming and diving team competed in the NCAA Division III National Championships, which were held March 15-18 at the Conroe ISD Natatorium in Shenandoah, Texas. "Having two freshman swimmers qualify for the NCAA national championships is an incredible achievement," explained Mike O'Brien, director of athletic communication. "This means that they’re among the top Division III swimmers in the country in their respective events." O’Halloran competed in the 200-yard backstroke event, where she was seeded eighth with a time of 2:01.62. In the preliminaries, she touched the wall in a time of 2:02.06,…

Ninety-four Wesleyan student-athletes were honored for their excellence in the classroom when the NESCAC announced its 2016-17 Winter All-Academic Team on March 9, while eight 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 indoor track & field team led the way for the Cardinals with 19 selections, followed by men's ice hockey with 16, women's swimming & diving…

Dual-sport athlete and Middletown native, Devon Carrillo '17, has been named Connecticut's 2017 Male Athlete of the Year, as voted on by the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance (CSWA). Carrillo will be honored at the CSWA 76th Annual Gold Key Dinner on April 30 in Southington, Conn. The senior has excelled on both the football field and the wrestling mat for the Cardinals. Carrillo is the first Wesleyan athlete to receive the prestigious award, which began in 1973 and includes past winners Dick Jauron (Yale football, 1973); Rick Diana (Yale football, 1982); Steve Young (NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, 1985); Craig…

Wesleyan's men's basketball won the Little Three Title with a thrilling 73-72 overtime victory on the road against No. 8 Amherst College on Feb. 7. Jordan Bonner '19 knocked down a three-point buzzer-beater to send the game into overtime, and then hit the game-winning free throws to help guide the team to victory in non-conference action. With the win, the Cardinals snapped Amherst's 32-game home winning streak and claimed the Little Three title outright. The Cardinals, who shared the Little Three title with Amherst a year ago, won it outright for the first time since the 1990-91 season and the 15th…

On Jan. 20, the Wesleyan men's ice hockey team welcomed its newest member to the team, 9-year-old Connor Albert from Team IMPACT. In April 2016, Connor was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a type of cancer that starts in the bones. The issues, however, started in January 2016 when a small limp continued to get worse. One day, while playing basketball, Connor fell on his hip and the pain increased drastically. Doctors found a tumor in his hip, which they thought was benign, until four different biopsies concluded it was bone cancer. He underwent hip replacement surgery in the fall and is…

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…

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…

Former Wesleyan volleyball standout Lisa Drennan '09 was recently inducted into the Connecticut Women's Volleyball Hall of Fame for her decorated collegiate career. The dinner ceremony took place Nov. 24 at the Aqua Turf in Southington, Conn. Drennan was a four-year member of the Cardinals from 2005-to-2008, and helped guide Wesleyan to a 73-36 (.670) overall record and 24-16 (.600) NESCAC mark during that period, which included four straight conference tournament appearances. Former Wesleyan head coach Gale Lackey said, "When your best player is also the hardest worker on the team, the team is lifted and good things happen. That…

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…

Wesleyan Athletes Earn Gold Medals at Maccabiah Games

Chong ’18 Repeats as DIII Honda Athlete of the Year Nominee for Tennis

Wesleyan Lacrosse Programs Win Little Three Championships

Frosh Swimmers Compete at NCAA Division III National Championships

Student-Athletes Honored for All-Academic, All-Sportsmanship

Carrillo ’17 Named Connecticut’s Male Athlete of the Year

Men’s Basketball Wins Little Three Title

Men’s Hockey Drafts 9-Year-Old Connor from Team IMPACT

Stone ’17 Ends Wesleyan Football Career; Takes Advantage of Athletics Advantage Program

Football, Volleyball, Women’s Crew Victories Highlight the Fall Cardinal Sports Season

Drennan ’09 Inducted into Connecticut Volleyball Hall of Fame

Wesleyan Football Drafts 10-Year-Old Michael from Team IMPACT