Athletics

Men’s Basketball Scrimmages, Learns from Local Wheelchair Team

by Olivia Drake • January 28, 2020

The men’s basketball team recently met, mingled, and scrimmaged with members of the Connecticut Spokebenders Wheelchair Basketball Team.

Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team recently learned what it’s like to dribble, pass, guard, and shoot baskets without ever setting foot on the court.

On Jan. 21, the team traveled to New Britain, Conn., to meet members of the Connecticut Spokebenders Wheelchair Basketball Team. The Spokebenders are one of the longest-running competitive wheelchair basketball teams registered with the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA).

After watching the team practice, the Spokebenders welcomed the Cardinals to participate in a few drills via wheelchair, and eventually challenged the Wesleyan athletes to a scrimmage.

“Thankfully they took it easy on us,” said Wesleyan Assistant Coach Tyler Gaffaney. “Afterwards, we mingled and got to know each other and called it a day. It was a great experience all around.”

by Michael O'Brien • January 21, 2020

Drew Black

Wesleyan wrestling head coach Drew Black was inducted into the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Hall of Fame Jan. 19 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, R.I. The induction ceremony was held in conjunction with the NEWA Dual Meet Championships.

Black is the only coach in the 2020 NEWA Hall of Fame Induction Class. He’ll was joined by former wrestlers Joseph Adam of Trinity, Brian Glatz of WPI, and John Marsh of Bridgewater State, as well as contributor Dwayne Dawson of Western New England.

“To be called a coach is an honor. Coaching at Wesleyan is an honor and it has been a tremendous and impactful life experience for me. I want to thank John Biddiscombe for believing in me and hiring me 22 years ago,” Black said. “It is great to work for and work with people at Wesleyan who care about the sport of wrestling. Someone once said, ‘A coach impacts more lives in one year than most people do in their lifetime.’ I hope I have been able to make a positive impact on our Wesleyan wrestlers’ lives and I look forward to continuing to do so for many more years ahead.”

Black is in his 22nd year at the helm of the Wesleyan wrestling program and 26th year coaching overall. He is the winningest coach in Wesleyan wrestling history (which began in 1934), and entered the year with a 209-178-2 overall record at Wesleyan. Black also spent three years coaching at Phoenix College (junior college) and one year at Stow-Monroe Falls High School in Ohio.

by Cynthia Rockwell • November 4, 2019

Athletic Director Mike Whalen ’83, far right, welcomes the 1960s alumni onto Andrus Field at Homecoming halftime on Nov. 2. (Photo: Steve McLaughlin)

This football season marked the 50th anniversary of Wesleyan’s undefeated football season of 1969. It was a year that garnered a number of individual and team honors. The team was named the UPI New England College Division Champions and they shared the Lambert Cup with the University of Delaware as the East’s top-achieving college division team. Individually, the late Dave Revenaugh ’72, MALS ’98 was ranked sixth in New England for scoring, and the late Peter Panciera ’71 was ranked ninth in New England for passing.

The Athletics Department hosted a dinner to honor the team on the Friday evening of Homecoming weekend.

Also invited to the dinner was the 1960s All-Decade Team, a group nominated and elected by their peers. This year, 26 alumni who played during that decade were selected, with Coach Don Russell as the All-Decade 1960s coach.

Captain of Wesleyan’s 1969 undefeated team Jeff Diamond ’70 tosses the coin to begin the 2019 Homecoming game between Wesleyan and Williams. The game ended in a Little Three victory for Wesleyan in overtime. (Photo: Steve McLaughlin)

The Undefeated Team of 1969 and the 1960s honorees were invited onto Andrus Field at halftime and introduced to the large Homecoming crowd.

The men of Wesleyan’s 1969 undefeated team were honored at a dinner during Homecoming Weekend. (Photo: Wes Stover, Plotline Video Productions, LLC)

The 1969 Undefeated Team included: Bob Allen ’70; Blake Allison ’71, P’06; Bob Bastress ’71, P’01; Lex Burton ’72, P’04; Gary Burnett ’72; Jeff Diamond ’70; Greg Forbes ’71; George Glassanos ’70; John Glendon ’72; Don Graham ’71; Brian Hersey ’72; Charlie Holbrook ’70; Mike Kishbauch ’72, P’07; Jim Lynch ’71, P’13; Mike Mastergeorge ’70; Bob Medwid ’72, P’00; Jack Meier ’69; Alex Tucci ’71; Gary Walford ’71; and Frank Waters ’70.

The alumni football players elected to Wesleyan’s 1960s All-Decade Team were also honored during Homecoming Weekend. (Photo: Wes Stover, Plotline Video Productions, LLC)

The 1960s All-Decade Team, which was nominated and voted on by their peers, honored Coach Don Russell, as well as Stu Blackburn ’69; Dick Crockett ’63; Jeff Diamond ’70; Bill Dibble ’67; Dirk Dominick ’67, MA ’68; Jim Dooney ’63; Kevin Dwyer ’68; Pat Dwyer ’67; Al “Red” Erda ’63, P’91; Walt Filkins ’70; George Glassanos ’70; Thomas Gulick ’66; George “Jeff” Hicks ’67; Charlie Holbrook ’70; Jeff Hopkins ’66; Rick Ketterer ’69; Darcy LeClair ’69; Mike Mastergeorge ’70; Steve Pfeiffer ’69, Hon.’99, P’99, ’05, ’08, ’13; Phil Rockwell ’65, MALS ’73, P’11; Dom Squatrito ’61; Paul Stowe ’67; Warren Thomas ’65; Frank Waters ’70; Gary Witten ’65; John “Viv” Zywna ’66.

Similar celebrations of all-decade teams are planned for future Homecoming Weekends.

Football Claims Little Three Victory During Homecoming

by Michael O'Brien • November 4, 2019

The Wesleyan Cardinals celebrate their Little Three title earned over Homecoming/Family Weekend.

On the Cardinals’ first play in overtime, David Estevez ’22 ran 25 yards for the game-winning touchdown as the Wesleyan football team defeated Williams, 27-21, during Homecoming/Family Weekend at Corwin Stadium on Nov. 2. With the win, the Cardinals, who defeated Amherst in double-overtime a week ago, claimed the Little Three title outright for the third time in the past seven seasons.

David Estevez ’22 earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors following his performance in Wesleyan’s Homecoming game on Nov. 2.

Estevez scored all four touchdowns for Wesleyan as he rushed for two, threw for one, and returned a kickoff 96 yards for another score. The Cardinals improved to 7-1 overall as they snapped Williams’s six-game winning streak.

For the sixth time this season, the Wesleyan football team received a conference weekly award as Estevez earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors following an incredible performance in the Little Three win.

Read more about the game in this Wesleyan Athletics press release.

Photos of the game are below: (Photos courtesy of Steve McLaughlin Photography)

by Michael O'Brien • October 28, 2019

The volleyball team won a Little Three title against Williams College on Oct. 25. (Photos by Steve McLaughlin Photography)

The Wesleyan volleyball team won its third consecutive Little Three title outright as the 19th-ranked Cardinals defeated archrival Williams College Oct. 25 in Silloway Gymnasium by scores of 25-17, 25-23, 25-22.

Little Three Championships are declared when a varsity team from Wesleyan, Williams, and Amherst defeats the other two rivals. The fierce competition among the schools dates back to at least 1910.

Wesleyan was led by frosh Bella Ahearn‘s match-high 16 kills as the Cardinals improved to 18-2 overall and 8-1 in the NESCAC. The 18-2 record marks the best start in program history. The Ephs battled in the second and third sets but fell short as they dropped to 12-8 and 4-3.

“It’s always good to win a rivalry match, and our defense and serving were solid again,” said Head Coach Ben Somera. “Offensively, we’d like to see four players attacking over .200 and while our efficiency wasn’t quite there, our kill-production was good. We need to take a look at the video to see why we made so many errors.”

Gabby Bennett ’20

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:

Consecutive kills from Gabby Bennett ’20 and Stasie Litinsky ’20 to open the first set gave Wesleyan a 2-0 lead and we never looked back. The Cardinals led the entire way and closed out the frame with a 3-0 run.
It was a different story in the second. Wesleyan scored five unanswered points early to pull ahead 10-4 but Williams rallied with a 13-5 run to take the lead. The set went back-and-forth down the stretch and the teams exchanged kills in the final five points but Litinsky sealed the two-point win to give the home team a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Once again, the Cardinals went on a run early as they scored six unanswered to go-ahead 10-3. Later in the match, the Ephs answered with a 7-0 run of their own to take a 16-15 lead. Wesleyan regained an advantage, however, and after back-to-back points for the visitors made it a 23-22 match, the Cardinals closed it out with back-to-back points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Joining Ahearn ’23 with double-digit kills was Mia Hogan ’20 with 13 while Kaira Muraoka-Robertson ’20 dished out 22 assists and Grace Dennis ’23 totaled 19. Phia Bellizzi ’21 led the defense with 34 digs, Jenna Otaola ’22 added 15, and Bennett totaled four blocks.
Erin Denham and Lydia Kurtz led Williams with eight kills each while Alexandra Newton dished out 17 assists and Gracie Guidotti, the younger sister of Wesleyan’s Olivia Guidotti ’20, totaled 10. Lydia Kurtz and Daiana Takashima registered 18 and 17 digs, respectively, and Olivia Hindy recorded four blocks.

For more information and photos, view this Wesleyan Athletics press release.

Wesleyan in the News

by Lauren Rubenstein • October 24, 2019

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni.

Wesleyan in the News

1. CT Post: “Former Wesleyan Provost is First Woman President at Hobart and William Smith Colleges”

Joyce Jacobsen, formerly Wesleyan’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs and the Andrews Professor of Economics, was inaugurated Oct. 18 as the first woman president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. At the ceremony, the chairman of the HWS Board of Trustees said: “Dr. Jacobsen enters the presidency of Hobart and William Smith at a time of increasing complexity in higher education both here on campus and nationally. It is my belief, and the unanimous belief of the Board of Trustees, that there is no one better to help us navigate this future than Dr. Joyce Jacobsen.” Read more coverage of the inauguration in Finger Lake Times.

2. Wilson Center Blog: “Victoria Smolkin: A History of Soviet Atheism”

In this Q&A, Associate Professor of History Victoria Smolkin discusses her book, A Sacred Space is Never Empty: A History of Soviet Atheism. She explains how religion in the former Soviet states has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union, and offers a preview of her second book project. Smolkin was a Title VIII Research Fellow at the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute in 2014–15.

by Michael O'Brien • October 24, 2019

Coach John Raba congratulates goalie Otto Bohan ’20 after the men’s lacrosse team won the National Championship in 2018. Raba will be inducted into the Connecticut Chapter of US Lacrosse Hall of Fame on Nov. 16.

John Raba, head coach of the Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team and adjunct professor of physical education, has been inducted into the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame for the Class of 2019.

“It is an honor and privilege to be inducted into the Connecticut Chapter of US Lacrosse Hall of Fame,” said Raba. “I am extremely thankful to the Connecticut Lacrosse Foundation and all of its members for this honor. I feel blessed for what the game of lacrosse has done for me and the relationships that it has allowed me to have. I look forward to serving the lacrosse community for many more years to come.”

John Raba

Raba has been at the helm of the Cardinals for 23 seasons and has guided Wesleyan to a 278-117 (.704) record, including a National Championship (2018), four NCAA Final Four appearances (2006, ’07, ’17, ’18), and two NESCAC titles (2009, ’17). Under Raba’s tutelage, the Cardinals have qualified for the NCAA Tournament seven times and boast a 15-6 overall record in the national postseason. They have also advanced to 17 conference tournaments, where they own a 23-16 mark.

Raba is the all-time winningest coach in the ultra-competitive NESCAC, and in 2017, he was named the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III National Coach of the Year after leading his team to the NCAA Final Four. The 2017 squad led the nation, in all divisions, with a 20-game win streak as they finished 20-2 overall. The 20 wins were a program record. The following year, Raba’s Cardinals returned to the national semifinals but this time advanced to the National Championship, where they won the first national team title in any sport in Wesleyan history, defeating powerhouse Salisbury at Gillette Stadium, 8-6. The Cardinals’ road to the Championship featured road wins over No. 2 Tufts and No. 1 RIT, before knocking off the third-ranked Sea Gulls.

In Raba’s 23 years at the helm of the Wesleyan men’s lacrosse program, the Cardinals have only finished below .500 once, during his first year as head coach in 1997. Since then, Wesleyan has posted an incredible 20 winning seasons.

Raba was also inducted into the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame on Jan. 24.

The induction ceremony will take place on Nov. 16 at Vazzano’s Four Seasons in Stratford.

Tickets for the event can be purchased through the Connecticut Lacrosse Foundation website at www.ctlacrosse.org. The cost of each ticket is $60 per person ($20 for children and a table of 10 for $500).

Wesleyan Introduces New Cardinal

by Lauren Rubenstein • August 15, 2019

On Aug. 15, Wesleyan unveiled a new Cardinal—a modern and bold bird that looks to our future while paying tribute to our past.

The new Cardinal is being introduced in connection with the University’s core messaging project, which has been rolled out over the past year. It is part of an overall updated look and feel for Wesleyan Athletics, which captures the recent historic success of the program, and for the university as a whole. University Communications worked in close partnership with the coaching staff in designing the new Cardinal, and took input from faculty, staff, alumni, and students throughout the project.

“The previous Cardinal was developed in the early 2000s, long before digital and social media became dominant forms of communication. That mark was challenging to use in the digital realm, where vibrant and flexible graphics thrive,” explained Marketing Director Deb Katz.

by Michael O'Brien • August 13, 2019

Women’s tennis celebrating the 2019 National Championship (photo by Jamie Schwaberow).

After a historic 2017-18 campaign that featured the University’s first national team championship (men’s lacrosse) and a record-setting five-time individual champion in tennis (Eudice Chong ’18), the Cardinals raised the bar once again this past year with arguably the greatest all-around season in Wesleyan Athletics history.

The 2018-19 campaign was highlighted by the women’s tennis team winning the National Championship–becoming the first women’s team ever at Wesleyan to claim a national title–while Ivie Uzamere ’21 of the women’s track and field team won the National Championship in the weight throw at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Wesleyan’s women’s teams led the way this past year with historic performances across the board. The women’s tennis team won its first-ever Little Three Championship and first-ever NESCAC title before reaching the NCAA Tournament and hosting the first, second, and third rounds for the first time in program history. After cruising through the regional rounds and the quarterfinals, the Cardinals upset the top-ranked team in the country, Emory, 5-4 to advance to the championship match. In the Finals, Wesleyan earned another thrilling upset when sophomore Polina Kiseleva prevailed in the final match as the Cardinals defeated the defending national champions and No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 5-4.

by Olivia Drake • May 9, 2019

Jordan Sears ’18, Jordan Bonner ’19, and JR Bascom ’18 spearheaded the Cardinal Community Classic on April 28. All three are affiliated with the Wesleyan men’s basketball team.

On April 28, Wesleyan hosted the second annual Cardinal Community Classic at the Freeman Athletic Center. Thirty-two teams from Wesleyan and the local community participated in the event, which raised more than $4,637 for Middlesex Health Comprehensive Breast Center in Middletown.

Shack Dezonie ’22, Gabe Ravetz ’22, and Jordan James ’21 were named the Cardinal Community Classic champions.

“Our goal is to support individuals affected by breast cancer in our local community, but in the process, we also provide an exciting space where Middletown residents and Wesleyan students can come together and have a great time,” said event organizer and men’s basketball team member Jordan Bonner ’19. “We wanted more community engagement from last year so it was great to see so many people from Middletown competing and showing up to the day’s events.”

In addition to a 3-on-3 tournament, games included a 3-point contest, dunk contest, hot spot shooting, and half-court shot. Multiple Middletown-based businesses provided raffle prizes and Usdan University Center provided free food and refreshments.

Shack Dezonie ’22, Gabe Ravetz ’22, and Jordan James ’21 were named the Cardinal Community Classic champions.

Sarah Moore from the Middlesex Health Cancer Center spoke about the impact that breast cancer has had on the local community and how the funds raised by the Community Classic will be used to benefit patients who face financial hardship.

In 2018, the Community Classic raised more than $3,000 for Middlesex Health.

Photos of the event are below: (Photos by Lianne Yun ’18)

by Olivia Drake • April 8, 2019

Wesleyan’s women’s lacrosse team won Little Three victories in 2017 and 2019. (Photo by David Andonian)

On April 3, the women’s lacrosse team defeated Amherst College, clinching a Little Three Championship outright with a thrilling 11-10 win.

Little Three Championships are declared when a varsity team from Wesleyan, Williams, and Amherst defeats the other two rivals. The fierce competition among the schools dates back to at least 1910.

Sydney Prokupek ’21 scored the game-winning goal just seconds into overtime. In addition to the Little Three title, junior Abby Manning ’20 also reached another milestone as she became the fourth player in program history to score 100 career goals.

Wesleyan has now won two Little Three titles outright in the past three seasons.

For complete game details, visit this Wesleyan Athletics press release.

73 Student-Athletes Receive NESCAC All-Academic Honors

by Michael O'Brien • March 18, 2019

Sophia Antonio ’19 (women’s swimming & diving) was named to the All-Academic Team for the third time and was also on the All-NESCAC squad. (Photo by Ron Wimer)

The Wesleyan University winter athletic teams put a total of 73 student-athletes on the 2019 NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team, while eight Cardinals earned All-Sportsmanship honors as announced by the conference.

In order to earn a spot on the All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a minimum GPA of 3.50 or equivalent on a 4.0 scale. Transfer students are eligible as long as they have completed at least one year of coursework at the institution.