Athletics

56 Student-Athletes Named to NESCAC’s Fall All-Academic Team; 8 Earn All-Sportsmanship Honors

by Olivia Drake • December 3, 2018

Men’s cross country team member Kevin McMorrow ’20 is one of eight student-athletes from Wesleyan to receive All-Sportsmanship Team honors this fall. (Photo by Geoff Bolte)

The Wesleyan fall athletic teams put a total of 56 student-athletes on the 2018 NESCAC Fall All-Academic Team, while 8 Cardinals earned All-Sportsmanship honors.

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.

Women’s soccer player Lauren Goetzman ’19 was named to the All-Academic team. (Photo by Steve McLaughlin)

The women’s soccer team led the charge for the Cardinals, with 18 honorees, while the football program saw 11 players earn the achievement. The field hockey team placed 8 athletes on the All-Academic unit, while women’s cross country (7), volleyball (5), men’s soccer (4), men’s cross country (2), and women’s golf (1) were all represented.

Lauren Goetzman ’19 (women’s soccer) was named to the All-Academic Team for the third-straight year and was also on the All-NESCAC squad. Additionally, there were 14 other individuals making their third appearance on the Fall All-Academic Team: Rhoen Fiutak ’19 (women’s cross country), Zach Foster ’19 (football), Nicole Galli ’19 (women’s soccer), Olivia Gorman ’19 (women’s soccer), Meg Harrop ’19 (women’s soccer), Evan Hull ’19 (football), Meghan Jain ’19 (field hockey), Sophia Linguiti ’19 (women’s soccer), Madeleine Lundberg ’19 (volleyball), Bobby Nevin ’19 (football), Ella Sinfield ’19 (women’s soccer), Joe Wilson ’19 (football), Kinsey Yost ’19 (women’s soccer), and Liz Young ’19 (women’s soccer).

The NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Team recognizes student-athletes from each varsity sport who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to sportsmanship. These student-athletes exhibit respect for themselves, teammates, coaches, opponents, and spectators.

by Michael O'Brien • October 25, 2018

Saadia Naeem ’20 has been a member of the Wesleyan golf team since 2016–17. She will serve as the new women’s golf team’s captain in its inaugural 2019–20 season. (Photos by Steve McLaughlin)

Wesleyan University has announced the addition of women’s golf to its list of varsity sports beginning in the fall of 2019. Women’s golf will become the 30th varsity sport and the 15th for women at Wesleyan, which will become the eighth school in the NESCAC to sponsor the sport. Jon Wilson, a PGA professional at Lyman Orchards, has been named the head coach of the program.

“There have been ongoing discussions for several years about adding women’s golf,” said Director of Athletics Mike Whalen ’83. “We feel now that we have enough interest on the part of our student-athletes that we are confident we can provide a positive experience.”

by Olivia Drake • October 23, 2018

Six Wesleyan alumni were inducted into the 2018 Athletics Hall of Fame class on Oct. 19 during Homecoming festivities. The ninth class features James Carrier ’42, Philip Rockwell ’65, Allison Palmer ’95, Jed Hoyer ’96, Flo Stueck ’96, and Herb Kenny.

Wesleyan’s Athletics Hall of Fame (HOF), both online and on campus, is filled with entertaining and enlightening accounts of Cardinals past. It features exciting stories of accomplishment, character, perseverance, courage, loyalty, teamwork, and generosity. The HOF was founded in 2006 through the collaborative work of the Athletics Advisory Council, the Athletic Department, and the Office of University Relations and is on display in the Warren Street lobby of the Freeman Athletic Center.

Photos of the recipients are below. View the entire AHOF photo gallery online here. (Photos by Richard Marinelli)

by Olivia Drake • October 22, 2018

Alumni joined students, faculty, staff, and friends for Wesleyan’s Homecoming celebration Oct. 19–20. This year, Wesleyan athletics took on Little Three rival Amherst College. Football lost 33–3; women’s soccer won 3–2; men’s soccer lost 3–0; and women’s field hockey lost 3–0. In addition, women’s crew Varsity 8 placed 6th of 28 boats at Head of the Charles and men’s crew Varsity 8 placed 12th of 36 and bested all NESCAC boats at Head of the Charles.

Other Homecoming highlights included an Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner, an alumni volunteer leaders meeting, team tailgates, a reception honoring leadership donors and volunteers, campus tours, a guided gallery tour of the Center for the Arts Kahlil Robert Irving exhibition, and more.

Photos of 2018 Homecoming events are below and on this Wesleyan Flickr Album.

by Michael O'Brien • October 1, 2018

The Cardinals claimed the Little Three title for the second year in a row and third all-time. (Photo by Jonas Powell ’18)

Wesleyan’s volleyball team won its second consecutive Little Three Championship Sept. 30 following a 3-0 sweep over archrival Amherst College on the road. The Cardinals (10-2) remain perfect in NESCAC play with a 5-0 mark. Shortly after, they saw their 10-match win streak come to an end as they fell to non-conference foe Endicott College, 3-1.

With Wesleyan’s win over Williams earlier this year, 3-1, the Cardinals claim the Little Three title for the second year in a row and third all-time.

by Olivia Drake • September 14, 2018

Student-athlete Julia Mitchell ’19 took a first-place finish during the Little Three Championship at Amherst. (Photo by Geoff Bolte)

Julia Mitchell ’19 paced the women’s cross country team with a first-place finish at the Little Three Championship on Sept. 8 in Amherst, Mass. Although Williams College ultimately won the Little Three title, the Cardinals had four runners place in the top 10 as they finished in second place, ahead of Amherst College.

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. In 2017-18, women’s crew, volleyball, men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse won Little Three titles.

Mitchell, of Bellevue, Wash., completed the 4k course with a time of 15:33.9, which was three seconds ahead of second-place finisher Emma Herrmann of Williams.

For her efforts, NESCAC named Mitchell the Performer of the Week on Sept. 10.

Mitchell capped off last season with an impressive ninth-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship meet. During head coach John Crooke’s 19-year career at Wesleyan, the women’s team has qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship three times and has placed in the top 10 for the past two seasons at the New England Regionals.

Mitchell is one of eight runners to return to the women’s cross country team this year. On Sept. 29, the team will head to Lehigh University for the 45th Paul Short Run, one of the largest cross country meets in the nation. Last year, Mitchell tallied a seventh-place nod, completing the 6k course with a time of 22:35.

Read more in the Wesleyan Athletics press release.

Rothschild ’20 Youngest Woman to Complete American Ninja Warrior Course

by Olivia Drake • July 9, 2018

Casey Rothschild ’20, pictured here on the “Philadelphia Qualifiers” episode of American Ninja Warrior, completed the obstacle course in 4:57. (Photo by Bill McCay/NBC)

Casey Rothschild

On June 25, American studies major Casey Rothschild ’20 became the youngest woman, and only the third woman this season, to complete the course on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior.

The 20-year-old, who hails from Holliston, Mass., is a former member of Wesleyan’s women’s track and field team, where she holds the triple jump record. She trains three times a week at Real Life Ninja Academy in Windsor, Conn., and New Era Ninjas in Hamden, Conn. For the summer, she is working as a gymnastics and circus aerial arts coach at a camp in Massachusetts.

After tackling six obstacles, including foam steps, spinning bow ties, a broken bridge, wingnuts, lightning bolts, and a 14.5-foot tall wall, she hit the final buzzer in under five minutes.

Read more in this Hartford Courant article.

Watch the episode below:

Wesleyan Tennis Courts Renovated, Opened for Public Use

by Olivia Drake • June 19, 2018

Last year, Wesleyan and the City of Middletown partnered together on a project to rehabilitate and upgrade the Vine Street tennis courts. And on June 8, the courts were officially rededicated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Participants included William Russo, director of Middletown Public Works; Lorenzo Marshall, Middlesex Chamber of Commerce; Seb Giuliano, Common Council; Cathy Lechowicz, director of recreation and community services for the City of Middletown; Gerald Daley, Common Council; Daniel Drew, mayor; Eugene Nocera, Common Council; Wesleyan President Michael Roth; and State Representative Matt Lesser ’10.

by Cynthia Rockwell • June 11, 2018

Wesleyan’s Baseball Wall of Fame boasts five years of inductees, along with historical players pre-1931. The idea for the wall originated with Todd Mogren ’83 and Tom Miceli ’81 in 2014, says Coach Mark Woodworth ’94. ”It was a perfect concept to celebrate the long history of success of the players in the program,” says Woodworth. ”In turn, we immediately started inducting classes and holding a yearly dinner/induction ceremony with alumni, players, and parents. It was a running joke every year that we would eventually figure out a physical ‘Wall of Fame,’ while in actuality, we could never quite figure out where and how to do it.” With its need to be portable, the project presented a creative challenge, noted Woodworth, “but this year, Harvey Ricard from Connecticut Stage Supply agreed to custom-build a wooden faux-brick backstop that would be portable and satisfy the unorthodox curves and unique demands.” The backstop is stored safely all summer, fall, and winter, but every spring, the Wesleyan Baseball Wall of Fame will be visible every day at Andrus Field. (Photo courtesy Mark Woodworth)

On May 4, Wesleyan Baseball Coach Mark Woodworth ’94 inducted six new members into the Wesleyan Baseball Wall of Fame. Also inducted was a historical class of eight alums who graduated between 1866 and 1931 who were instrumental in the early years of the program. This year, a new brick backstop was built not only for the field, but to serve as an actual “Wall” for the Wall of Fame.

by Cynthia Rockwell • June 11, 2018

Eudice Chong ’18 Coach Mike Fried, and Victoria Yu ’19 relax after a match last October at the Division I Fall Nationals. “Eudice and Vicky had just beaten the top team from the University of Kentucky (the defending champions) to advance to the doubles quarterfinals,” says Fried. “The photo was taken by Dr. Tim Russell, CEO of the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association), who later told me that it was his most popular tweet ever.”

On May 26 Eudice Chong ’18, a member of the Wesleyan tennis team, did something that no other collegiate tennis player—in any division—had done before: She won her fourth consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association Singles Championship. And to add a twist to that already thrilling game, Chong, ranked number one on Wesleyan’s team, played the final match against her teammate, doubles partner, and friend, Victoria Yu ’19, ranked second on the team.

Back on campus following the victory, Coach Mike Fried reflected on the program and the experience. As an undergrad at Brown he had played on their tennis team and then enjoyed a stint as a professional player. Most recently, Fried had spent 10-plus years as a stock trader and asset manager in New York City before signing on as head tennis coach of Wesleyan’s men’s and women’s program in 2013 (“Wall Street allowed me to figure out how I wanted to be spending my time”).

At Wesleyan, he was determined to create a team that drew on his experience at Brown—and built beyond it: “Most important was to create an environment that would allow us to be among the best teams in the country—and to do that in a way that was never at the expense of academics.”

And what was that environment? “Commitment; unwavering support for each other; and camaraderie, friendship.”

Fried recalls that, when recruiting for the team he imagined, Chong was “an incredibly good tennis player—but I’d be lying if I said I saw the full depth of her character or how invaluable a leader she’d be—let alone that she’d win four NCAA singles titles! We were lucky enough to convince her to join the program that we were creating, that Wesleyan was where she wanted to spend her college years—both for academics and tennis. We got very lucky.”

After Commencement, Chong, who majored in psychology with a minor in the College of East Asian Studies, headed home to China. There, she’ll play tennis at the professional level. The Wesleyan Connection caught up with her for a Q&A in New York City, where she was spending a few days before her flight.

Q: Will you talk about the experience of winning that fourth NCAA singles championship? What was it like to compete against your teammate, friend, and doubles partner Victoria Yu?

by Olivia Drake • June 7, 2018

The Cardinals played in front of almost 21,200 fans May 27at the NCAA National Championship Game at Gillette Stadium.

The 2018 spring season will go down as the greatest in Wesleyan University Athletics history.

At left, Victoria Yu ’19 and Eudice Chong ’18 played each other at the NCAA Division III Individual Championships.

On May 26, Eudice Chong ’18 of the No. 5-ranked Wesleyan University women’s tennis team made history at the NCAA Division III Individual Championships in Claremont, Calif., as she became the first person to win four NCAA Singles Championships in any division of college tennis. She competed against her teammate, Victoria Yu ’19, in the finals while the duo also finished as runner-up in the doubles bracket. As a team, Wesleyan women’s tennis reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships for the first-time ever. Read a Q&A with Chong and Coach Mike Fried here.

And on May 27, the men’s lacrosse team won the 2018 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship with an 8–6 victory over No. 3 Salisbury University at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Senior Harry Stanton, the program’s all-time leader in goals, was named the Most Outstanding Player as he scored two more, including an assist on another. Read a Q&A with Coach John Raba here.

by Michael O'Brien • June 4, 2018

Men’s tennis player Steven Chen ’18 was one of 125 Wesleyan student-athletes named to the NESCAC Spring All-Academic Team. (Photo by Christopher Winslow.)

The Wesleyan University spring athletic teams put a total of 125 student-athletes on the 2018 NESCAC Spring All-Academic Team on May 18, while 11 Cardinals earned All-Sportsmanship Team honors as announced by the conference office May 17.

To be named to the All-Academic Team a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.40. Transfer students are eligible as long as they have completed at least one year of coursework at the institution.

Tufts ranked first in the conference with 157 athletes on the All-Academic list, while Middlebury checked in at the No. 2 slot with 131. Little Three rivals Wesleyan and Williams were tied for the third-most selections with 125 each, as a total of 1,165 individuals from the 11 NESCAC schools earned this honor.

The women’s crew team led the charge for the Cardinals with 19 honorees, while the women’s track and field program saw 16 players earn the achievement. Men’s lacrosse, men’s crew, and baseball each placed 15 people on the All-Academic unit, while men’s track and field (13), women’s lacrosse (11), golf (8), softball (7), women’s tennis (4), and men’s tennis (2) were all represented.