Brian KattenThe Department of Athletics recognized the accomplishments of 173 scholar-athletes during a dinner at Beckham Hall May 1. Howard Tobochnik '13 and Roger Laura Kurash '13 received the Maynard Memorial Award, presented annually to the top senior male and female scholar-athlete at the university. Those invited to the gathering were members of the sophomore, junior and senior classes who had distinguished themselves both in the classroom with a minimium GPA of 3.2 and in athletic competition as a significant contributor to the success of their chosen sport(s). Tobochnik was an NCAA Division III qualifier in 2012-13 after finishing third at…
Mike Fried, the interim head men's and women's tennis coach, was named NESCAC men's tennis co-Coach of the Year in recognition of the team's unprecedented conference success. Men's tennis posted a 7-10 record which included a best-ever 5-4 NESCAC record, giving the Cardinals their first-ever bid to the NESCAC tournament, seeded fifth among the six teams. Fried, who also serves as a visiting instructor in physical education, adds tremendous playing and coaching experience to the Cardinals' staff. He came aboard as an assistant during the spring of 2011, and was elevated to head women's coach during the spring of 2012.…
The Wesleyan softball team, led by head coach Jen Lane, captured the 2013 Little Three title after taking two of three games from Amherst over the weekend. Combined with their two wins earlier this year over Williams, the Cardinals went 4-2 for the Little Three crown. Su Pardo '16 picked up both pitching wins vs. Amherst, giving up just six hits and one earned run over 12 innings of work with 13 strikeouts. Jill Gately '15 was tremendous at the plate, going 5-for-9 in the series with two doubles, a home run, five runs scored and six RBI. She broke…
Assistant football coach Jeff McDonald will be a regular columnist/blogger for the online edition of American Football Monthly, the top college football coaches' magazine in the country, during 2013. His first article titled, "The Importance of Off-Season Self Scouting to Keep Your Defensive System Evolving," is currently live. In addition, McDonald has an article in the February edition of the print magazine involving the use of the iPad as a coaching tool. The article can be seen in part here, but is only available fully to magazine subscribers. This past summer, McDonald began working with AFM with a series of instructional videos…
Wesleyan's Athletics Hall of Fame will induct its sixth class Friday, Oct. 19 as part of the university’s Homecoming/Family Weekend. This year’s inductions will include an outstanding coach, administrator and leader and the championship wrestling team he coached in 1983–84. The coach and team will join the 30 individuals and five teams currently in the Hall. Being honored and inducted is recently retired and long-time athletics director John Biddiscombe and the New England Championship Wrestling Team he coached in 1983–84, Wesleyan’s last New England wrestling champion until this year’s 2011-12 title squad. (more…)
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Peter Solomon has been appointed faculty head coach of men's and women's swimming and diving at Wesleyan University as well as aquatics director, it was announced April 16 by Wesleyan Athletics Director John Biddiscombe. Solomon is an 18-year veteran head coach of men's and women's swimming and diving at NESCAC colleges Middlebury (1997-2011) and Amherst (1993-97). "Wesleyan is very excited to welcome Peter Solomon as our swimming and diving coach," Biddiscombe says. "He brings to the position a wealth of experience and a winning tradition." "I’m proud to represent Wesleyan and I look forward to getting to know the team…
The Recess at Wesleyan Program welcomed 100 students from a local intermediate school who were rewarded for exemplary behavior with a midday recess excursion to Wesleyan's Bacon Field House. Dozens of university student athletes hosted the children in a variety of play activities including basketball, kickball and capture the flag. Recess at WES is an ongoing partnership with regular visits by student athletes to the Intermediate school. It is supported by the Wesleyan Athletics Advantage Program, which integrates community service into the undergraduate student athlete experience. [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc5CPIZI29Y[/youtube]
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John Biddiscombe, in his 37th year at Wesleyan and 24th as its athletics director, will be one of 12 individuals along with one team inducted into the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame on Jan 26. Biddiscombe came to Wesleyan in 1974 as a three-sport coach of football, wrestling and track and field. He was head coach of wrestling from 1974 to 1989 with a won-loss record of 128-85-3, and in 1984 the team won the New England championship. He was voted New England wrestling coach of the year in 1984 and 1989, and was inducted into the New England Collegiate…
Patti Klecha-Porter, who has directed the field hockey team at Wesleyan since her arrival in Middletown in 1985, was inducted into the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame on Nov. 13, for her long-time service as a lacrosse umpire. Klecha-Porter was one of eight individual enshrined during a ceremony in Southington, Conn. Klecha-Porter graduated from Ithaca College in 1981. As a student athlete at Ithaca, she was captain and MVP of both the field hockey and lacrosse teams. After graduating she continued playing field hockey at the U.S. Hockey level as well as club lacrosse for Hampshire New England. Klecha-Porter was…
Wesleyan inducted the fifth class into its Athletics Hall of Fame during a ceremony Nov. 5 as part of the university’s Homecoming/Family Weekend activities. The addition of five individuals and one team will bring the total in Wesleyan’s Athletics Hall of Fame to 30 individuals and five teams. (more…)