student athletes

The Wesleyan University volleyball team won its first Little Three title since 1992 on Sept. 30, as it swept arch rival Amherst College by scores of 25-15, 25-16, 25-14. Later in the day, the Cardinals defeated Stevens Institute of Technology in four sets (25-18, 30-32, 25-10, 25-23) to conclude the doubleheader sweep. The Little Three title is just Wesleyan's second in program history. Additionally, the win over the Mammoths is the program's first since 2008, and it's the Cardinals first sweep against Amherst in exactly 12 years to this day. "It was great to win the Little Three Championship and…

Trailing by 14 with just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation, quarterback Mark Piccirillo '19 helped orchestrate an incredible comeback as the Wesleyan University football team defeated Tufts University Sept. 23 in overtime, 24-17. The Saturday game was the second night game in school history, as the Cardinals picked up its first win of 2017.This is DiCenzo's eighth season coaching, and third season as head coach in 2017. Piccirillo found captain Eric Meyreles '18 in the corner of the end zone for a 24-yard score with :06 on the clock, and minutes later connected with senior Mike Breuler for a 14-yard…

The 2016-17 Wesleyan University Athletics campaign will go down in the record books as one of the most successful years in Wesleyan Athletics history. Several programs notched their best seasons ever, while breaking numerous records in the process. In all, the Cardinals claimed two national championships, five Little Three titles, one NESCAC Championship, one semifinal appearance and one quarterfinal appearance en route to the No. 50 ranking out of 324 Division III schools in the Learfield Directors' Cup – Wesleyan's highest ranking since the standings were introduced in 1993-94. Watch a sports highlight video below: The Cardinals' five Little Three…

Six members of the Wesleyan women's tennis team, and four members of the men's squad were named 2017 Division III Scholar Athletes, as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in July. In addition, both the men's and women's tennis programs earned All-Academic Team honors. Representing the women's team were Aashli Budhiraja '18, Dasha Dubinsky '18, Helen Klass-Warch '18, Ella Lindholm-Uzzi '17, Nicole McCann '18 and Victoria Yu '19. On the men's side, Steven Chen '18, Jonathan Holtzman '20, Michael Liu '17 and Jake Roberts '17 all earned praise. In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must be…

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 May 4, the Department of Physical Education and Athletics hosted its fifth annual scholar-athlete dinner and awards program. The 170 student-athletes in attendance distinguished themselves through both their outstanding work in the classroom and their accomplishment in athletic competition. During the event, Mike Whalen '83, director of athletics, served as master of ceremonies and presented the Maynard Awards; Wesleyan President Michael Roth '78 provided comments from the administration; Dan Lynch '80, P'11, P'14 presented the Athletic Advisory Council Award; Rob Harbison '17 and Molly Schassberger '17 spoke on behalf of the scholar-athletes; and alumnus John Driscoll '62 led the…

The mission of the Athletics Advantage (A+) Program is to grow, connect and develop a diverse network of alumni leaders online and through campus programs and events that will inspire, connect and prepare student-athletes for post-Wes life. On May 7, 20 alumnae returned to campus to participate in a speed networking event for women student-athletes in various stages of their post-Wes journey. They included: Blair Ingraham '14; Alicia White '15; Glenn Hartman-Mattson '14; Andrea Balkan '86; Vanessa Block '15; Michele Drossner '14; Erin Reding Glaser '06; Fran Rivkin '78; Lottie Barton '16; Corinne Rivard '16; Lisa Brummel '77; Nicole Butterfield;…

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…

Volleyball Wins First Little Three Title Since 1992

Wesleyan Defeats Tufts During Night Football Game

2016-17 One of the Most Successful Years in Wesleyan Athletics History

10 Student-Athletes Named 2017 Division III Scholar Athletes

Wesleyan Athletes Earn Gold Medals at Maccabiah Games

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

Student-Athletes Honored at 5th Annual Dinner, Awards Program

Alumnae Participate in Networking Event for Women Student-Athletes

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