student athletes

For the first time in Wesleyan's history, the Cardinals not only hosted an NCAA Division III Tournament at Silloway Gymnasium but they also won their first-ever NCAA game, with a 101–71 triumph over Southern Vermont on March 2. The Cardinals finished the season with a 22–7 overall record—the most wins in a single season for the program. The unit was anchored by three outstanding seniors—Jordan Sears, Nathan Krill and JR Bascom—who helped lead the winningest class in Wesleyan men’s basketball history. The No. 15–ranked Wesleyan University men's basketball team cut a 21-point, second-half deficit to three midway through the final half on March 3,…

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News 1. Inside Higher Ed: "Against Conformity" President Michael Roth '78 reflects on the questioning of liberal education—both in China and the United States. 2. China Daily: "Stephen Angle: Practicing the Confucianism He Preaches" A top Chinese newspaper profiles Stephen Angle, Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies, professor of philosophy, from his early embrace of Confucianism and Chinese culture through his successful academic career. He was recently named Light of Civilization 2017 Chinese Cultural Exchange Person of the Year. 3. New…

Laila Samy '18 highlighted the day for the Wesleyan women's squash team as she was named the 2018 Betty Richey Award winner Feb. 18 at Harvard. The award is the most prestigious annual honor bestowed by the College Squash Association (CSA). With another win on Feb. 18, Samy concluded her dual-match season with a perfect 24-0 record; however, the 21st-ranked Cardinals lost to 18th-ranked Tufts, 7-2, to finish fourth in the Walker Cup "C" Division of the CSA National Team Championships. The Betty Richey Award is given to the women's college squash player who best exemplifies the ideals of squash…

Wesleyan Athletics Giving Days (WAGD) is a competitive fundraising initiative bringing together donors and volunteers in support of Wesleyan Athletics. For a week, athletic teams compete for the greatest percentage of donor participation for their sport. At the end of the week, the highest scoring teams—one men’s and one women’s—each win $5,000 for their most critical needs. The program runs Feb. 21–28, 2018. Donors making a gift online or over the phone at 860-685-2110 increase their team’s overall participation percentage, moving them up the leaderboard. The WAGD website will be updated each day. In addition to the winning men’s and…

On the basketball court, there really is nothing that Maddie Bledsoe cannot do. The senior captain on the Wesleyan University women's basketball team averaged 7.5 points and 5.4 rebounds during her junior campaign, but during the 2017-18 season, she has taken the next step and become a truly elite, game-changing type of player for the Cardinals. The evolution began with the versatile athlete becoming a dominant rebounder on both ends of the floor, increasing her boards per game to 10.8, which is the most in the NESCAC. Bledsoe corralled a career-high 21 rebounds, to go along with 18 points, during…

On Jan. 27, the Athletic Department hosted its third annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration at the Freeman Athletic Center. As part of the celebration, more than 50 female Wesleyan student-athletes and coaches led a sports clinic for local grade-school children. Seventy-three girls participated in seven sports sessions on softball, field hockey, tennis, lacrosse, crew, volleyball and soccer. (more…)

This month, Wesleyan students, many affiliated with athletic teams, are raising awareness and raising funds for men’s health through the Movember Foundation. According to its website, the Foundation is the only charity tackling men’s health on a global level, with a focus on addressing prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. It has funded over 1,200 men’s health projects in 21 countries. Wesleyan has had an official Campus Representative with the Foundation for the past four years. This year Luke Forsthoefel ’20, a member of Men’s Crew team, is the Campus Representative for all of Wesleyan. “The issue…

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…

Men’s Basketball Hosts First-Ever NCAA Tournament

Wesleyan in the News

Samy ’18 Honored by College Squash Association

Wesleyan Athletics Hosts Competitive Fundraising Initiative Feb. 21-28

Student-Athlete Bledsoe ’18 Says Rebounding Is about Positioning, Luck and “Wanting the Ball More than the Other Team”

Student-Athletes Teach Sport Clinic for Girls

Student-Athletes Raise Awareness, Funds for Men’s Health in Movember

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