Best male athlete: Jeff Maier ’06, Baseball

While the baseball team was unable to qualify for the NESCAC Tournament, one of the bright spots the team can look back on from this year was the individual performance of Maier. On April 12 against Bates, Maier broke the career hits record hits at Wesleyan, as he surpassed Bill Robinson ’03 for the coveted milestone. For his career, Maier finished with 189 hits, 50 coming this season, leading the team in the hits category. In addition, Maier finished the season with an incredible .403 batting average, also leading the team, and he was second in the RBI category, driving home 22 runs. In the last two games of the season against Trinity, Maier and the baseball team ended their season with two quality wins, in which Maier went a combined 3-for-7 at the plate, driving home two of the runs in the 5-4 and 4-3 wins.

Best female athlete: Molly Gaebe ’07, Softball

During the spring season, Gaebe had perhaps the best individual season for the softball team in recent memory. As a hitter, she led the Cardinals in batting average (.380), RBI (17), slugging percentage (.554) and on-base percentage (.396). On the mound she had an ERA of 3.05 and held opponents to a .232 batting average, both second to Karla Hargrave ’08. Gaebe threw well as both a starter and reliever, as she relieved an injured Hargrave in the season finale against Bates to lead the Cardinals to an emotional victory. Gaebe added a few key records to her impressive resume as well. In the first game of the season, Gaebe broke the Wesleyan record for career strikeouts in a victory against Mount St. Joseph. In addition, Gaebe surpassed 300 strikeouts for her career, making her one of the best pitchers in Wesleyan history. Gaebe is a virtual lock for a spot on the All-NESCAC first team.

Best male rookie: Russell Follansbee ’09, Lacrosse

Third on the Cardinals in points, Follansbee burst onto the NESCAC men’s lacrosse scene with 18 goals and 13 assists this season. Tallying a point in all but three games, Follansbee consistently contributed to a potent Wesleyan attack. His three goals against rival Middlebury sealed the first Cardinal victory over the Panthers since the 1970s. A product of Deerfield Academy’s top-notch program, Follansbee notched a career high four goals in just his fourth collegiate game, March 22 against Western New England College. Just a week later, Follansbee again led the Cardinal offense with three scores in a rout of Western Connecticut State. Despite heavy pressure to perform in the NESCAC tournament, the freshman phenom continued to confound opposing defenders, putting up five points in three conference tournament games. The Cards will surely look to Follansbee for more fireworks as they enter the NCAA tournament.

Best female rookie: Schuyler Swenson ’09, Lacrosse

Finishing third on the team this year with 39 points (22 goals and 17 assists), Swenson was an offensive force for the Cardinals. She came on strong at the end of the year, before she was sidelined from the last few games with an injury. A breakout game for Swenson was against Amherst, where she had two of Wesleyan’s three goals and assisted on the third one. Over the season, Swenson developed to read the opponent’s defense and make the most of their mistakes and her talents. With some of the best skills on the team, Swenson will be a focal point for the Cardinal lacrosse team for the next three years.

Most improved player: Charlie Congleton ’07, Lacrosse

No stranger to success in goal, Congleton’s outstanding performance this year has made him one of the top goalies in the nation. Up until April 30, Congleton ranked first in Division III with a .722 save percentage, and fourth in goals against. Currently, Congleton leads the NESCAC in every significant category for goalies, including save percentage, goals against, total saves, and saves per game. In the loss to Middlebury in the NESCAC Finals on Sunday, Congleton stopped 17 shots in goal. In one of his most impressive outings of the season, Congleton allowed only four goals in a 12-5 win against Williams, avenging an earlier loss. Congleton, who earned NESCAC Player of the Week Honors and Division III National Player of the Week Honors this year, will be relied upon for more stellar performances in goal if they are to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

Best male athlete, honorable mention: Glenn Adams ’06, Lacrosse

Adams’ 54 points, the majority of which came from his team-leading 38 assists, fueled the men’s lacrosse offense that led the NESCAC in goals per game at 10.5. The tri-captain also came up big at crucial times, scoring four goals in Wesleyan’s first two games in the NESCAC tournament and adding three assists in the conference final. His ability to find the open man in an advantageous position made him second in the NESCAC in assists, trailing the leader by one. Adams’ gaudy point total was also good enough for second place in the NESCAC. With more lacrosse to play, Adams already ranks fifth on Wesleyan’s all time points list with 138. Adams will be looked upon to continue his hot streak as the Cardinals take on Rochester Institute of Technology in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Best female athlete, honorable mention: Becky Meredith ’06, Lacrosse

Leading the team in goals this season, with 40 (49 points total), Meredith helped lead the women’s lacrosse team to a berth in the NESCAC Tournament and a 9-8 record overall. Meredith was the catalyst of the Cardinal attack against Amherst in the first round of the NESCAC tournament with three goals. In the pivotal Conn. College game during the season, Meredith gave a clutch performance, scoring five goals as Wesleyan defeated the Camels 18-16. The team will have an important position to fill on the attack next year as the Cardinals’ second all-time career points leader graduates.

Best women’s team: Tennis

This spring season, the women’s tennis team finished the season with a perfect 7-0 record, bringing its overall season record, including fall, to 11-4. What is even more impressive about the team’s perfect spring record is the fact they achieved perfection with six freshmen and only one senior, Suz Ragab ’06 in the starting lineup. Ragab and the strong freshman class and earned perhaps the biggest win of the spring season over Mount Holyoke on April 5 at home, as they recorded a 7-2 victory. In the spring, three Cardinals, Ragab, Ania Preneta ’09, and Madalina Ursu ’09, recorded perfect 14-0 records in singles and doubles. While the team was barely edged out by Tufts for the last spot in the NESCAC Tournament, the squad should have a leg up over the competition next year as they return six starters and lose only Ragab to graduation.

Best men’s team: Lacrosse

Ranked as high as sixth in the country and first in New England, the men’s lacrosse team heads into the NCAA Tournament as the tenth-ranked team on paper. Despite falling to Middlebury in the conference finals, the teams boasted a 10-7 defeat of the Panthers earlier in the season on the road. With one of the best goalies in the country in Charlie Congleton ’07 anchoring the defense and all All-American midfielder Glenn Adams ’06, the Cardinals are poised to make a strong run in the National Tournament.