The chorus calling for the introduction of a shot clock in college seems to be louder than ever this year, and it’s time for the NCAA to heed the cries of this group.
Every Monday from here on out, millions of people across the country, including myself, will be ready for some football. However, we will no longer be greeted by country singer Hank Williams Jr. asking about just that.
Word on the street today is that the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has officially announced it will be adding current Big East members Syracuse and Pittsburgh, bringing the conference’s membership to 14 schools. Is this decision a smart one for the schools? Yes. Is it a wise one for the ACC? Most definitely.
As a matter of fact, I for one did think that I was experiencing deja vu after Evan Hazelett ’13 cleanly deposited his overtime winner against the Bowdoin Polar Bears.
If NBA players are as altruistic as the article makes them out to be, then why is the upcoming season in jeopardy largely because of their reluctance to take a pay cut?
The men’s and women’s crew teams returned to Worcester, Mass. on Saturday for the final dual race of the season.
At the NESCAC Championships hosted by Tufts on Saturday, the women’s track team placed eighth of the 11 teams in attendance, while the men took tenth overall.
The Cardinal baseball squad traveled to West Haven on Friday for a doubleheader against Albertus Magnus, the teams’ first meeting since 2002.
It’s that time of year again. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and the NESCAC spring sports season is in full swing.
The Cardinal softball team hosted Eastern Connecticut, ranked first in New England and 16th nationally in Division III, on Thursday afternoon, looking to get back into the win column after dropping two of three at Little Three rival Williams. ]
The men’s and women’s crew teams headed to Malden, Mass., on Saturday for a six-team event.
The men’s and women’s track teams inaugurated the home outdoor season on Saturday with the annual Elmer Swanson Invitational. Wesleyan recorded 35 top-five finishes, including 10 first-place efforts (five by each team), in the unscored meet.
The women’s lacrosse team (2-7) took on the Trinity Bantams at home on Wednesday at Smith Field.
The men’s tennis team traveled to Amherst on Thursday afternoon in search of its first win against the Lord Jeffs since 2003.
The task of building up a men’s basketball program from scratch is among the most difficult in college sports, but our own Joe Reilly is well on the way to going 2-for-2 in the country’s most competitive conference.
The men’s and women’s crew teams traveled back to Worcester, Mass., on Saturday for a five-school race.
The men’s and women’s track teams traveled to New London on Saturday to compete in the Coast Guard Invitational.
The men’s and women’s crew teams began the northern racing season on Saturday, traveling to Worcester, Mass., for a four-team affair.
The Cardinal softball team posted a pair of come-from behind wins in its northern opener on Sunday, defeating Bates by scores of 13-12 and 16-15 to snap a six-game losing streak.
Forty Wesleyan winter student-athletes received NESCAC All-Academic honors this season.
Head men’s lacrosse coach John Raba was inducted into the University of New Haven Athletics Hall of Fame in a ceremony on March 26.
The men’s and women’s track teams opened the outdoor season on Saturday with a pair of strong showings in the Jerry Gravel Classic at Westfield State College.
On Fri. March 5, Michael Whalen ’83 was officially named the 21st head coach in Wesleyan football history, and sixth since World War II.
The Cardinal softball team set a program record with its 8-0 start to the season, as the team rolled through its first eight games in Clermont, Fla.
NESCAC News and Notes
Ben Cohen wraps up this week’s sports.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had some interesting remarks during an interview with NBC in Vancouver a little while ago.
The women’s swimming team traveled to Middlebury over the weekend for the annual NESCAC Championships.
A three-time first-team all-NESCAC honoree, Dendy will look to cement her legacy both at the plate and on the mound in her senior season.
Leading the women’s lacrosse team is Hastings, the team captain and second-leading scorer from 2009.
The Cardinal wrestling team had another strong showing at the New England Wrestling Association Championships at Western New England College over the weekend.
I recently sat down with stud men’s ice hockey goalie Glenn Stowell ’13 in the friendly confines of the Clark Hall lounge.
Ben Cohen rounds up this weekend’s sports.
By now, much has been made of CBS’s decision to air an ad paid for by pro-life group Focus on the Family during the Super Bowl.
Louis Gabel ’08, a former baseball standout who had the third-best ERA (4.19) on the team in his senior season, has signed with the Brockton (Mass.) Rox of the independent Canadian-American (Can-Am) league.
Ben Cohen wraps up this week’s sports.
The men’s and women’s squash teams headed to Trinity this weekend for the annual NESCAC tournament, with the Wes men seeded 11th and the women seeded eighth.
This year, the NESCAC reinstated the practice of having men’s and women’s basketball travel together to conference games in order to cut down on travel costs.
The women’s ice hockey team traveled to Harrisville, R.I. on Wednesday night to take on Nichols College in the second-ever game between the teams.
The Cardinal wrestling team improved to 9-6 after a 2-1 weekend that included impressive victories over Western New England College and Rhode Island College.
The men’s and women’s swimming teams hosted Bowdoin and Colby in their penultimate regular-season meet, with both teams cruising to wins over their Maine adversaries.
The men’s and women’s track teams headed to Northeastern on Friday to take part in the Boston Indoor Games, which featured several Division I programs.
The women’s squash team snapped an eight-match losing streak against Tufts in a big way on Friday, rolling to a 7-2 victory over the Jumbos.
The men’s squash team suffered a pair of defeats in the Little Three championship on Saturday, falling 8-1 to Amherst and 9-0 to Williams, a team Wesleyan has never beaten.
Assistant men’s lacrosse coach Rick McCarthy was inducted into the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame during a ceremony held on Sunday, Jan. 10 at Yale.
The Cardinal men’s basketball team recorded its second win over Salve Regina University this season with an 82-59 win over the Seahawks Monday night.
As those of you who have read the inside page know, the Cardinal men’s hockey team rallied from a 4-1 third-period deficit against Trinity to tie the game before falling 6-4.
The Cardinal wrestling squad finished as it was seeded in the annual New England Wrestling Association Duals at Springfield College on Sunday, placing third in a field of 15 teams with a 3-1 mark.
I read an interesting column today by esteemed Sports Illustrated writer Michael Farber. As many of us have noticed, the imposition of the NHL salary cap following the 2004-05 lockout, while giving hope to long-moribund teams—for example, the Hurricanes-Oilers Stanley Cup Final—has also made dynasties a thing of the past, but it is these dynasties on which the league thrives.
The women’s basketball team dropped a narrow 53-51 decision to Worcester State College at home on Thursday, dropping the team to 3-3 on the year. Worcester State shot only 36 percent from the field, but a 19-for-55 performance (34.5 percent) from the floor doomed the Cardinals.
Two days after suffering their third loss in four games at the hands of Norwich University, the Cardinals returned home to Silloway Gym to host Roger Williams University. They got all they could handle and more from the Hawks, who started out slowly but soon shot themselves back into the ball game.
The men’s squash team split its four matches in the Wesleyan Round Robin over the weekend, suffering losses to St. Lawrence University and Connecticut College while rolling to victories over Georgetown University and Colgate University. The Cardinals have concluded their first-semester action with a 5-3 record and will return to action in January.
The women’s squash team won four of its six matches in the Wesleyan Round Robin over the weekend, including a pair of 9-0 victories over Smith College and Mount Holyoke College. The team now stands at 6-3 as it begins a month-long winter layoff.
On Saturday, the men’s and women’s track teams opened the indoor season in the Wesleyan Invitational I. The teams recorded five first-place finishes between them, including four by the Cardinal women.
The women’s cross country team concluded its season on Saturday, Nov. 21 in the NCAA Championship in Cleveland, which was hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College. The Cardinals finished 14th of the 32 teams in attendance, led by Ravenna Neville ’10, who was named an All-American after finishing 22nd in the field of 280 runners.
The men’s squash team is riding a three-match winning streak after a series of strong performances in the Boston Round Robin on Nov. 21-22. After a loss to Bates in their opening match, the Cardinals rebounded to edge Northeastern University and sweep Boston University and M.I.T.
The women’s squash team had a similarly strong performance in the Boston Round Robin, rebounding from an opening-match loss to Bates to flatten Northeastern and Wellesley College. The team now sits at 2-1 with a six-match weekend next on tap.
Zaltsman was chosen in April as one of 12 women swimmers to represent the U.S. in the Maccabi World Games, which were held in Israel July 13-23.
Gold ranked as the Cardinals’ fourth-leading scorer in 2008-09, averaging 7.1 points per game, while pulling down 4.3 rebounds a game to rank fourth in that category.
Storms, a co-captain, ended the 2008-09 season by setting the school record in the 200-yard freestyle, making the national “B” cut with a time of 1:42.47, which placed him fourth in the NESCAC Championships in that event
Nineteen Cardinal athletes and one coach earned all-NESCAC laurels this fall.
After 110 minutes of play and 11 penalty kicks, and with the 1-1 tie in the books, it all came down to one shot for Wesleyan and Western New England College in their second-round NCAA tournament game on Sunday.
Cross Country JV Teams Race in ECACs
Jed Hoyer ’96 was recently named general manager of the San Diego Padres.
The field hockey team saw its season come to a close over the weekend, as Wesleyan fell to fifth-ranked Tufts 2-0 in the first round of the NESCAC tournament.
The crew teams completed their fall action on Sunday, rowing in the Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga, N.Y.
The golf team concluded its fall action Oct. 19-20 in the New England Championship in Brewster, Mass., in which the team placed 31st of 39 teams.
After running its winning streak to five games with a pair of wins against Salve Regina University and Mount Holyoke College, the Cardinal field hockey team lost at Amherst 3-0 on Saturday to fall to 7-6 overall and 2-6 in NESCAC play.
NESCAC Executive Director Andrea Savage has been appointed to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Board of Directors, the ECAC announced Tuesday.
The field hockey team won its third straight game with a 3-1 victory over Bates on Smith Field Saturday afternoon.
The men’s and women’s crew teams headed to Boston over the weekend for the yearly Head of the Charles Regatta.
NESCAC News and Notes
The men’s tennis team closed out its fall season with a pair of home victories over Babson College and Nichols College, improving to 5-0 overall and finishing the fall slate of matches undefeated for the second time in five seasons.
The men’s and women’s crew teams opened the fall season over the weekend with the Head of the Housatonic and Head of the Connecticut Regattas. The Wesleyan women placed third out of six boats in the Collegiate Eight event in the Head of the Housatonic, which was held Saturday in Shelton, Conn.
The Cardinal cross country squads competed in the New England Open over the weekend, with the men finishing 27th of 47 teams and the women 17th of 49. Both races were held at Franklin Park in Boston.
The golf team placed fifth of seven teams in the Trinity Shootout over the weekend, its penultimate event of the fall season. Pete Taylor ’12 led the Cardinals with a 78-76-154 total, tying for sixth out of 35 participants.
After 100 minutes and 17 penalty strokes, the outcome of Wesleyan’s field hockey game on Saturday, came down to one save.
The volleyball team fell to Coast Guard 3-1 on Wednesday in New London, its fifth straight loss at the Academy. The team now stands at 6-13 on the season, with wins in six of its last nine matches.
Here’s something you won’t see: a Little Three team dropping by Middletown.
NESCAC football overview for yall.
Over the weekend the field hockey team took on a pair of nationally ranked NESCAC opponents, Trinity (#6) and Middlebury (#15), but came away empty-handed in both contests to fall to 0-5 in conference play and 2-5 overall this season.
Roundup of this week’s sports.
Over the weekend, something quite noteworthy happened: The Detroit Lions snapped a 19-game losing streak with a 19-14 home victory against the Washington Redskins.
The field hockey team improved to 2-3 on the season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Wheaton College on Wednesday.
Roundup of this week’s sports.
Given the level of hockey coverage here in the States, it may come as a surprise to some that the Phoenix Coyotes—yes, there’s a hockey team in the desert—are in really, really big trouble.
The NCAA announced on Tuesday that Senior Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer Jim Isch has been named interim president, replacing the late Myles Brand.
The field hockey team earned its first win of the year on Wednesday night, rebounding from a crushing overtime loss to Colby on Saturday to defeat Wellesley 3-1 on Smith Field.
The men’s tennis team improved to 3-0 on the year with a 7-2 victory at Union on Saturday, its second straight victory over the Dutchmen in the teams’ second meeting since the Great Depression.
Sarah Miller ’12 went 3-2 and reached the consolation bracket semifinals at the three-day Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Championships, which were held over the weekend at MIT.
The Cardinal field hockey team suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to Colby on Smith Field on Saturday, its third loss in its last four games against the Mules.
Golfer Pete Taylor ’12 was named to the five-man all-tournament team in the Williams Invitational after shooting a two-over-par 71-71-142.
The men’s tennis team improved to 2-0 with a 5-4 victory at Coast Guard on Tuesday afternoon.
Every Friday, we’ll bring you exciting new content, ranging from athlete and staff profiles to random factoids few others know and even fewer people care about.
Wesleyan football entered its 2008 season with high expectations, especially for quarterback Joe Giaimo ’11.
Jodi McKenna has been named an assistant coach for the 2010 U.S. Olympic team, Sam Epstein ’12 was chosen to represent the U.S. during the 2009 World Maccabiah Games, and four Wesleyan spring athletes were named first-team All-Americans in the July/August edition of the Jewish Sports Review.
Lisa Drennan ’09, who concluded her illustrious Wesleyan volleyball career last fall by being named NESCAC Player of the Year for the second time in three years, has signed a professional contract in Europe.
Patrick Tynan, who spent the 2008-09 season as assistant men’s lightweight crew coach at Yale, was named Wesleyan’s head coach of women’s crew in June.
Swimmer Cara Madden ’11 won four gold medals at the annual Massachusetts-wide Bay State Games the weekend of July 11-12, which were held at Harvard’s Blodgett Pool.
A look back at some of the shining moments of the 2008-09 Wesleyan sports year.
The men’s and women’s crew teams rowed in the New England Championships over the weekend, with the women finishing seventh out of 14 boats and the men coming in fifth of out of ten entries.
The men’s track team tied for 16th overall of 26 scoring teams over the weekend at the New England Division III Championships, scoring 11 team points to tie with Colby-Sawyer and Emmanuel.
Swimmer Jeanine Zaltsman ’11 has been chosen as one of 12 women swimmers to represent the U.S. during the 18th Maccabi World Games, which will be held in Israel from July 13-23.
The Cardinal softball team finished the season as runner-up in the NESCAC Championship for the second consecutive year.
Following a resounding 11-5 victory over Williams on Jackson Field on Sunday afternoon, the men’s lacrosse team is headed to Middlebury for the NESCAC tournament semifinals.
The softball team fell at Coast Guard 9-1 on Tuesday in the makeup of an April 1 rainout in its final action before the NESCAC Championship.
The golf team fell to Amherst and Williams on Wednesday in the annual Little Three match, falling to the Lord Jeffs by an 8-4 score and the Ephs by a 12-0 count.
Following an 11-5 demolition of Williams on a hot Sunday afternoon, the men’s lacrosse team is back in the NESCAC semifinals for the seventh consecutive season.
The men’s and women’s crew teams dominated Bowdoin in their final dual-race action of the season on Saturday, while both also fell to perennial national power Trinity.
The golf team traveled to Providence, R.I. on Saturday for the nine-team Rhode Island College Invitational where Wesleyan finished fifth of the nine teams in attendance.
The softball teams swept a three-game series at Hamilton over the weekend to finish 9-3 in NESCAC West play and win its second straight division title.
Hamilton College, a charter member of the NESCAC that currently splits its membership between the NESCAC and the Liberty League, will officially join the NESCAC in all sports beginning with the 2011-12 season.
The golf team finished seventh of 13 teams in the two-day Johnson & Wales Invitational held at the par-71 Cranston Country Club in Cranston, R.I. over the weekend.
The women’s tennis team suffered a 7-2 defeat at Trinity on Tuesday in a match played indoors, extending its winless streak in Hartford to four matches.
Mike Moody ’10 took the javelin title with a Wesleyan-record toss at the annual Little Three track meet for the third consecutive year, highlighting the Cardinals’ action in the meet.
The men’s and women’s crew teams both fell to powerhouse Williams on Saturday on Lake Onota in Pittsfield, Mass.
The men’s tennis team improved to 7-0 all-time against Hamilton with a dominant 8-1 home victory on Saturday afternoon.
The women’s tennis team improved to 10-5 on the season with an 8-1 home victory over Hamilton on Saturday, its fifth win in six all-time meetings.
The softball team suffered a pair of defeats against regional power Eastern Connecticut State on Thursday afternoon, dropping the first game of the doubleheader 7-3 and falling 3-0 in the nightcap.
The men’s tennis team fell to Trinity 9-0 on Wednesday, the Bantams’ eighth straight win in the series.
The women’s tennis team suffered a 7-2 defeat at the hands of Tufts on Thursday afternoon, its sixth straight defeat against the Jumbos.
The softball team moved into first place in the NESCAC West over the weekend, taking two out of three against Little Three rival Williams to improve to 6-3 in the division.
The men’s and women’s crew teams continued their strong spring seasons on Saturday with races against Tufts and Bates.
The Cardinal track teams dominated the unscored Elmer Swanson Invitational, which was held at Wesleyan on Saturday. The Wesleyan women racked up nine first- and second-place finishes, and the Cardinal men amassed 18.
The softball team was spent in a Tuesday doubleheader against Western Connecticut State, falling 8-2 in the first game and 8-1 in the five-inning nightcap.
After a series of weather-related postponements, the Cardinal softball squad finally began its three-game set against NESCAC West rival Middlebury on Saturday afternoon.
The men’s tennis team traveled to Middlebury on Saturday for its first match against the Panthers since April 14, 1972.
The men’s and women’s track teams competed in the Coast Guard Invitational this past weekend, with the men finishing third out of 12 teams and the women 10th of 13.
The men’s and women’s crew teams continued their winning ways over the weekend on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.
Women’s ice hockey co-captain Hannah Jackson ’09, women’s crew tri-captain Beth Ogata ’09, and men’s crew captain Charlie Weiss ’09 were recently named the 2008-09 recipients of the Roger Maynard ’37 Memorial Award.
The men’s and women’s track teams competed in the unscored Trinity Invitational over the weekend, their second outdoor meet of the spring.
The men’s tennis team split a pair of matches over the weekend, falling to Tufts 7-2 on Saturday but rebounding to defeat Colby 6-3 on Sunday.
The softball team opened play up north with a three-game series against Amherst over the weekend, dropping two of three to its Little Three rival.
The men’s and women’s crew teams continued their winning ways over the weekend on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachussetts in their first action of the spring.
The men’s and women’s track teams both finished second in the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday to open their outdoor action.
Nine Wesleyan winter athletes earned postseason honors, including five who received all-NESCAC recognition.
Three Wesleyan athletes competed in the NCAA Championships over spring break.
Four Wesleyan women athletes were selected to speak at a question-and-answer session organized by the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation (ESYHF) in Philadelphia over winter break.
The golf team opened its spring schedule against Hamilton in Port St. Lucie, Fla., where they suffered a 329-307 loss.
The men’s and women’s crew teams both began their spring action on the right foot with a successful training trip to Florida
Women’s ice hockey head coach Jodi McKenna was recently named an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women’s Championship.
Tommie Lark ’11 represented Wesleyan track at the New England Open Championships, which were held Friday and Saturday at Boston University.
Casey Simchik ’10 and Liz Demakos ’09 competed in the College Squash Association National Individual Championships over the weekend in the women’s squash team’s final action of the season.
As the women’s track team has continued its ascension up the NESCAC ladder during the winter season, it has become clear that the Cardinal runners are among the strongest in the NESCAC.
Much of the coverage of the men’s indoor track season has focused on the track and jumping events, and with good reason—the Cardinals have been simply sensational in these areas this season.
Dan Bloom ’10 and Greg Hurd ’10 are headed to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships after a pair of dominant performances in the New England Wrestling Association Championship.
The men’s and women’s track teams participated in the New England Division III Championships over the weekend, with the men traveling to M.I.T. for the second straight weekend while the women ventured to Bowdoin.
The men’s squash team rolled to a pair of home victories over the weekend, defeating M.I.T. 8-1 Saturday night and Penn State 9-0 Sunday morning.
Wesleyan’s track teams recorded a quartet of first-place finishes in the M.I.T. Invitational on Saturday in their final tune-up before the annual New England Division III meets.
In response to requests for additional hours, the athletic department has expanded the weekday hours of operation at the Freeman Athletic Center for the spring semester.
In its final regular-season action, the women’s swimming team sent off its six seniors with a 162-137 win over Coast Guard.
For wrestling coach Drew Black and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry major Jamal Ahmed ’09, last Friday afternoon began like any other.
Over the weekend, the men’s and women’s squash teams combined for 31 individual match wins at the Vassar Team Challenge, the highest total of the combined four-team tournament.
The men’s and women’s indoor track teams continued their run of strong performances over the weekend in the Cardinal Invitational II, with a combined 11 first-place finishes in the meet.
The men’s swimming team suffered its eighth straight defeat against Coast Guard, falling to the Bears by a 167-123 score in its annual season-ending meet.
Most coaches hope to never find themselves in a situation in which it is necessary to perform these life-saving procedures. But that’s exactly what happened to wrestling coach Drew Black on Friday afternoon.
The NCAA held its annual convention from Jan. 14-17 in National Harbor, Md., where 12 Division III legislative items were proposed.
The men’s squash team went 1-2 in the NESCAC Championship over the weekend, snapping an eight-match losing streak and finishing 10th of the 11 teams in the tournament field.
The men’s swimming team swept a tri-meet against Bowdoin and Colby on Saturday, dominating Colby 199-88 and edging Bowdoin 149-146 on the strength of its performance in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
The women’s swimming team traveled to Maine over the weekend for a tri-meet with Bowdoin and Colby and came away with a split, defeating the host Polar Bears 159-134 but falling to Colby 158-139.
The men’s and women’s indoor track teams participated in the Tufts Invitational on Saturday, with the men finishing sixth out of 11 teams and the women fourth of 10.
Following a pair of weekend losses to Amherst and Connecticut College, the women’s hockey team sits at 2-16-1 on the year (1-10-1 in NESCAC play) and is currently saddled with a nine-game losing streak.
President Michael Roth and the Athletics Advisory Committee have developed a series of initiatives to improve all facets of Wesleyan athletics.
The men’s squash team is currently saddled with an eight-match losing streak heading into the weekend’s NESCAC Championship.
The women’s squash team won a pair of matches in its final action in preparation for the NESCAC Championship.
The Cardinals swept the six-team Cardinal Invitational but have dropped three of their four meets since then.
Women’s swimming defeated all five opponents in the Wesleyan Invitational and are 6-3 overall in its last nine meets.
Tommie Lark ’11 broke the triple-jump record in consecutive meets and the Wesleyan women dominated the distance events to highlight recent track action.
Like the men, the women’s swimming team earned a pair of season-opening victories over Trinity and Bates on Nov. 22.
The wrestling team opened its season with a fifth-place finish, out of 12 teams, in the Roger Williams Invitational Sat., Nov. 15.
Ravenna Neville ’10 and Liz Wheatley ’09 placed 52nd and 101st of 279 runners, respectively, in the NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championship at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind on Nov. 22.
The men’s swimming team opened its season with a pair of victories over NESCAC rivals Trinity, 194-106, and Bates, 198-96, on Sat., Nov. 22
On September 9, 2005, Wesleyan volleyball opened its season with a 3-0 victory over Eastern Nazarene College at Johnson and Wales University. In that match, outside hitter Lisa Drennan ’09, a freshman from Ann Arbor, Mich., led the team with 16 kills. This would soon become a familiar sight over Drennan’s four years in the red and black.
In 2007-08, the women’s basketball team completed its eighth straight winning season with a 17-9 record, which included back-to-back double-digit wins over Williams, the second coming in the quarterfinals of last year’s NESCAC Championship. The Cardinals are looking to build on last season’s success this season, and much of their fortunes are resting on the shoulders of the ninth-leading scorer in Wesleyan women’s basketball history, Ali Fourney ’09.
Liz Wheatley ’09 finished sixth out of 117 runners in the women’s race at the NESCAC Cross Country Championships on Saturday, earning first-team all-NESCAC honors.
Some people might say becoming the first college runner ever to win the Boston Marathon is legendary runner Amby Burfoot’s ’68 greatest achievement. Others point to his two-time cross-country All-American honors and undefeated record in four years of dual races.
3: Finish of the men’s crew team (out of 16 boats) in the Head of the Housatonic Regatta on Saturday.
40-3: All-time record of the volleyball team against Trinity when it wins the first set of the match.
On October 4, the football, men’s and women’s soccer, and field hockey teams made the 294-mile trek up to Colby College. The football team then returned to Maine last Saturday to take on Bates, a trip that the other three squads will take in a week. Trips such as these are too long to do in one day. Instead, the teams depart the day before the game and stay overnight—an increasingly expensive action. According to Athletic Business Manager Tom Wantuck, the cost of hotel rooms has increased substantially this year due to rising utility costs.
The volleyball team swept a pair of home matches on Saturday, pulling out a 3-2 victory over Amherst and also defeating Trinity by a 3-1 score to improve to 13-4 on the season.
Currently, the average national price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is roughly $3.63. Consumers are feeling the pinch as train and airplane ticket costs have skyrocketed, energy bills continue to rise, and packages at the supermarket keep growing smaller as prices keep getting higher. These ever-expanding fuel costs have had a particular impact on a department that routinely sends groups of students hundreds of miles away: Athletics.
The men’s soccer team fell to Trinity 3-1 on Saturday afternoon, its second straight loss to the Bantams after a four-game winning streak. The team now sits at 2-2-1 on the season and 1-1-1 in NESCAC play. The Cardinals have two chances to move back into the win column this week, with a Tuesday showdown against Wheaton followed by a Saturday contest at Colby.
Century-old rivalries such as the one between Middlebury and Norwich deserve better than meeting an abrupt end at the hands of the conference powers. Do you think the Southeast Conference (SEC) would ever enact conference-only play and bar its marquee Florida Gators from traveling to Ron Zook Field? Never, because Florida-Florida State makes a lot of money for all parties involved. But that’s exactly what brought an end to the Battle of Vermont: the NESCAC switched to a conference-only schedule in 1992, bringing an end to nonconference games.
Did You Know…?
Behind seven saves from Nigel Stacey ’11, Wes men’s soccer earned a 1-1 tie against defending national champion Middlebury on Saturday. The game was Wesleyan’s 55th contest against a national champion from the NESCAC in any sport, dating back to 1982.
On April 26, 2008, the men’s lacrosse team ended its regular season with a 14-10 win at Bates that clinched second place in the standings. The Cardinals then had to return home for a 1:00 first-round NESCAC Championship game against seventh-seeded Trinity the following day, which ended its season at Connecticut College. After a series of negotiations, the starting time was pushed back to 2:00 to allow the team additional time to rest following the 260-mile trip. Many members of the team, however, still expressed displeasure at the tight schedule and limited time to rest.
One of the first orders of business for the athletic department during its recruiting-improvement effort was to establish the Recruiting Coordinator position, which was filled by Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach John Raba. Not long after came an overhaul of the department’s recruiting information database.
As part of an attempt to increase the national exposure of University athletics, the Physical Education Department has made a series of changes to its recruiting process. Chief among these was a decision last spring to create and institute a new departmental position, Recruiting Coordinator for Athletics, currently held by Head Coach of Men’s Lacrosse John Raba. Though he will continue in his role as head coach of the men’s lacrosse team, a position he has held since 1997, Raba has discontinued his role as an assistant football coach due to the increased time requirements.
The men’s lacrosse team’s season came to an end on Saturday with an 11-9 loss to Bowdoin in the NESCAC tournament at Middlebury. The lower-seeded team won all six games in the men’s and women’s tournaments over the weekend (both at Middlebury), and the Cardinals were but one victim of the slew of upsets. The team finishes its season at 10-5—its sixth-straight 10-win season and ninth straight winning season overall—but missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004.
It’s happening again. Avery Johnson was the first to go. Now there are rumors that Mike D’Antoni may be ousted in Phoenix. And don’t forget about the impending one-year anniversary of Jeff Van Gundy’s departure.
Following a pair of weekend wins, the men’s lacrosse team is in the NESCAC tournament semifinals for the sixth straight season. The team defeated Bates 14-10 on Saturday to secure the second seed and returned home to deal Trinity an 11-5 loss on Sunday. The Cardinals will now travel to Middlebury—the tournament host for the seventh time in its eight years of existence—to take on fourth-seeded Bowdoin, which defeated Connecticut College 11-10 in overtime on Sunday.
I’m a Washington Capitals fan. Always have been. And now that I’ve recovered from the inexplicable seven-game first-round loss to the eminently dislikable Flyers, it’s time to complain about something other than the no-call on Sami Kapinen’s goal. That something is the lack of coverage of hockey here in the States.
Despite a four-game NESCAC losing streak in the wake of its first win over Williams since 1983, the women’s lacrosse team has the inside track to clinch a berth in the NESCAC tournament for the sixth straight year. The team, which currently sits at 6-8 overall and 2-6 in NESCAC play, will clinch a playoff spot with a win Saturday over Bates, a game that will represent a refreshing change from the team’s recent run of conference heavyweights.
In a battle of first-place teams on Saturday, the 13th-ranked men’s lacrosse team dropped a 11-8 decision to Middlebury to fall to 6-2 in NESCAC play with one game remaining. A win would have allowed Wesleyan to clinch the top overall seed and host the NESCAC tournament for the first time ever, yet the Cardinals are still in the running for the top spot. Wesleyan must now turn its attention to the season finale at Bates, a team that has given the Cardinals more than their fair share of trouble in recent years.
Joe Reilly, the head men’s basketball coach at Bates for the past 11 seasons, has been named Wesleyan’s head men’s basketball coach. He succeeds interim head coach Jay Johnson, who guided the 2007-08 Cardinals to their highest win total in three seasons.
The men’s lacrosse team moved into a tie atop the NESCAC standings with a gutsy 7-5 victory at Trinity on Wednesday. The win, Wesleyan’s ninth straight over the Bantams, moved the Cardinals to 6-1 in league play, tied with Middlebury for first place. The two teams will meet on Saturday in a game with enormous ramifications.
In a preseason interview, men’s lacrosse Head Coach John Raba noted that the team’s scoring depth would be crucial to the its success this season, with the presence of four 20-plus goal-scorers from 2007 denying opponents an opportunity to focus on shutting down one player.
The men’s lacrosse team picked up a crucial NESCAC win on Wednesday afternoon, defeating Amherst, 9-8, for its 11th consecutive win over the Lord Jeffs. The win came on the heels of a 10-7 defeat at Williams on Saturday and improved the Cardinals to 4-1 in NESCAC play, allowing them to remain in second behind undefeated Middlebury (6-0 NESCAC).
On April 30, 1983, the women’s lacrosse team defeated Williams at home, 13-12, in its final action of the season to clinch a share of the Little Three title. It was the Cardinals’ fourth straight win over the Ephs.
The men’s lacrosse team is riding high after a pair of NESCAC wins moved the team to 3-0 in conference play and 5-2 overall. With the wins, the Cardinals stayed on the heels of unbeaten Middlebury (5-0 NESCAC; 7-0 overall) and put some distance between themselves and the rest of the conference pack.
Last season, the men’s lacrosse team had four attackmen score a combined 118 goals and also boasted one of the country’s top defenses, led by Spike Malangone ’09, who earned second-team All-American laurels. All five of these players are back this season.
Seeing Arkansas make last year’s NCAA tournament, while Air Force and Drexel got nothing, was bad enough. I never thought I’d see a series of decisions that bad again—at least from anyone not named Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Architects, Inc. Turns out I was wrong. Quite wrong.
It competed during the 2000-01 school year. It won a record number of games and set a record for NESCAC regular-season wins that still stands today. It defeated long-time power Middlebury in a double-overtime game. It bowed out early in the NESCAC tournament, but rebounded to make the finals of the ECAC New England Division III tournament.
For the second year in a row, the men’s basketball team took on Middlebury and Williams on the season’s final weekend needing at least one win to qualify for the postseason. And for the second year in a row, the Cardinals fell to both foes to end their season on a down note. Wesleyan has now missed the playoffs the past three seasons after qualifying for the NESCAC tournament each year since its inception in 2001.
Mentioning the year 1994 to any baseball fan will undoubtedly bring unpleasant repressed memories back to the surface. 2007 Hall of Fame inductee Tony Gwynn was chasing .400, the oft-moribund Montreal Expos were baseball’s best team at 74-40, and juiced-up San Francisco Giants slugger Matt Williams was closing in on Roger Maris’ single-season home-run record, with 43 home runs through 112 games.
This is the first installment of a six-part series on historic Wesleyan teams.
The men’s lacrosse team enters the 2008 season on the heels of back-to-back appearances in the NCAA semifinals and ranked sixth in the nation in “Inside Lacrosse’s” preseason poll. It’s just business as usual for one of the nation’s preeminent squads. But it hasn’t always been this way.
The men’s basketball team dropped a pair of games to the NESCAC’s top two teams over the weekend, falling to Trinity 70-49 on Friday night and losing to Amherst 78-67 on Senior Day. The team now sits at 8-14 overall and 1-6 in NESCAC play, tied for the eighth and final playoff spot with Colby and Tufts.
The men’s basketball team defeated Salve Regina on Monday night, 69-60, for its second straight win after six consecutive losses. Wesleyan is now 8-12 on the season and has passed last year’s win total (seven). Nick Pelletier ’08 recorded his second straight double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Stan Grayson ’09 added 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Cards did not trail past the 16:53 mark and led by as many as 14 in the contest.
In an October 2004 alumni newsletter, then-men’s basketball head coach Gerry McDowell wrote that freshman forward Nick Pelletier ’08 “will bolster our frontcourt immediately” and noted his “energy and competitive nature.” Four years later, Pelletier has become the 17th player in Wesleyan men’s basketball history to score 1,000 career points, a milestone that he reached with a career-high 27 during a much-needed 80-78 win at Tufts on Saturday. The win snapped the Cardinals’ six-game losing streak and allowed them to end their road trip on a high note after an 85-60 loss at Bates Friday night.
Cardinal basketball is now saddled with a five-game losing streak and sits at 6-11. Wesleyan had won three of its last four games of 2007 and opened the new year with a pair of wins. The sole loss during that streak was a 67-61 home defeat at the hands of Emmanuel College on Dec. 6.
The men’s basketball team made it back into the win column on Saturday with a hard-fought, 71-67 overtime victory over a scrappy Roger Williams (RWU) squad. With the win, Wesleyan improved to 2-5 on the season and snapped a six-game overtime losing streak.
The men’s basketball team opened its season with a home match against Springfield in the Inn at Middletown Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 16. Wesleyan led 5-4 just over two minutes into the half, but Springfield nailed a three-pointer with 15:46 remaining to take a 7-5 lead that it did not relinquish.
Despite back-to-back disappointing seasons, optimism abounds in Silloway Gymnasium this winter, where the men’s basketball team is poised for a turnaround campaign. After finishing 6-17 and 7-16 the past two seasons and missing the postseason both years, the Cardinals are looking to reestablish themselves as one of the NESCAC’s premier programs.
The volleyball team fell in the first round of the NESCAC tournament last Friday, dropping a 3-0 decision to Connecticut College. The first-round exit was the team’s fifth in the last six seasons since advancing to the finals during 2001. However, the team finished the season 17-8, good enough for its highest winning percentage (.680) since 2001 (30-6; .833).
Since 2001, a Wesleyan volleyball player has led the NESCAC in at least one statistical category every season except 2003. However, no Wesleyan freshman ever led the NESCAC in any category until 2006, when freshman setter Ellie Healy ’10 burst onto the scene with 1024 assists in 90 games for a NESCAC-leading 11.38 average.
The volleyball team went 2-1 in its final weekend of the regular season, sweeping Middlebury and Hamilton while falling to Williams. The team finished with a 6-4 record in NESCAC play and is seeded fifth for this weekend’s conference tournament, which begins Friday night at Amherst. The Cardinals will now turn their attention to their first round foe, Connecticut College.
The volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday, losing to Coast Guard 3-0 but defeating Roger Williams by the same score. Wesleyan’s last six matches have been sweeps, with the Cardinals winning and losing three. The team is now 15-6 heading into the final week of the regular season.
The women’s volleyball team dropped a pair of matches over the weekend, falling to Amherst and Tufts by 3-0 scores. However, weekend losses by Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby allowed the team to clinch a spot in the NESCAC tournament. Wesleyan then returned home on Wednesday for senior night and made it back into the win column with a 3-0 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU).
The volleyball team was victorious on Friday night with a 3-0 home win against Trinity. The team is now 13-3 overall with eight games remaining and is therefore guaranteed to finish with a winning record for the third consecutive year. The win improved the Cardinals’ NESCAC record to 4-1. Wesleyan is now tied with Connecticut College for third in the conference.
The volleyball team suffered its first NESCAC setback of the year on Wednesday night, losing a hard-fought match at Connecticut College, 3-2. The loss dropped Wesleyan (12-3, 3-1 NESCAC) into a third-place tie with Trinity, one-half game behind the Camels (4-1 NESCAC) and one game behind Amherst (2-0 NESCAC) and Williams (2-0 NESCAC).
The volleyball team swept three matches in the Wesleyan Invitational over the weekend. In the process, the Cardinals avenged a loss to Amherst in last year’s Invitational with a come-from-behind 3-2 win and also shut out both SUNY Old Westbury and Trinity. The Cards now sit at 12-2, their best start after 14 matches since 1989, when they won their first 16 matches before finishing with a 23-7 record.
The volleyball team defeated Western Connecticut State in three straight home games Wednesday night, giving head coach Gale Lackey her 400th career win. Lackey, who went 13-13 in one season at the University of Bridgeport before coming to Wesleyan in 1978, is only the second Wesleyan coach ever to reach this milestone.
The women’s volleyball team won three of its four matches at the MIT Invitational over the weekend, finishing in fifth place in its first appearance at the tournament since 2000. The Cardinals recorded their first-ever win against Vassar, and also defeated Muhlenberg and NESCAC foe Connecticut College, but lost to host and eventual champion MIT. Wesleyan’s overall record now stands at 8-2.
Building on the momentum from its three-match sweep in Maine over the weekend, the women’s volleyball team defeated Rhode Island College 3-1 on Tuesday night for its fourth straight victory. It was the Cardinals’ sixth win over R.I.C. in the past seven seasons. With the win, Wesleyan improved its all-time record against teams from the state of Rhode Island to 35-8 (a .814 winning percentage, Wesleyan’s highest against any state).
The women’s volleyball team opened NESCAC play this weekend by tyrannizing all three of their NESCAC opponents. The Cards did not give up a game on the way to 3-0 sweeps of both Bates and Colby. Wesleyan went on to roll Bowdoin 3-1 for their 17th consecutive win against the squad.
The women’s volleyball team split a pair of matches against two perennial regional powers to open its season on Saturday, defeating Wellesley College three games to one, but falling to Williams College by the identical score.
Armed with one of the NESCAC’s most experienced squads, the women’s volleyball team is set to begin its quest for its first-ever conference championship this weekend. "We definitely have high expectations for our team this year," said outside hitter Lisa Drennan ’09. "I expect nothing short of winning the NESCAC…and going to the NCAA [tournament]."
The women’s tennis team earned its second 9-0 win of the season in its penultimate match against Smith on Friday. The Cardinals did not drop a set in the match and lost more than three games in a set only twice. The win was the second straight in which Wesleyan did not lose a set, following a 5-0 win against Hamilton on April 15.
The women’s tennis team split its final NESCAC matches over the weekend, losing 9-0 to Williams on Saturday, but rebounding to sink Hamilton 5-0 on Sunday. The Cardinals currently sit in eighth place in the 11-team NESCAC, one-half game behind Trinity (2-2) and Connecticut College (1-1).
The women’s tennis team earned its first spring NESCAC victory on Saturday with a 6-3 triumph over Colby, ending a three-match losing streak. Prior to the Colby match, Bowdoin and Trinity defeated Wesleyan 9-0 and 6-3, respectively. The Cardinals’ overall record now sits at 8-6 (2-4 NESCAC).
The women’s tennis team swept the competition during its spring break trip to Florida, going 6-0 in Orlando, including an exhibition win, to improve its overall record to 7-3.
After a five-month layoff, the women’s tennis team is ready to recommence its season. The Cardinals will travel to Orlando, Fla. over spring break before returning home and resuming their NESCAC schedule. The team currently sits at 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the NESCAC.
The women’s hockey team’s season came to a sudden end last weekend as a pair of losses at Colby left the Cardinals out of the NESCAC tournament. Wesleyan (4-16-4, 2-10-4 NESCAC) finished tied for seventh place with Trinity (4-12-0 NESCAC), but the Bantams earned the tiebreaker and the final seed in the NESCAC tournament based on goal differential.
Despite dropping two conference games to Bowdoin this past weekend, the women’s hockey team is very much alive in the playoff race.
The women’s hockey team traveled to New London on Friday for the first game of a crucial weekend series against NESCAC foe Connecticut College, eager to snap a 0-5-2 skid that followed a 2007 opening win against St. Catherine, and the Cardinals came out with a win and a tie.
The women’s hockey team ended 2006 on a positive note, defeating MIT 2-0, in its final game of the calendar year. Danielle Bugge ’07 needed only 14 seconds to give the Cardinals all the offense they would need, and Amanda Nickels ’08 added another goal in the first period to make it 2-0.
Thanks, Wesleyan. When I mailed in my deposit check this past April, I felt a small sense of pride at making it one fewer applicant that you would lose to the likes of Williams and Amherst. I spent many nights this past summer imaging how great it would be to finally get up here and add my legacy to the decades’ worth of history in the Butts’ tunnels.