Men’s Tennis
With all but one starter returning to the lineup, the men’s tennis team has quite an opportunity to make its mark in the NESCACs. The tennis team, which competes in both the fall and spring, has a significantly stronger schedule this fall, facing traditional powerhouses in Bates and MIT.
The Cards ended last season with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Wheaton, at the time ranked as one of the top-25 teams in Division III, as they proved capable of holding their own against upper-echelon teams. Although the squad lost only Max Kates ’06 to graduation, the Cards will have to overcome injuries to two other starters in Pauri Pandian ’08 and tri-captain Jack Rooney ’07.
Last year several younger members of the team proved capable of filling in without missing a beat, as Matt O’Connell ’09, Graham Immerman ’09, and Jafaar Rizvi ’09 provided several clutch victories in dual matches last spring. With Rooney and Pandian potentially out of action for much of the spring, the tennis team will be even more dependent on success from returning starters Tallen Todorovich ’07, Paul Gerdes ’09, Mike Frank ’08, and Alejandro Alvarado ’09.
The Cards open up their season at Coast Guard on Sept. 13.
Women’s Tennis
As one of the most improved team’s in the NESCAC a year ago, the Lady Cards look to repeat its success from last season as it returns five of six starters from a year ago. In the spring, the women’s tennis team finished with an impressive 11-4 record, a dramatic improvement from a 5-7-1 finish just two years ago.
The Lady Cards made their mark in the NESCACs with one of the youngest squads in the conference, as they relied on contributions from six freshman starters. This year, the women’s team will again rely on their nucleus of young players as all six sophomore starters return, along with captain Tori Santuro ’07 who will be counted on to provide key leadership on the young Cardinal squad.
Last season, the Lady Cards just barely missed qualifying for the NESCAC tournament, as Tufts edged out the women for the sixth and final spot. Returning starters include Rachel Ghorbani ’09, Ania Preneta ’09, Alex Sirois ’09, Madalina Ursu ’09, Emily Fish ’09 and Lizzie Collector ’09. Also looking to make an impact will be incoming freshmen Anika Fischer ’10, Meridith Holmes ’10, and Casey Simchik ’10.
Men’s Soccer
Coming off the first NESCAC championship in team history and a run to the second round of the NCAA tournament, the men’s soccer team returns 16 contributors and is ready to build on last year’s success.
After defeating Little Three rivals Williams and Amherst in the conference tournament, the Cards rode their momentum into the NCAA tournament and edged Muhlenberg 3-2 before falling to eventual champion Messiah 2-1 in the second round. Matt Nevin ’09, who tallied nine goals and dished out five assists on the year, earned NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors and should give the Cards some punch up top.
Behind Nevin, a bevy of seniors are entrusted with guiding this team through a treacherous schedule that, in addition to the usual NESCAC foes, includes dates with regional powerhouses Wheaton and Western New England College. Interior midfielders Peter Glidden ’07 and Josh Stephens ’07 have the skills and smarts to quarterback the attack, while Morgan Owen ’07 and Julian Canzoneri ’07 will look to give quality service into strikers like Nevin, Chris Brown ’07 and Kyle Nuland ’09. Oscar Parente ’09 and Mike Walker ’08 add talent on the ball that is sure to give opponents fits.
In the back, Jared Ashe ’07 and David Baharestani ’07 return to anchor a back line that allowed a meager 24 goals in 19 games last fall. Goalkeeper Matt Gnall ’08 will try to duplicate his stalwart 2006 season in which he gave up just one goal per game.
Women’s Soccer
Despite a record of 3-8-2 last year, the women’s soccer team showed consistent improvement throughout the 2005 season, culminating in a 1-0 upset of NESCAC champion Tufts. With 22 players returning, the Cards have good reason to be optimistic about the 2006 campaign.
After a sluggish start to last season, Wesleyan posted a solid 3-4-2 record over its final 9 games. Prior to the Tufts victory, the Cardinals beat Rhode Island College by a score of 2-1 and routed Mitchell College 8-1 earlier in the year. Back to guide the squad are co-captains Danielle Crystal ’07 and Lauren Ogden ’07. Crystal notched the winning goal against Tufts in ’05, one of four tallies on the season.
Delia Mueller ’07 returns to anchor a back line that boasted two clean sheets a year ago. The team will also rely on younger talent this year, including Marissa Trevisan ’09, who started 11 of 13 games in her rookie year, scoring three goals. Nicole Gray ’08 and Marcia Whitehead ’08 will give the Cards experience and consistency.
Youngsters Gavi Elkind ’09 and Andrea Giuliano ’09, meanwhile, will compete for the job as starting goalkeeper. Head Coach Eva Bergsten Meridith, who is entering her third season at the helm, has also brought in eight recruits to add depth to a young but experienced club.
Golf
The golf team experienced perhaps the most impressive turnaround of any team at Wesleyan last year. After years of defeat at the hands of Little Three rivals Amherst and Wesleyan, the Cards recorded a historic victory over Amherst at home in Little Three competition last spring.
The victory over Amherst, the team’s first in Little Three play since 1970, highlighted the season. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Dave Velardo ’08, who had perhaps one of the best seasons by a Cardinal golfer in Wesleyan history. Over the course of the year, Velardo averaged an eye-opening per-round average of 77.1, which landed him all-NESCAC second team honors. At the Skidmore Invitational last fall, Velardo shot a round of 69, the lowest score shot by a Wesleyan golfer in over 30 years.
Velardo and the golf team recorded another historic victory during the spring, this time with a two stroke victory over Williams during the spring break trip in Florida. Along with Velardo, Eli Wilson ’09, Hal Tift ’07, and Max Schenkein ’08 played a major role in the golf team’s turnaround last year, and will again be looked upon to continue the team’s upward trend. Schenkein and Wilson, along with Velardo, recorded critical wins in downing Amherst, while Velardo, Wilson, and Tift all recorded a score of 80 or better in the victory over Williams. Schenkein, Velardo and Wilson will be looked upon to carry the load for the golf team this fall.
Volleyball
Coming off a 13-18 campaign two years ago, the volleyball team bounced back last fall to record an impressive 16-12 record. The Lady Cards look to repeat another winning season as they return all but two players from last year.
Leading the way for the volleyball team this year is experienced co-captain Tory Molnar ’07, a four-year starter for the squad. Molnar averaged 4.83 digs per game last fall, placing her fifth in the NESCACs.
The volleyball team mixed experience with youth last fall, as Lisa Drennan ’09 provided a key spark for the Lady Cards at the outside hitter position. At the Wesleyan Invitational, Drennan earned All-Tournament Honors, the third time she received the distinction. During the tournament, the Cards scored convincing victories over Amherst and Wheaton, sweeping both teams by a 3-0 margin, and earned a nail biting 3-2 comeback victory over Trinity.
Also returning for the Cards is co-captain Caroline Rober ’08, a middle hitter who placed fifth in the NESCACs with 1.00 blocks per game, and Becca Rodger ’08, who finished second in the NESCACs averaging just over 11 assists per game. Outside hitter Jettie Word ’08 suffered a leg injury last year, but should return to the court with authority this season.
Last year Colby bounced the Cards from the NESCAC Tournament in the first round, but better success is expected this year with a more experienced squad.
Field Hockey
The field hockey team should be in good shape this fall as it returns the top four playmakers from last year’s squad, which posted its second consecutive winning record with an 11-5 mark while advancing to the NESCAC semifinals.
Leading the squad are co-captains Courtney Tetrault ’07 and Molly Adams ’07, who combined for 46 of the team’s 91 points last season. Tetrault led the Lady Cards in assists with eight, while Adams led the way in the points category as she notched 10 goals, and will once again be looked upon to guide the offense this fall. Tetrault earned All-NESCAC first team honors, and was recognized by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association with a spot on the first All-New England West Region. She also earned a spot on the All-America third team. Adams, whose 10 goals led the team, earned a spot on the All-New England West Region second team and the All-NESCAC second team.
Two other players who made their marks last season, Adrienne Shea ’08 and Amand Nickels ’08, will return to guide the potent Cardinal offense. Shea earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors in October, as she provided crucial goals in victories over Mount Holoyke and Amherst. Nickels and Shea combined for 23 points on the season. Also returning is goalie Caitlin Kelly, who allowed just 1.70 goals per game and turned away over 80 percent of the shots on goal.
Men’s Cross-Country
Coming off last year’s second place performance at New England Regionals, the team’s highest regional placing in school history, and a 14th-place finish at DIII Nationals, the men’s cross-country team is looking forward to a highly successful fall season.
This year’s team will be led by a group of ten seniors, including Captains Alex Battaglino, Jon King ’07, and Nick Holowka. King and Battaglino should be among the Cardinals’ scoring five, along with Mike Brady ’07, Anda Greeney ’07 and Sean Watson ’08.
Although the Cardinals are losing All-Americans Wes Fuhrman ’05 and Owen Kiely ’06 from last year’s team, this year’s squad is hoping to improve upon last season’s results at Regionals and Nationals through stronger pack running. This improvement in depth goes well beyond the top five runners, as shown by the increase in Cardinal Harriers (nine as opposed to five) who broke 16 minutes for the 5,000-meter run last spring.
Joining the Cardinals this season are freshmen Tom Akita ’10, Chris Coleman ’10, Henry Kaplan ’10, Sam Kurtis ’10, Sam Maritime ’10, Nelson Norsworthy ’10, and Simon Reinhardt ’10. Transfer Scott Cole ’08 and track standouts Andres Rosario ’08 and Brad Litchfield ’09 will enter the fray this season as well. Also returning to the team this season is Chris Foster ’09, who spent the last two years in Buenos Aires as a missionary.
Women’s Cross-Country
The women’s cross-country team cannot be described as lacking strength up front. Leading the Cardinals is Ellen Davis ’07, who has won All-American awards in both cross-country and track. Her time of 16:46 in the 5,000 meters was one of the fastest in Division III last year.
Lucia Pier ’08 and Anna Schindler ’09 will join Davis at the front of the pack. Pier showed remarkable potential in cross-country last year after participating on the crew team as a freshman. Schindler moved from the 800 and mile events to the 5,000-meter run in track, which should help her cross-country strength considerably.
Behind the Cardinals’ top three runners will be a pack of strong harriers including Megan Kretz ’07, Amanda Jacobs ’09, Liz Wheatley ’09 and transfers Julia Stone ’09 and Hannah Hastings ’07. Other team members, all of whom have a good chance of making varsity this year, will be Kora Shin ’09, Ravenna Neville ’10, Sara Rosenberg ’10, and Kelly Wilson ’10.
Under the leadership of Coach John Crooke and captains Davis and Kretz, the Cardinals hope to place in the top five at the New England Regionals and qualify for the Division III National Meet.
Football
Despite not winning a game a year ago, the football team returns 19 starters and will rely on veteran leadership to guide the team up the NESCAC standings this season.
Zach Librizzi ’08 returns to quarterback an offensive unit that was third in the conference in passing offense last season. Librizzi completed 130 of 258 passes last season for 1,358 yards and eight touchdowns. He will have solid targets to throw to in Mark Noonan ’08 and Blake Curry ’07. Noonan caught 41 passes for 428 yards last year, while Curry snagged 30 balls for 275 yards. In the backfield, quad-captain Phil Banks ’07 will get the bulk of the carries and help take pressure off the passing game.
As with any football team, the offensive line’s ability to protect Librizzi and open up holes for Banks will be crucial to the team’s success. Fortunately, the Cards return three starting offensive lineman in quad-captain Corey Baker ’07, Brett Valentine ’09, and Sam Silverlieb ’08.
On the other side of the ball, quad-captains Jeff McLaren ’06 and Quincy Francis ’06 are back to anchor the defense at defensive back and linebacker, respectively. Look for Tim O’Callaghan ’08, who led the team in tackles last season with 67, to harass opposing ball carriers all season long.
The Cardinals open their season at Middlebury College on Sept. 23.
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