Jared Ashe ’07, Men’s basketball – Coming off of an impressive soccer season in which he was named Second Team All-American, Jared Ashe has been a central component of the men’s basketball team this winter. A four-year starter, Ashe has stepped up his offensive production as of late, scoring in double figures in four of the team’s last five games. An athletic guard with an uncanny ability to drive to the hoop, Ashe and the Cards came up just short against Bates College, ranked 19th in the country. Ashe, however, notched one of his best games of the season, posting 14 points, eight rebounds, and five steals to pace the Cardinals. Ashe came up with a key steal that gave the Cards their only lead, 50-49, late in the game, but the team could not hold on in overtime. Ashe and the Cards face a stiff test this weekend, as they travel to take on NESCAC powerhouses in Amherst and Trinity.
Mike Palladino ’09, Men’s hockey – After beginning the season as the backup goalie, Mike Palladino appears to have grabbed the starting job for good on the men’s hockey team. The team currently sits second in the NESCAC standings, and Palladino is the NESCAC leader in goals against average, yielding a miniscule 1.71 goals per game. He is also first in the league in save percentage, stopping 93.1% of the shots that he faces. The sophomore netminder has been a huge reason for the Cards’ impressive recent run that has catapulted the team to a 9-4-4 overall record (7-3-3 NESCAC). This past weekend, Wesleyan defeated Williams for the first time in 18 years and tied Middlebury (the first time the Panthers haven’t defeated the Cards in their past 30 meetings). Palladino made a total of 45 saves in the two games, and had a save percentage of .938.
Nicole Gray ’08, Women’s squash – Nicole Gray, a co-captain and one of the team’s six returning players, has contributed to several close wins. She won a December match against Connecticut College 3-0 to help lead the Cardinals to a 5-4 victory in what was their second win of the year. Gray also enjoyed another 3-0 December win against Smith in the 5-4 victory for the Cardinals. While she has struggled so far this semester, going 0-4 at last weekend’s Mount Holyoke/Smith Invitational, her experience and leadership have been crucial to the young team as it looks to the last half of the season.
Rachel Stemerman ’09, Women’s hockey – Since her first game in 2005, a 53-save performance against Trinity, sophomore goalie Rachel Stemerman has been an invaluable asset to the women’s hockey team. Stemerman is tied for sixth in the NESCAC in save percentage (.910) after leading the conference in that category last year as a freshman (.924). She ranks second in the conference in saves with 382, and her 237 saves in NESCAC play are also the second-most in the conference. Stemerman made 85 saves in a weekend series against Middlebury earlier this month and stopped 36 more shots a week later against Williams in a 1-1 draw. Following the Middlebury series, Stemerman was named NESCAC Player of the Week for the second time in her career.
Stephanie O’Brien ’08, Women’s indoor track – Women’s track and field is showing a great deal of promise as it heads into the 2006-07 indoor season, largely behind key performers such as Steph O’Brien. Kicking off the indoor season on Dec. 2 at the Wesleyan Invitational, O’Brien finished first in the 800m with a time of 2:29.14. Several weeks later O’Brien was instrumental in the success the Cards had at the Cardinal Invitational, Jan. 20. O’Brien won the 800m race again, finishing in a powerful 2:23.88, cutting her time by more than five seconds. O’Brien also anchored the winning 4x400m relay at the meet. A week later, the Cards hosted the second Wesleyan Invitational and O’Brien continued to exhibit her prowess, winning the 500m race, beating out 23 other runners. Finishing in a mere 1:18.37, O’Brien came just 1.1 seconds shy of the team record.
Jeremy Stuart ’08, Wrestling – Stuart has dominated his opponents, going 3-0 in tournament matches and 8-4 in duals, helping the Cards to an 8-6 team record since his return to the mat on Jan. 6. After a solid 14-14 individual record in his sophomore season, wrestling primarily in the lighter 174-pound class, Stuart took the fall semester off to relax his mind and build muscle. Returning during winter break, Stuart has wrestled tremendously in the 184-pound weight class. The bulk added during his time off has served Stuart well as he has not only won his matches, but has done so in dominating fashion. Against Coast Guard on Jan. 25, Stuart cruised to a 9-1 decision and won 7-5 two days later on the first day of a two-day match against Johnson and Wales. Though he didn’t wrestle the second day, Stuart will be chomping at the bit when the Cards face off against conference rival Williams College on Sunday, Feb. 4.
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