As we head into the Fall 2007 athletic season, the Argus looks back at the highlights of the 2006-2007 year in athletics.
Fall
The fall saw the men’s crew team introduce itself as a force to be reckoned with in New England. After seeing their first two races cancelled due to weather, both the collegiate and club eight boats opened up with impressive fifth-place finishes at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta. The varsity boat followed up with an outstanding second place finish at the Head of the Fish to round out it fall schedule.
Meanwhile, the football and women’s soccer teams both showed great improvement. The women’s soccer team completed its best season since 1997 by earning a record of 5-8-1 (3-6 NESCAC) and just barely missed earning a spot in the NESCAC playoffs.
The football team bounced back from a winless 2005 campaign with victories over Hamilton, Bates, and Bowdoin on its way to a record of 3-5.
The men’s soccer team continued its recent success, completing the season with an 11-3-3 mark. Starting the season 7-0 and finishing the regular season with just one loss, the Cards earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament despite a disappointing loss to Bates in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. After defeating Baruch College 5-0 in the first ever NCAA game played at Wesleyan, the Cards dropped a tough 1-0 decision to Montclair State University in the second round. The trip to the NCAA tournament was the program’s second in as many years.
Finally, Ellen Davis ’07 began her final season running at Wesleyan in impressive fashion during the cross-country season. Davis picked up three victories, winning at the Wesleyan Invitational, the Little Three Race, and the New England Division III race. Davis also finished sixth at the New England Open race, before earning All-American honors for the second time with a ninth-place finish at Nationals.
Winter
The men’s hockey team provided the most surprising success of the winter campaign with a fantastic season that saw it earn its first-ever home playoff contest. After finishing the regular season with a mark of 11-7-5, the Cards saw their season end with a loss to Amherst in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. Coach Chris Potter earned NESCAC coach of the year honors for his efforts in a season in which the Cards shared first place in the conference midway through the season.
While the men’s success on the ice was a bit of a surprise, Wesleyan’s individual successes in the pool, on the track, and on the mats were expected, but nonetheless impressive. Dan deLalla ’07 completed his Wesleyan career with a second straight victory in the 157 lb. division of the New England Championships. As a result, deLalla made his second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, where as a seven seed, he fell to the second-seeded wrestler in the second round.
In the pool, Amanda Shapiro ’07, Kate Krems ’08, and Ben Byers ’07 continued their impressive careers. Shapiro earned All-American honors in the 100-breast stroke while also receiving Academic All-American honors for her successes in both the pool and classroom. Krems, meanwhile, garnered an All-American Honorable Mention in the 100 butterfly in just her junior year. Byers closed out an impressive career with All-American Honorable Mention finishes in the 1650 and 500-fly. Byers, like Shapiro, also earned Academic All-American honors.
Finally, Davis and Owen Kiely ’06 both closed out their indoor running careers in fine fashions. Kiely earned a trip to the national race, where he finished eleventh. Davis continued her fantastic year of running with a victory in the 5k at the national championships. Davis’s victory gave her the All-American title for the third time in indoor track.
Spring
Following up on its fall campaign, the men’s crew team went 11-1 in dual races in the spring. The team picked up the Little Three title along the way before heading to the New England Championships. There, the second-seeded Cards lived up to their billing with second place finishes in the first, second, and third varsity eight boats. On the links, Dave Velardo ’08 carded the best round of his Wesleyan career with a 68 that gave him the individual Little Three title.
Women’s lacrosse and softball both added to a year of many athletic “firsts” for Wesleyan.
The women’s lax team hosted NESCAC playoff game for the first time while the softball team won 14 of its final 16 contests—including a 12 game winning streak—to earn its first trip to the NESCAC tourney. While both teams saw their seasons end early in their respective tournaments, their successes last season are not to be overlooked.
Both the men and women found success on the track and field. On the men’s side, Sam Grover ’08 won the New England Division III triple jump title by breaking his own record by nearly a foot while Mike Moody ’10 completed a fantastic freshman season with a NESCAC title. Mike Brady ’07 finished his career on the track with a NESCAC title in the 10k race.
On the women’s side, Davis impressed all for one final time. Her victory at the New England Open 10k race marked her fifth school record of the year and she held the fasted 5k time in the country for the season. Graduation, however, prevented Davis from competing in the 5k race at nationals. Davis ran the 10k instead, and finished 10th.
The men’s lacrosse team had the most successful season of any team sport at Wesleyan last year. After losing to Middlebury in the finals of the NESCAC tournament, the Cards earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and hosted all games through the semi-finals based on their regular season successes. After taking revenge on Middlebury in the first round and knocking off Nazareth in the middle of the heavy rainstorm in the second round, the Cards hosted defending Division III national champions Cortland State in the semifinals. The Cards saw the season end when they dropped a back-and-forth contest by just one goal.
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