As the year continues, Wesleyan spring sports teams are making inroads in the NESCAC playoffs and the NCAA tournament. It’s that exciting time of year where one weekend can make or break a whole season. Six teams have qualified for the NESCAC Championships, and several more are likely to participate in the NCAA Tournament.
Softball
After a tough 2024 season, Wesleyan softball flipped the script this year, playing to a 25–11 record and 10–6 in-conference so far, not to mention securing a Little Three Championship win. Their 25 wins are already the most in program history and, on Saturday, May 3, 2025, they will take on Middlebury at home for the final two games of the regular season. Currently, the Red and Black sit at third overall in the NESCAC, but if they can gain a game on No. 2-seeded Williams this weekend, they can slot into No. 2 overall for the NESCAC Championship seeding. So head down to the softball field this Saturday at noon to watch the end to a historic softball regular season!
Baseball
Currently, Wesleyan baseball sits at 11–22 overall with a 2–10 NESCAC record, but thanks to an early-season series win against Hamilton, the Cards have still stamped their ticket to the playoffs as the fourth-place team in the West Division. On Saturday, May 3, the Cardinals will take on No. 1 seed Colby (in the East Division) in the first round of the NESCAC Championships for a chance at the semifinals. Last season, the Mules eliminated the Cards in an extra-inning clincher, so this year the Red and Black will look to get revenge and break out of the first round.
Women’s Tennis
The women’s tennis team finished their regular season last weekend on the road against Middlebury and Williams. On Saturday, April 26, 2025, the Panthers handed the Cards their first NESCAC loss since March 26, 2022, in a 4–3 loss. The next day, they bounced back against the Ephs with a commanding 6–1 win. The Red and Black finished with a 16–2 record, sitting at the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC playoffs and No. 6 nationally. Wesleyan will host the NESCAC playoffs through the weekend, and the Cards will take the court on Friday, May 2 for their quarterfinal match against No. 7 seed Colby.
Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team wrapped up their regular season with a weekend of away matches at Middlebury and Williams. Despite a quite successful regular season, the Red and Black did not end on the brightest note. They were swept out of Middlebury, as the Panthers grabbed a commanding 4–0 win. The next day, singles wins from Max Lustgarten ’25 and Chase Kasday ’26 were highlights for Wes, but ultimately the day ended in a 5–2 loss to the Ephs. The team finished the year at 9–6, ranked No. 19 nationally and the No. 7 seed in the NESCAC. Middlebury hosts the NESCAC playoffs this weekend, and the Cards will face the No. 2 seed Amherst on Friday afternoon.
Women’s Lacrosse
Wesleyan women’s lacrosse faced a high-level NESCAC lineup this regular season, finishing 5–4 in conference despite their consistent top-10 national ranking. This past weekend, the Cards turned their attention to the NESCAC tournament, entering the quarterfinals as the No. 5 seed. Their first game was a much-anticipated rematch against fourth-seeded Amherst. The two teams last met in a triple-overtime thriller on Wednesday, April 2, which fell 8–9 in the Cards’ favor. The Red and Black came into Saturday’s game eager for revenge, jumping out to a quick lead before the Mammoths responded in the second half. Although Amherst entered the fourth quarter down by two, a couple of well-placed goals tied the game as time expired. The Cards needed a hero, and midfielder Dylan Green ’26 delivered. She scored the game-winning goal in overtime to seal the Red and Black’s 11–10 victory. The win over Amherst sends the Cards to Vermont this Saturday, where they will take on No. 1 seed Middlebury in the semifinals.
Men’s Lacrosse
The Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team strode into the NESCAC tournament as a No. 3 seed, coming in hot after a 10–4 regular season that included a Little Three championship. In a noon game on Sunday, April 27, the Dirty Birds took on No. 6 seeded Bates, ultimately winning the Citrin Field matchup 15–6. The good news kept rolling in: On Thursday, the defending NESCAC champions pulled in six All-NESCAC honors—first team for attackman Jack Raba ’23 MA ’25 and midfielder CK Giancola ’24 MA ’25 and second-team for attackman Ben Burns ’26, midfielder James Bailey ’26, defenseman Emmett Schillinger ’25, and short stick midfielder Charlie Wilmot ’26—tying their record from 2018, when they won the NCAA championship.
Women’s Track
It was a tough weekend for the women’s track and field team, who finished 11th at the NESCAC championship on Saturday. Alexandra Simon ’27 had the Cards’ highest finish, securing a fifth-place spot in the 3000m steeplechase. The Red and Black’s performance capped an up-and-down season; the team dealt with injuries and will graduate only two seniors. The Cards will now look ahead to next year in the hopes that their young roster can deliver.
Men’s Track
On Sunday, April 27, Wesleyan men’s track finished their conference season with an eighth place finish at the NESCAC Championships hosted by the Cards. The season has been characterized by record-breaking feats by several Cards, with Steve Paul ’28 breaking both the indoor and outdoor 200m program record, Ethan Singleton ’28 setting a new program mark in the 400m, Javier Orellana ’25 setting a new shot-put mark, and Liam Calhoun ’26 breaking the 41-year-old 3000m program record. The trend continued at NESCACs with Singleton breaking the outdoor 400m record and the unit of Neil Bulchandani ’28, Singleton, Paul, and Patrick Schechtman-Taylor ’26 setting a new mark in the 4x100m relay race. Paul and Calhoun received All-NESCAC Honors for third place finishes in their respective events (100m and 5000m). With a strong young core, the Cards look towards the New England Division III Championships on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 where they will look to start the national tournament season on a high note.
Women’s Golf
Wesleyan women’s golf had a successful 2024–25 season, seeing significant improvement from last year. In the fall season, the Cards notched a sixth-place finish at the Williams Invite tournament, improving on their 11th place performance last season. In the spring, the Cards put together a strong performance at the Jack Leaman Invitational, securing 5th out of 13 teams, up from their 10th place finish in 2024. Mia Holbrook ’27 and Amanda Phillips ’28 led the team, tying for seventh out of 74 golfers. This weekend, the Cards compete in the NESCAC Championships in New Hartford, N.Y.
Men’s Golf
Wesleyan men’s golf finished their season on Sunday, April 27 with a ninth-place finish in the NESCAC Championships held at Taconic Golf Course in Williamstown, Mass. The season was highlighted with a third-place finish on Saturday, April 19 at the Rhode Island College Spring Invitational, the team’s highest tournament finish since 2022. In the NESCAC Championships, Johnathan Harlukowicz ’27 led the way, coming in 21st out of 50 competing golfers, and two Cards, Lev Abramson ’28 and Jackson Hayes ’27, tied for 27th.
Ethan Lee can be reached at ejlee@wesleyan.edu.
Audrey Nelson can be reached at aanelson@wesleyan.edu.
Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.
Leave a Reply