It was a chock-full weekend for Wesleyan spring sports. Teams wrapped up their regular seasons, competed in regional championships, and faced tough NESCAC competition. While some games ended in heartbreak, others capped record-breaking seasons. For this last spring issue of The Argus, the sports section sat down for a quick weekend recap on the highs, the lows, and the in-betweens.
Men’s Tennis
On Friday, May 2, the men’s tennis team faced off against Amherst in the NESCAC quarterfinals. The Cards took the doubles points, with wins from Brett Keeling ’27 and Chase Kasday ’26 at second doubles and Max Lustgarten ’25 and Jex Frankel ’27 at third doubles. Unfortunately for the Red and Black, the Mammoths had the upper hand in singles. Keeling was able to win his match at fourth singles, but Amherst won at first, third, fifth, and sixth singles to take the overall match and move onto the semifinals. While the season started strong, late-season roadblocks hampered the Cardinals as they headed towards the postseason. They ultimately finished 9–7.
Women’s Tennis
The women’s tennis team entered the weekend looking to defend its previous NESCAC championships and win its sixth title in a row. The Cards got off to a good start, handily defeating Colby 4–0. On Saturday, the Red and Black fell behind early, as Bowdoin took the doubles point. However, dominant wins at first, second, third, and fourth doubles fueled a 4–2 victory and a sixth-straight trip to the NESCAC Championship. In the Cards’ way stood Middlebury, who took down Wesleyan the week before. Unfortunately, the Panthers had the upper hand all match long, grabbing the doubles point and three singles wins to steal the NESCAC title. Wes will travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. to compete in the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament. At host Carnegie Mellon University, the Cards will have a first-round bye, where they will await the winner of Stevens Institute of Technology versus the University of Scranton. The Red and Black will take the court on Friday, May 9 against the winner of that match as they vie for a chance to return to the NCAA title match.
Women’s Golf
This past weekend, the women’s golf team competed in the NESCAC Championship at Yahnundasis Golf Club in New Hartford, N.Y. As a team, they finished in sixth place out of eight NESCAC teams, posting a +77 overall score over the three days. This included a terrific final day, where the team shot a combined +10, the best of any school for a single day of the tournament. Mia Holbrook ’27 finished her impressive spring with a second-place finish individually, posting a +7 score over the course of the weekend, only one stroke off the lead. Amanda Phillips ’28 joined Holbrook in the top 10, finishing at +11 after a -2 round on Sunday and capturing ninth place. Captain Kayla Howell ’26 finished just outside the top 10, scoring +17 on the weekend and ending up tied for 11th place. Despite finishing sixth of eight teams, the Cards ended their season on a high note with a strong final day. Additionally, Phillips received an at-large selection to the NCAA Championship, which takes place Tuesday, May 13 to Friday, May 16 at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Softball
Softball had perhaps the most impressive performance this weekend, sweeping Middlebury 2–0 in a decisive end to the Cards’ best regular season in team history. On Saturday, May 3, the Cards started off their first game with three quick strikeouts from Abby Orso MA ’25, who went on to secure a one-hit shutout as part of a blistering 10–0 victory. The game was over in five innings, Wesleyan’s first win over Middlebury on a mercy rule since 2011. The victory was also Wesleyan’s first over the Panthers in 10 straight games. Buoyed by the win, the Red and Black played their last game of the season on Sunday, May 4, scooping up a 5–3 win and putting a seal on their 27–11 season (12–6 NESCAC). Next, the Cards advance to the NESCAC tournament as the no. 3 seed. They will take on no. 6 seed Bates this Saturday, May 11 at 12 p.m.
Baseball
On Saturday, the baseball team, ranked no. 4 in the West Division, faced Colby in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Championships. The 11–22 Cards were hoping to flip the script after a tough extra-innings loss to the Mules last year. Unfortunately, things didn’t go the Red and Black’s way. Colby, ranked no. 1 in the East Division, took the first game easily, scoring two runs in the eighth inning to shut out the Cards 2–0. The second game was closer, but Wesleyan still fell 3–4 to finish a tough season 11–24 overall and 2–10 in-NESCAC.
Men’s Lacrosse
After handily defeating the no. 6 seed Bates 15–6 in the NESCAC quarterfinal round on Sunday, April 27, the men’s lacrosse team moved on to face no. 2 seed Bowdoin in the semifinal on Saturday, May 3. The Dirty Birds nabbed an early lead and were up 5–3. But the Polar Bears did not go quietly, and with five minutes remaining, the Cards were down 7–8. But goals by captain CK Giancola ’24 MA ’25 and midfielder James Bailey ’26—as well as an excellent defensive effort by goalie Conor Selfridge ’26—secured the Cards a 9–8 win and a trip to the championship, where they faced Tufts. Unfortunately, the matchup did not go the Cardinals’ way; they were defeated 10–22 by the Jumbos. But this is not the end of the line for the Dirty Birds, as they earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and will be a host site for the second and third rounds. Having earned an automatic bye, they will face either Babson College or Western Connecticut State University in the second round on Saturday, May 10.
Women’s Lacrosse
It was a weekend of highs and lows for the women’s lacrosse team. After powering past no. 4 seed Amherst last week in the NESCAC quarterfinals, the no. 5 seed Red and Black turned their attention to no. 1 seed Middlebury. The Panthers, who were also ranked no. 1 nationally all of this year, had not lost a game since the 2022 NESCAC Championship. But Wesleyan met the challenge with ease. After falling behind in the first quarter, the Cardinals surged, pouring in three unanswered goals to lead the game 7–6 at the half. By the fourth quarter, Wesleyan was up 12–9 and maintained a three-point lead to secure a 13–10 victory. The Cards advanced to the NESCAC finals for the third time in team history; all three of those appearances occurred within the last four years. But the triumph was short-lived. Wesleyan fell 7–13 to no. 2 seed Tufts, failing to avenge a regular-season loss to the Jumbos. In brighter news, the Cards have earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. They received an automatic bye and will play either Babson College or Worcester State University at home on Sunday, May 11.
Women’s Track and Field
The women’s track and field team headed to New London, Conn. this past weekend to compete in the New England Division III Championships in a field of 52 total teams. The Cards placed 17th overall, with seven top ten placements. Alexandra Simon ’27 placed second in the 3,000m steeplechase. Alexandra Weingard ’28 placed fifth in the 5,000m race. Jordan Walter ’25 and Margaret Stevens ’27 both earned seventh place finishes in the 800m and 1500m races, respectively. Virginia Lessner ’28 and Rose Halford ’27 both placed ninth in the 1,500m and 10,000m races each. Walter, Elanora Smith ’27, Stella Loezos ’27, and Genevieve Minard ’28 also finished fifth in the 4x800m relay. Next on the schedule, the Cards will compete in the Open New England Championships on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10.
Men’s Track and Field
The men’s track and field team spent the weekend competing at the New England Division III Championships, hosted by the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. Bolstered by young record-breakers and competing against 47 other college teams, the Cards pulled out a first-place finish—the first in team history. First-year phenom Steve Paul ’28 continued his record-breaking tear, shattering the 100m record with a 10.60 time and breaking his own 200m outdoor record in 21.24 seconds. Ethan Singleton ’28 also put on a show, breaking his own 400m record—set only a week ago—with a 47.83-second run. Meanwhile, the Cards came up big in the 1,500m. Rob D’Aquila ’26, Liam Calhoun ’26, Bruce Lenes ’26, Alex Kermath ’26, and Zach Allen ’27 all finished in the top 10. On the field side of things, Javier Orelanna ’25 came third in shot put. Amid their celebrations, the Cardinals are now anticipating the Open New England Championships on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10.
Women’s Crew
On Saturday, May 3, the women’s crew team headed up to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. to participate in the New England Championships. Due to poor weather conditions, it was not safe enough for most of the grand finals to take place. However, the varsity 8 grand final was contested, and the Cardinals qualified with the second fastest preliminary time behind MIT. In the grand finale, the Cardinals’ V8 placed fifth. The Cards return to Lake Quinsigamond this weekend on Sunday, May 11 to compete in the National Invitational Rowing Championship, which will also include the competition for the NESCAC Championship.
Men’s Crew
The men’s crew team also headed to Worcester, Mass. to take part in the New England Championships on May 3. In preliminaries, the Cardinals’ V8, 2V8, and 3V8 boats all qualified for their respective grand finals coming in fourth, first, and second respectively. However, due to the rough conditions, the only grand final which was held was the V8. After their fourth-place finish in qualifiers, the Cards turned on a higher gear in the final placing second of the 14 competing teams with a time of 7:19.984. This Sunday, May 11, the Cards will look to defend their title at the National Invitational Rowing Championship.
Note from the Editor, Erin: After eight semesters at The Argus, I am finally being forced to quit (read: graduate) so this is my very last article. Thank you to everyone who has ever read, co-written, edited, or interviewed for any of my articles over the past four years (especially those of you who have done 10 or more interviews with me). A very grateful roll cards to you all.
Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.
Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.
Audrey Nelson can be reached at aanelson@wesleyan.edu.
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