Late October meant NESCAC Championship Season for seven Wesleyan fall sports teams. If you missed any of the action over this weekend, here is your recap of a big few days for the Red and Black.
Field Hockey
Seeking their first NESCAC playoff win in 20 years, Wesleyan field hockey flipped the script on a familiar postseason foe. The Williams Ephs had ended the Cardinals’ season the past two years, but this time the Red and Black were home and entered the matchup as winners of eight straight games.
The Cardinals came out flying and broke through in the 11th minute off a beautifully designed play. On a penalty corner, Georgia Adams ’26 inserted it to Emily Smith ’29, who took two touches, then slipped one over to Brooke Miner ’28. Miner stepped into it and fired the ball towards the left post, where Meera Patel ’29 was waiting to redirect it into the goal and put the Cardinals up 1–0. This was the score at halftime as the defense turned in its best statistical half of the season, not surrendering a single shot or penalty corner.
The game stayed here through the third quarter, but the Cardinals found breathing room in the fourth off the stick of none other than Adams, who recently became the third member of Wesleyan’s 100-point club. This marked the 10th time this season the Cardinals have scored two or more goals, a feat that has led to a win in each instance.
The Cardinals have a date with the #1 seed Tufts Jumbos next Saturday, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s NESCAC final to face either Bates or Middlebury. All four semifinalists are ranked inside the national top 10. While the other three programs are regulars at this stage, it wasn’t long ago that Wesleyan went five years without multiple conference wins. Overall, from 2014 to 2022, they finished a combined 11–69 in NESCAC play. Now, they’re one win away from playing for a title.
Volleyball
Wesleyan volleyball entered the final weekend before NESCAC playoffs looking to put an exclamation point on one of the most dominant regular seasons in program history. The Red and Black came in riding an 8–0 NESCAC record and a 19–1 overall mark, having lost only six sets all year and none since Thursday, Oct. 2.
Friday night featured a Halloween showdown with the 18–5 Tufts Jumbos. The Jumbos were able to stifle the Cardinals’ dominant offense in the first set, holding them to a .094 hitting percentage: their lowest mark of the season. Wesleyan rebounded to take the next two sets 25–21, but Tufts edged out the fourth to force the Cardinals into their first fifth set of the season. The decisive set was chaotic throughout, but a few late miscues gave the Jumbos a 15–12 victory, marking Wesleyan’s first conference loss.
The Cards were back on the court fewer than 18 hours later to face a middling Bates Bobcats. The Cards looked to be back to their dominant ways, winning the first two sets, but the Bobcats fought back, winning the 3rd and 4th, to force a second straight five-setter in Silloway Gymnasium. It was a dangerous position for a tired Cardinals squad, but they were undeterred, jumping out to a 7–1 lead behind three straight aces from Sophia Lindus ’26. Lindus added four more points via kills, while Siena Steines ’28 matched her with four of her own to give the Cardinals a dominant 15–8 fifth set victory. Steines and Lindus had 19 and 18 kills, respectively, to put them each over 200 kills on the season.
It wasn’t the easiest weekend, as the Cardinals dropped more than twice as many sets in two matches as they had in their previous eight NESCAC contests combined. Still, the Saturday win helped them clinch the #1 seed for the NESCAC playoffs for the third time in four years. They’ll get a quick rematch with Bates in the quarterfinals, and a win would give them the chance to host championship weekend.
Women’s Soccer
Wesleyan women’s soccer ended their regular season on a high note, winning their last two NESCAC games to secure a spot in the NESCAC Championship. On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Cards traveled to Medford, Mass., to take on #1 Tufts in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. The teams’ previous matchup ended in a 0–0 draw, proving that the Cards could stifle the Jumbos’ NESCAC-leading offense, but they would have to bring everything on both ends to get through to the semifinals.
After taking some early pressure, the Cards conceded a goal in the 13th minute off a free kick to go down 0–1 early. Gathering themselves, the Cards returned the pressure and battled through the Jumbos’ defense to get a chance of their own. 10 minutes before half, Riley Buehler ’26 held the ball to the right of the box before dishing it to Maria Utz ’27 at the goal line. Utz sent the ball off her left foot and into the goal, knotting the score at one apiece. The goal was the 10th of the year for Utz, tying her for the NESCAC lead as of publication. The score remained tied at half, but the Jumbos turned up the offensive pressure in the second half, rattling off 8 shots in the first 15 minutes of the half before the Cards let in a rebound goal right after a save by captain Molly Brumbach ’26. The goal would be decisive as the Cards fell 1–2, eliminating them for the NESCAC Tournament.
The Cards will wait for the NCAA Division III Tournament Bracket to be released on Monday, Nov. 10, hoping they will continue their season with their fifth consecutive tournament berth.
Men’s Cross Country
On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Cards took the bus ride down to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Conn. for the NESCAC Championships. The Cards were looking to improve on their fifth place finish last year and set themselves up well for the rest of the tournament season.
After the eight-kilometer race was over, Wesleyan secured 4th place out of the 11 teams, the highest NESCAC finish for the program since 2010. Out of 159 runners, six Cards made the top 50, led by captain Noah Mahoney ’27, who finished 14th with a time of 24:50.40. With his performance, Mahoney earned a spot on the All-NESCAC Second Team. Alex Kermath ’26 was the second Card to cross the line, at 18th overall with a time of 24:57.50. Dylan Cote ’28 rounded out the top 20 with a time of 25:03.70. After Cote, Wesleyan had captain Liam Calhoun ’26 in 24th with 25:12.30, Ben McKinney ’27 in 34th with a new personal best of 25:26.50, and Zach Allen ’27 finishing 41st with a time of 25:37.90.
The Cards return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15 for the NCAA Mideast Regionals in Canton, NY.
Women’s Cross Country
Women’s cross country has been running every other weekend since Saturday, Sept. 6. After a tough third place finish in the Little Three, they bounced back, finishing 3rd out of 13 teams at the Cardinal Invitational. The Cards followed this up with a top 15 finish in Bethlehem, Pa., where 46 teams competed. This past weekend, they traveled back to Waterford, Conn. for the second time in three weekends. Their previous trip featured a disappointing last-place showing, but for the NESCAC Championship, they turned in a stronger showing.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the team placed in the middle of the 10-school pack. Chase Cerrell ’28 finished 15th with a season-best time of 21:49.47. The Cardinals had three other top 50 finishers, with Stephanie Ager ’26, Clare Mahedy ’29, and Virginia Lessner ’28 finishing 46th, 47th, and 48th, respectively. The team will have a weekend off before traveling to Canton, N.Y. for the NCAA Mideast Regional race. The following weekend will be the NCAA Division III Championship in Spartanburg, S.C.
Football
On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Cardinals traveled to Williamstown, Mass. for a highly-anticipated match with the Williams Ephs. With Wes in a three-way tie for second in the NESCAC, Saturday’s game was a must-win if the Red and Black wanted to stay in the hunt for retaining their conference crown. Additionally, a win would guarantee a fourth-straight Little Three title, a feat never accomplished by the program.
Williams had the Cards’ number for the first three quarters, holding a 21–7 lead heading into the final 15. Despite a counterpunch from the Cards via an Angelo LaRose ’27 rushing touchdown, the Ephs remained in control, finding the end zone and holding a 28–14 lead until the final three minutes.
Matt Fitzsimons ’27 found Sam Wien ’28 for a nine-yard score with 2:48 left on the game clock, making the score 28–21 Ephs. On the next possession, the defense did their job, stuffing the Ephs’ rushing attack three straight plays, forcing a punt and giving the offense 1:45 to work with. Fitzsimons only needed four plays to drive the Cards’ offense down the field, and he found Sean Cannon ’27 in the back left corner of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown. Fourteen Wesleyan points in fewer than three minutes of game time sent this match to overtime at 28–28.
Williams’ overtime drive resulted in a failed field goal try, as Dean Sokaris ’26 ripped through the Ephs’ line and blocked the attempt. Sokaris was named NESCAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his OT block.
Fitzsimons once again found Cannon in the redzone, this time for a sideline catch that pitted the Cards at the one-yard line. LaRose did the rest as he rushed the ball past the goal line, ending one of the most improbable comebacks in program history. For the fourth straight year, the Cardinals are Little Three Football Champions, as this year’s senior class has now never lost to neither Amherst nor Williams in their college careers.
Fitzsimons’ 458-yard passing performance earned him his second Gold Helmet and NESCAC Player of the Week awards of the season. The Cards now sit at 6–2, and they will face Trinity this coming Saturday, Nov. 8, at home for a share of the NESCAC title.
Men’s Soccer
Saturday’s incredible NESCAC quarterfinal match against Amherst saw the Cards claw their way back from a 2–1 deficit within the last 10 minutes. Joshwin Jennings ’27 put the ball in the back of the net with 10 minutes remaining to even the score. Then, with 15 seconds left in the match, Aiden Londergan ’27 scored an incredible go-ahead goal to advance the Cards to their first NESCAC semifinal match since 2015. To read more about the men’s soccer team’s impressive victory, check out our Play of the Week for a more in-depth recap.
Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.
Sam Weitzman-Kurker can be reached at sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu
Ethan Lee can be reached at ejlee@wesleyan.edu.
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