Wesleyan’s Fall Sports Headed Into Next Weekend With Impressive Records and Homecoming Vitality

Homecoming is this weekend, and in case you’ve been busy and unable to catch up on Wesleyan sports, here’s all you need to know before heading out to watch the games!

Football: Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m., Corwin Stadium, versus Bates College

This is the first time in Wesleyan’s history that a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) team can be considered for the D-III National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships, and it’s safe to say the Cards have their eyes on securing that spot. 

The Cards have relied this season on their key play-makers including quarterback and 2025 NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year Matt Fitzsimons ’27, wide receiver and NESCAC Rookie of the Year Donte Kelly ’29, First-Team All-NESCAC Wide Receiver Blake Newcomb ’27, First-Team All-NESCAC Center Jack Bohnsack ’27, First-Team All-NESCAC Linebacker and Second-Team All-NESCAC Long Snapper Austin Baker ’27, First-Team All-NESCAC Cornerback Vincent Lytle ’28. Led by head coach Dan DiCenzo, this Cardinals team is filled with talent on both sides of the ball. 

The team has started 4–0 and has proven that they can win in both blow-outs and close games. The Cards opened the season against Middlebury with a convincing 35–13 victory. Then, they beat Tufts 42–7. The Cards then traveled up to Hamilton for their closest game of the season so far beating the Continentals 42–38 before returning home and beating Colby 21–7.

Fitzsimons has picked up right where he left off. He’s already thrown 1,187 yards, 7 touchdownss, with a 77.5% completion rate. Wesleyan boasts one of the most diverse offenses with multiple players making major contributions each game. In addition to Kelly and Newcomb, running back Angelo LaRose ’27, wide receiver Diego Velez ’28 and running back Matt Diaz ’28 have made major contributions for the Red and Black. 

The Red and Black will match up against the Bates Bobcats during Homecoming and Family Weekend, who are 0–4 in NESCAC play.

Men’s Soccer: Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m., Jackson Field, versus Williams College

Men’s soccer came out with one of the most impressive starts in their team history—defeating No. 1 Tufts in their NESCAC opener. Yousuf Saeed ’27 won NESCAC Player of the Week and National Player of the Week honors. After this win, the Cards shot up to No. 1 in the national rankings. 

Since this first initial triumph, the Cards have faced rocky waters. They lost their next three NESCAC games to Bowdoin (0–1), Bates (0–1), and Hamilton (0–1) and dropped out of the top 25.

The Red and Black turned things around with a dominant performance on Senior Day versus Colby. The Cards won 2–0 on goals from Ford Cash ’29 and Saeed. The game proved to be one of the most physical of the season, with four different Cardinals receiving yellow card penalties.

Then, the Red and Black faced No. 1 in Middlebury and drew 1–1. The lone goal came from Cash in the 9th minute with the Panthers answering back in the 22nd. Although there were plenty of shots from both sides (9 Wes shots on target and 4 Midd shots on target), neither team was able to convert the game winner. 

Wes currently sits at 2–3–1 in NESCAC play and in the no. 6 seed spot. On Saturday they face the No. 7 Williams Ephs who boast the best NESCAC record. 

Women’s Soccer: Saturday, Oct. 17, at 12 p.m., Jackson Field, versus Williams College

The Red and Black enter this weekend at a strong 8–3 after a big upset win against No. 7 Colby College on Saturday, Oct. 10. 

The Cards opened their season with a statement 4–1 win against No. 9 Middlebury. After this first win, the Cards dropped the next NESCAC game against No. 2 Tufts 0–2. Then, the Cards travelled up to Brunswick, Maine, to face the Bowdoin College Polar Bears where they emerged victorious 4–0. The Cards had four different goal scorers in that game: Taylor Hill ’28, Meredith Feiner ’28, Romi Schreiber ’28, and Maria Utz ’27. 

After this Bowdoin win, the Cardinals beat the Bates Bobcats 3–1 after a weather delay. The Cards saw goals from Schreiber, Kerenza Leahey ’27, and Utz. Then, the Cards hit a rocky road dropping games to unranked Trinity and Hamilton and falling out of national polls. 

They bounced back with a massive 3–2 win against No. 7 Colby College. The Mules scored first but this didn’t deter the Cardinals who went on to score three straight goals from Sheridan Snow ’28, Hill, and Utz. The Mules netted their second goal in the 82nd minute but it wasn’t enough to reverse the Cardinal offense damage. 

This is a team led by experience. With Utz at the helm of this offense, it feels like on any given day the Cards could emerge victorious. Utz has netted 11 goals and 4 assists so far. Behind her are juniors Hill (5 goals), Schreiber (4 goals) and Snow (3 goals). Additionally, the Cardinals defense is backed by goalies Marley Hansard ’29 and Maggie di Rienzo ’29 who combine for 1.57 goals against average. 

The Cards currently sit at #5 in NESCAC with a 4–3 NESCAC record. They welcome the Williams College Ephs into Middletown, Conn., this weekend, who have a 6–1 NESCAC record. 

Volleyball: Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m., Silloway Gymnasium, versus Tufts University and Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m., Silloway Gymnasium, versus Bates College

Following their 10–0 start to the season and a streak of seven consecutive match sweeps, the Cards have hit a bit of a rough patch. 

This past weekend the Cards traveled up to Maine to face off against No. 9 Colby and Bowdoin. 

Against Colby on Friday Oct. 9, the Cards lost the first set in a close 22–25 loss. The Red and Black were able to bounce back in the second set with strong contributions from Fiona LaCamera ’27, Katelyn Olin ’27 winning 25–22. In the third set, the Cards pulled off a 7–1 run as a result of errors from the Mules but were unable to keep the momentum going as they fell 22–25.

In the fourth set the Cards got off to a hot start leading 10–7. However, the set took a turn for the worse as the Cards saw the Mules go on a seven point run. The Cards wouldn’t go down without a fight, as they won four straight consecutive to fight off the Mules from getting a match, though the run proved to not be enough as the Red and Black fell short and got handed their first defeat of the season.

The Cards looked to avenge their first loss of the season less than 24 hours later against Bowdoin. 

In the first set, Wes got off to a 9–7 hot start due to key service aces from Ariella Garrell ’29. The set became a back and forth affair before the Cards went on 9–0 run led by kills from Garrell and Siena Steines ’28 resulted in a 25–20 set victory. 

In the second set, the Polar Bears bounced back riding a 8–0 run of their own to a 25–23 victory. In the third and fourth set, the Cards failed to gain any momentum and Bowdoin cruised to a 25–16 and 25–12 victories leading to a 3–1 match defeat for the Cards. 

The Cards 10–2 will look to bounce back this weekend as they face off against Tufts on Friday, Oct. 16, and Bates on Saturday, Oct. 17. 

Field Hockey: Saturday, Oct. 17, at 12 p.m., Hicks Field, versus Williams College

The Red and Black started the season 3–0 rattling off victories against Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Vassar, and Roger Williams University. Their start to NESCAC play wasn’t as kind, as they fell to Bowdon 2–1 and Tufts 2–1 in overtime. The Cards then rebounded against Bates with a 3–1 victory with a two goal game from Natalie Shaw ’28. 

The Red and Black kept their winning ways going as they travelled to Trinity and defeated them 5–1 with a two goal game from Bridget Fitzgerald ’30. The Red and Black then headed up to Hamilton and played another hard fought overtime game but fell 2–1. 

The Cards bounced back in a big way against Union College scoring seven goals including a hat trick from Leila Feldman ’28. The Red and Black kept it going as Feldman scored another two goals in a 4–2 victory over Colby. 

The following day, the offensive output disappeared as the Cards fell to the No. 2 Middlebury 1–0. The 7–4 Cards look to bounce back this weekend as they match up against Williams who have a 4–2 NESCAC record. 

Women’s Tennis: Thursday, Oct. 15 to Saturday, Oct. 17, at Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga.

On the heels of their national championship, the Cards have picked up right where they left off. To start the season, their season at the Quinnipiac Invite. Then the Red and Black participated in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Regional in which Kendall Smith ’29, Kayla Mitchell ’30 made it to the round of 16. Mariia Kornilova ’29 made it to the regional finals for the first time in her career, but fell to Amherst’s Tina She 6–2, 3–6, 6–7 (4–7). For her efforts, Kornilova earned a bid to the ITA Cup this weekend in Rome, Ga. 

Afterward, the Cards started the Bowdoin Invite facing off against Babson College, Brandeis University, Colby, and Bowdoin.

Friday, Oct. 9, the Cards faced off against Colby and Brandeis in doubles and beat both teams 2–1, with the pair of Smith and Kornilova winning both of their matches. 

Saturday, Oct. 10, the Cards had singles against Babson and Brandeis and doubles against Bowdoin. Agnes Guggenheim ’29 and Mitchell were key as they picked up three victories across both the singles and doubles plays. The Cards secured a win against Brandeis and the doubles point against Bowdoin. 

Sunday, Oct. 11, the Cards wrapped up the tournament with doubles against Babson and singles against Bowdoin. The Red and Black were very successful securing wins against Babson and Bowdoin and headed home having defeated each team they faced. 

The Cards finish their fall season with Kornilova travelling to the ITA Cup this weekend. 

Men’s Tennis

The Cards completed their fall season this past weekend having competed in the MIT Invitational, ITA Regionals, and the Skidmore Invitational.

At the ITA Regionals, the Cards saw Ryuto Saito ’29 and Tommy Jani ’29 advance to the Round of 16. The next weekend at the Skidmore Invitational, the Red and Black had Neel Krishnaswamy ’30 advanced to the Round 16. Jani lost in the Round of 16, however he bounced back in the consolation bracket of Pool C, defeating Skidmore College’s Mahen Bitkuri, 6–1, 3–6, (12–10) to claim the Pool C consolation win. 

This capped off the Cards fall season with the Red and Black returning to the courts for the regular season in 2027. 

Men’s Cross Country: Saturday, Oct. 17, Conn. College

Men’s cross country showed out on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Cardinal Invitational. Dylan Cote ’28 led the Cards to a third place finish overall with a best time of 24:12.4 and first place finish in the event. 

The Red and Black displayed excellent depth with seven other runners placing top 25. With the Paul Short Invitational cancelled, the Cards looks forward to the Connecticut College Invite this Saturday, Oct. 17 on the Mules’ home turf. 

Women’s Cross Country, Saturday, Oct. 17, Conn. College

Women’s cross country also had a phenomenal performance at the Cardinal Invitational with a first place finish. Logan Ignacio ’30 won with a best time of 21:47.6. Following closely behind was fellow underclassman Clara Shingler ’30. 

Ten Cardinals made the top 20, sweeping any competition. With this momentum, the Cards look forward to dominating the Connecticut College Invite on Saturday, Oct. 17. 

Men’s Golf: Thursday, Oct. 15 to Saturday, Oct. 17, Brewster, Mass.

Following the Duke Nelson Invitational, the Cards traveled to Williamstown, Mass., to compete in the Williams Fall Invitational. The Cardinals finished in 17th place with Wilson Ouimet ’30 leading the flock with a 79-76-79-233 (+20) to tie for 46th place. Johnathan Harlukowicz ’27 followed close behind with a 83-75-82-240 (+27), making seven birdies in the tournament. 

The next weekend at the Bowdoin Invitational, Ouimet tied for 15th place, shooting +1 in the second and third rounds. Wesleyan finished 14th overall. Another first-year, Michael Jones ’30, followed just behind Ouimet on the scoreboard to tie for 40th place. 

The Cards now look to the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association Championship this weekend in Brewster, Mass., to close out their fall season. 

Women’s Golf

Following the Polar Bear Shootout, the Cards traveled up to Middlebury for the George Phinney Classic. The Red and Black were led to a sixth place finish by Olivia Lee ’30 shooting +16 across two days and ending the tournament tied for 9th place. 

The following weekend, at the Williams Fall Invitational, Amanda Phillips ’28 rode a strong first day +3 to a +11 for the tournament and in a tie for 12th place. The Red and Black also had a strong performance from Mia Holbrook ’27 who shot +16 for the tournament. The Cards finished in 10th place.

The Cards then rounded out their fall season with a home tournament. They came to play with Phillips tied for third place with a +8 and Holbrook tied for sixth place with a +10. These lead the Cards to a bronze medal to put a bow on their season. 

Benjamin Mayer can be reached at bmayer@wesleyan.edu.

Alessandra Woo can be reached at aawoo@wesleyan.edu.

Leila Feldman can be reached at lfeldman01@wesleyan.edu. Feldman is a Sports Editor for The Argus and a member of the field hockey team. She did not write the above section on the field hockey team.