Spring Sports Off to Fast Start as 2026 Season Gets Underway: Lacrosse, Tennis, Baseball, and Softball

This weekend opened the season for men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s tennis. Softball and baseball both will open their seasons in Florida before returning to Middletown to finish out Spring Break. So, while students will be gone, these student-athletes will be at the University continuing to compete. The Argus brings you a recap on the four sports that began their season this weekend and some things to look forward to over Spring Break.

Women’s Lacrosse

Women’s lacrosse opened their 2026 season against the Bates Bobcats in Lewiston, Maine, on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Cards bombarded the Bobcats in a 15–5 offense powerhouse performance. The first quarter proved to be marvelous for the Cards, going up 8–0 before the 15-minute break. 

The stars for the Cards were Kyra Browne ’26 and Maddie Shoemaker ’27. Browne led the team last year in draw controls with 75 and put up another 11 on Saturday in Maine, breaking a program record. Browne also tallied an assist. Lindsey Diomede ’26 also saw five draw-controls, and Bridget Horst ’26 added two more. This gave the Cards an 18–5 advantage on the draw, making it nearly impossible for the Bobcats to produce any offensive momentum. 

Shoemaker tallied five goals, a career high for her, and went 1–2 on free-positions. She was joined by Addie Cummings ’26 and Mya Waryas ’27 with three each, Elle Priesing ’26 with two, and Abby Galaris ’29 and Caroline Cervini ’27 with one each. 

The defense, led by 2026 USA Lacrosse Division III Preseason Goalie of the Year and senior co-captain Izzy Weintraub ’26, put up a brilliant performance. Weintraub, the Cards’ only returning First-Team All-American, posted up a .500 save percentage and two caused turnovers. Weintraub’s defense held strong, only allowing nine shots on goal and had eight caused turnovers, three of which came off first-year stand-out Elise Kurtis ’29. 

Women’s lacrosse faces a gauntlet of a schedule over Spring Break. Welcoming No. 9 Franklin & Marshall College to Middletown on March 7. Then, they travel down to New Jersey to face No. 14 Stevens College on March 11 before returning home to face No. 3 Colby Mules. Notably, the Mules have ended the Cards’ last two seasons, and the Cardinals haven’t beaten them since 2019. The Red and Black will then drive north to take on the Endicott College Gulls in Massachusetts. Their final game is back in Maine against the Bowdoin Bears on March 21. 

Men’s Lacrosse

Men’s lacrosse looks to keep their heads up after a close season-opening loss against Bates on Saturday, Feb. 28. After the hard-fought first two quarters, the Cards came back in the third, outshooting the Bobcats 16–9.

Going into the fourth quarter with the Bobcats leading 11–6, the Cards made a major comeback, going on a 4–0 streak and bringing the deficit within one. Unfortunately, the Bobcats fought back, closing with a 13–11 win. 

Charlie Knapp ’26 put up a stellar performance, making it a two-goal game. Knapp reached a career high of six points on three goals and three assists. Will Miller ’26 also scored three goals while Gavin Lechner ’27 netted two goals and one assist.

Men’s lacrosse looks to rally for a busy game schedule this Spring Break. They host Vassar College on March 4 before they head northeast to No. 8 Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. Then, they compete against the University of Scranton before heading back up north to face off against Colby, No. 7 Stevens Institute of Technology, and No. 3 Bowdoin. 

The team has a lot to live up to, with six schools on the schedule ranking in the preseason top 20. Wesleyan finished no. 10 in the preseason top 20, no. 7 in the Inside Lacrosse Division III poll, and no. 8 in the USILA rankings in the 2025 season. 

Women’s Tennis

The women’s tennis team entered the 2025–26 season with a stark new look. With former Head Coach Mike Fried departing, and Steph Yanosov being promoted, plus the departure of three players and the entrance of four new first-years, the standard for the Red and Black remains the same: dominate. 

A successful fall season was highlighted by Lara Afolayanka ’29 and Kendall Smith ’29 qualifying for the ITA Cup as doubles partners. First on the bill for the spring season was the ITA Indoor National Championship in Sewanee, Tenn., where the Cards, ranked at No. 6 nationally, squared off against No. 2 University of Chicago, No. 4 Pomona College-Pitzer College, and No. 3 Emory University on three consecutive days. 

Wes got on the board first, earning the doubles point through a dominant 6–0 victory from Lane Durkin ’27 and Afolayanka, and a close win from co-captains Leila Epstein ’26 and Sarah Youngberg ’26. The captains showed up again in singles, both winning their matches and putting the Red and Black one win away from defeating the team that crushed their National Championship hopes two years ago. Unfortunately, the Maroons came back with a vengeance, taking the other four doubles matches and nabbing a 4–3 match victory.

The next day, the Cards looked to get revenge on Pomona-Pitzer, who knocked them out of NCAAs last year in the Elite Eight. Similarly, it was all Wes in doubles, with Epstein–Youngberg and Smith–Natalia Leroy ’28 taking their matches handily. While the Sagehens took the first singles match, the Cards strengthened their hold on the match, with Epstein, Afolayanka, and Agnes Guggenheim ’29 winning their singles matches for the Cards’ first win of the season, 4–1. 

To round out the trip, Wesleyan fell behind early, as the Eagles took the first point in doubles. The comeback effort from the Red and Black was led by the first-years, as Guggenheim, Afolayanka, and Mariia Kornilova ’29 powered through and won their singles matches. With the overall match tied 3–3, Leroy delivered the final blow to Emory, winning her final set 6–4 and earning the Cards their second victory of the trip. They ultimately finished fifth in the Championship, with two upset victories on their record and plenty to like heading into the NESCAC season. 

Men’s Tennis

Similar to the women’s team, men’s tennis also underwent significant change heading into 2025–26. New Head Coach Roland Thornqvist joined the program, bringing his experience and expertise to a group with four incoming first-years and four seniors. After a fall highlighted by Chase Kasday ’26 and Ryuto Saito ’29 winning the Doubles C Draw at the Skidmore Open, the Red and Black began their 2026 campaign with a home match on Feb. 28 against the Coast Guard Academy. 

The Red and Black started red hot, with Brett Keeling ’27 and Max Litton ’26 bageling their opponents to open doubles play. Kasday and Saito nearly bageled their opponents as well, but still cruised to a 6–1 match win. The top doubles match was a bit closer, but Harry Collomb ’26 and Chase Burke ’29 pulled away with a 6–3 win to sweep doubles for Wesleyan.

Three different Cardinals players earned 6–0, 6–0 victories in singles. Most notably, Litton completed the task after doing the same in doubles, giving him a flawless 18–0 game record for the day. He was joined by Burke and Tommy Jani ’29 in the double bagel club. Kasday, Saito, and Collomb all won their matches in two sets, with Collomb’s match at no. 1 singles being the closest at 7–6 (7–4), 6–2. With the two-set wins, Wesleyan managed to defeat Coast Guard 7–0, having never dropped a set throughout the entire match. 

After their dominant win, both tennis teams open their NESCAC season next weekend as Williams and Middlebury come to town on March 7 and 8. 

Baseball

Wesleyan baseball looks to get back on track in 2026 following a disappointing 2025 campaign. They knew that changes needed to be made, and so on Aug. 21, the Cardinals announced the hiring of 20-year coaching veteran Matt Reynolds to take over as skipper for the squad. 

Wesleyan athletic director Mike Whalen has complete trust in Reynolds’ approach and experience.

“Matt Reynolds is an exceptional leader who has rebuilt programs, elevated academic and athletic standards, and engaged alumni in ways that sustain long-term success,” Whalen said. “His track record at UMass, Washington College, and the Naval Academy shows he can build a winning culture while prioritizing academics and character. We’re excited to see him lead Wesleyan baseball into its next era.”

The team under Reynolds’ leadership returns a strong upperclassmen core, including All-NESCAC Second Team catcher Jake Acker ’27, as well as six seniors to give guidance to the young team. With a large 11-player recruiting class and 14 returning sophomores, this season will be a chance for young players to earn significant playing time and influence the direction of the program moving forward.

The Cards will kick off their season with their annual Florida spring trip, beginning with a game against Wheaton College on March 7.

Softball

2025 was the winningest season in Wesleyan softball history as the Cards completed a stellar year with a 29–12 record (12–6 in-conference), a NESCAC Championship game appearance, and their first Little Three Championship in over a decade.

The reigning NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year, which includes head coach Jen Lane and assistant coach Jill Karwoski, is bolstered this year with the addition of assistant coach Destiny Helmedach. Helmedach excelled as an All-NECC (New England Collegiate Conference) third baseman for New England College, graduating with an MBA in sport and recreation management in 2023. Now, she turns her talents towards coaching and helping the Cards stay as a top-NESCAC team in 2026.

The team returns captain and All-NESCAC First Team infielder Molly Lennon ’26, captain and All-NESCAC Second Team outfielder Rebecca Cassel-Siskind ’26, as well as All-NESCAC First Team pitcher and NESCAC Rookie of the Year Jacelyn Lees ’28. A strong senior class is rounded out by captain and pitcher Kelly Baker ’26, first base Cat Palmer ’26, and catcher Alexis Amante ’26. These experienced players will lead four first-years and the rest of the team as the Cards look to establish themselves as a force.

The Red and Black took a historic leap in 2025. This year, the Cards want to show that it was not an outlier but, instead, the beginning of a new era of success for Wesleyan softball.

The Cards will kick off their season on March 10 in Clermont, Fla., against Haverford College.

Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.

Ethan Lee can be reached at ejlee@wesleyan.edu.

Leila Feldman can be reached at lfeldman01@wesleyan.edu.

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