Author: Rose Griffin

If only Middlebury College weren’t 213.5 miles away from my room in Butts A. If I could have made the trip to Vermont for the women’s basketball ’CAC competition, it would have been well worth it. Wesleyan’s team played in their first NESCAC tournament game in four years at Middlebury on Saturday afternoon, and they did not take the occasion lightly. The Cardinals tipped off against the Panthers at three o’clock on Saturday afternoon, and both teams were prepared for an intense playoff game.

The Panthers hosted the Cards during regular season play last month, which resulted in a disappointing loss for Wesleyan. Though the Cards were only down by three at halftime, they were not able to find their momentum in the second half and fell to the Panthers 77-60. They came into this game knowing they would have to maintain their intensity for 40 minutes if they wanted to move on to the semifinals, and just barely did so.

Tara Berger ’19 started off the game with an easy layup, which marked the beginning of an intense first five minutes of play. The teams traded baskets until back-to-back three-pointers from Olivia Gorman ’19 set the Cardinals off on a 19-4 run which would give them a 24-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Middlebury woke up in the second quarter, countering every Wesleyan basket with one of their own, challenging Wesleyan’s regularly tight defense by driving to the basket and drawing fouls while also making outside shots. The Panthers chipped away at the Cardinals’ lead and came within six by halftime following a buzzer-beater from Middlebury’s Betsy Knox.

Wes looked to be in trouble at the start of the second half as the Panthers shrunk the lead to four with a quick basket from Maya Davis. Then, two foul shots from Berger spurred a 10-0 run for the Cards, and they jumped back ahead by 14.

Still, Middlebury was nowhere near ready to give up. The Panthers continued to perform on the offensive end, and the third quarter ended with the Cards up only by seven.

The fourth quarter started out slow as both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm. Senior Maddie Bledsoe hit a three-pointer and back-to-back layups to raise the Cards’ intensity and give them a 12-point lead with six minutes left in the game. Middlebury responded with an 11-0 run to bring them closest to the Cards’ lead since the beginning of the first quarter. The score was 56-55 with just under three minutes to play.

Sophomore Ava Tompkins hit a three-pointer and Gorman made two free throws to give the Cards some breathing room in a six-point lead with 35 seconds to play, but with the season on the line, Middlebury did not back down. The Panthers’ Kira Waldman quickly hit a three-pointer on their next possession, making it a one-possession game with too much time on the clock.

Middlebury then played an intentional foul game, putting Tompkins on the line for one-and-one. Tompkins made the first shot, but missed the second, and Middlebury took the ball up the court, drove to the basket and drew a foul to get two foul shots, both of which they made. Again, Middlebury fouled Tompkins as she brought the ball up the court, and Tompkins made the first of her two free throws.

With two seconds remaining and down by three, Middlebury’s Sarah Kaufman was fouled while launching a three, putting her at the line with the potential for tying the game. Luckily for Wes, she missed her first shot, and the Cards were able to hold on to win 63-62. 

Middlebury led Wesleyan in almost every statistical category. The Panthers led in rebounds, turnovers, second-chance points, and free throw percentage, but evidently, that was not enough. The Cards shot an impressive 46.3 percent from the field, and 38.9 percent from beyond the arc, which proved to be just what they needed in order to win.

Bledsoe, going eight for nine in field goals and two for three in three-pointers for 22 points, in addition to 11 rebounds, earned her third NESCAC Player of the Week nod this season. Gorman also scored in double-digits, making six field goals and three three-pointers for a total of 19 points.

With their first conference tournament win since the 2007-08 season, the Cardinals now head to the semifinals to play top-seeded Amherst. The Mammoths bested Wes twice in regular season play. First, Wes fell 64-40 to the defending NCAA champions. Then in January, Wes showed improvement with a 66-51 loss. In their second meeting, a strong second-half performance from the Cardinals showed their potential for beating this undefeated team. Berger recognizes how difficult the game on Saturday will be, but is optimistic about her team’s chances.

“Amherst is number in the country and they have not lost a game in two years so we know playing in their gym with their fans will be a tough challenge,” Berger said. “However, we’ve also been playing really well lately. Many players contribute to our offense and our defense, and our rebounding has been solid all season. For us, it’s really about playing together as a team and with our continued confidence, anything can happen”

Wesleyan leads the NESCAC in rebounding, averaging 46.5 per game, and is ranked second in scoring at 68.5 points per game. If the Cards are able to keep their turnovers to a minimum and continue their domination on the boards, the undefeated Mammoths could have their season unexpectedly shortened.

Rose Griffin can be reached at rgriffin@wesleyan.edu.

Early in 1983, George Tucker was a PhD candidate at the University. He spent his days studying physics, using a laser to measure the oxygen isotope ratios in nitrous oxide. Then he decided that was not exciting enough. The same time the following year, he was hurtling down an ice slide on a metal sled in host city Sarajevo, competing in that year’s Olympic games. His appearance in Yugoslavia that year marked the first time an athlete from the Caribbean would participate in the Winter Olympics, paving the way for the more widely known Jamaican bobsled team of Disney’s Cool Runnings, in addition to the four athletes hailing from Caribbean countries in this year’s competition in PyeongChang.

Tucker did not grow up with dreams of luging or even participating in the Olympics. In fact, he had little interest in athletics. Born in Puerto Rico to American parents and raised primarily in upstate New York, his nightly view of the stars captivated him from an early age. He quickly became passionate about the stars, astronomy, and light pollution, something he has actively resisted by helping to designate dark sky sites, which preserve places with clear views of the cosmos. This led him to pursue a degree in astronomy, but upon realizing the shortage of jobs in this field in the United States, he returned to school to get his doctorate in physics.

Tucker’s interest in competing in the Olympics began in 1976, when Puerto Rico’s basketball team almost beat the heavily favored United States team in the second game of the tournament. The star of the game, Puerto Rico’s Alfred “Butch” Lee Jr., was also born in Puerto Rico to American parents and raised in New York, just like Tucker. Tucker told Outside Magazine how Lee would inspire him later on.

“I had never thought about Puerto Rico and the Olympics because I thought, well, I live in the U.S.,” Tucker said. “So I kept that in the back of my mind.”

In 1980, Tucker was living in Albany, N.Y. when the Olympics came to Lake Placid. He drove with his friends to the training facility for a chance to see some of the world’s best athletes in action and watched practice runs on the luge track. He described watching an Olympian practice their launch to Outside.

“Well, he jumped a couple of times, then he came down and landed on the ice, and smashed his head on the ground,” Tucker told Outside. “A friend turned to me and said, ‘Now there’s the sport for you.’” 

Even then, he had no plans to pursue the sport. It wasn’t for another three years, when he was deep in his physics studies, that he decided to get a membership to the United States Luge Association. This gave him access to the Lake Placid training track.

Then, with Lee in mind, Tucker wrote to Puerto Rico’s Olympic Committee. He asked whether he could represent the territory in the next Olympics if he became good enough at the sport. He did not think anything would come of it and was at most expecting a rejection letter he could show off for laughs.

He trained through the winter, but was far from a natural-born luger. He quickly fell behind the other novices and crashed his sled more times than he would complete a run. Still, he was not deterred and planned to keep training in the spring until warm weather melted the track, making it impossible. Then, the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee responded.

“Wonderful news,” Tucker recalls the letter reading to Outside. “You are entered to compete in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. You will be the first Puerto Rican Winter Olympian.”

Though he had every reason to back out, he did not, and instead recommitted himself to training the following December. With help from the United States luge team, he traveled to Sarajevo that January to train with the Yugoslav team.

As the first Caribbean winter Olympic athlete and a clear underdog, his story quickly spread and he became a fan favorite. Sports Illustrated described him as “the press’s favorite loser” and recalled how “he got a lot more press in the States than Paul Hildgartner, the Italian who won the gold medal.”

His passion for the sport did little when it came time to compete. He did not have high expectations for himself and was clearly there for the experience rather than athletic achievement. His four runs took a total of just over three minutes and 33 seconds, and he finished in last place.

Despite this, he returned to the next Winter Olympics in 1988, which were held in Calgary, in the Canadian province of Alberta. This time, he was joined by another Puerto Rican luger, Raúl Muñiz. Muñiz was also Puerto Rico-born and raised in New York. The Puerto Rican team was rounded out by seven additional athletes who competed in the biathlon and alpine skiing. Tucker and Muñiz went into the games with a shared goal of not finishing last, and they delivered, though still did not come close to medal contention.

Tucker was Wesleyan’s first Olympic luger; who will be the next?

Rose Griffin can be reached at rgriffin@wesleyan.edu.

For the first time since the 2013-2014 season, the Wesleyan women’s basketball team will play in the NESCAC Championships. The Cardinals played two challenging NESCAC opponents this weekend, Colby and Bowdoin, and won one of their two games to end the regular season with a 16-7 overall record, 5-5 in conference play. They have secured the fifth seed in the conference and will look to move on to the semifinals this weekend.

The Cards started the weekend off right with a victory against Colby on Friday night. The first half was action-packed. Colby opened up the game with a three-pointer and jump-shot which were quickly countered by a layup from Ava Tompkins ’20 and a jump shot from Tara Berger ’19. Wes then took the lead for the first time with a three from Olivia Gorman ’19.

The teams continued to trade baskets, and Colby tied the game at 12 towards the end of the first quarter. Then Wes went on a 9-0 run at the end of the first to give them a 21-14 advantage heading into the second quarter. Colby then came roaring back and outscored Wes 19-14 in the second quarter to cut the lead down to two headed into halftime.

The Mules again tied up the game halfway through the third quarter, this time at 40, and a layup from Colby’s Paige Russel would put Colby back on top, 42-40. Maeve Vitale ’18 quickly responded with a deep three to put the Cardinals back on top for good.

The Cards led 55-50 heading into the fourth. Though the Mules showed signs of a comeback, coming within one down the stretch, Maddie Bledsoe ’18 dominated on the defensive boards and Wes took advantage of Colby’s foul trouble, making 11 free throws, to ensure the Cards’ 16th victory of the season.

Saturday was senior day for the Cardinals, as Kadijah Mathews ’18, Bledsoe, and Vitale were all honored for their contributions to the team for the past four years.

To start, the Polar Bears quickly went up 10-0, making it clear that they were not going to make this an easy game for the Cardinals. Wes then went on a 7-2 run, sparked by a jump shot from Tara Berger ’19, to cut the Bears’ lead to five. However, this proved to be closest the Cardinals would come to Bowdoin’s commanding lead, and they trailed 24-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Wesleyan had a much more successful second quarter, but it was not enough to counter the increasingly powerful Polar Bears, who also stepped up their game. The quarter opened with a three-pointer from Emma Roush ’21, which was quickly countered by a layup from Bowdoin’s Maddie Hasson. Bowdoin continued to build their lead, which the Cards brought down to 15 towards the end of the second quarter, but was unable to shrink further. The Bears led 57-30 at halftime.

With lots of ground to make up in the second half, the Cardinals played the Polar Bears about even to start the third quarter, but were again quickly overwhelmed, and down 78-40 heading into the fourth. The Cardinals won the fourth quarter, outscoring Bowdoin 11-10, but it was nowhere near enough to make a real dent in the Bears’ sizable lead.

Bowdoin had five players score in the double digits, shot an impressive 42.5 percent from the field and an even more impressive 44 percent from three-point territory. They also only had 10 turnovers compared to Wesleyan’s 21, 13 of which came from steals. Bowdoin clearly out-rebounded Wes as well, 50-34. This proved to be very important on the offensive end, as Bowdoin scored 19 second-chance points while Wes only scored nine.

Though the Cards were not able to come together to get the win, there were some individual points of success. The team struggled offensively as a whole, shooting 33.3 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from three, and just 63.2 percent from the free-throw line, yet Gorman and Berger both scored in the double digits, garnering 10 and 15 points respectively. Additionally, Wes dominated with blocks, getting 11 to Bowdoin’s two.

As the Cardinals head into a challenging NESCAC tournament next weekend, Bledsoe says they will look to improve their consistency.

“A big focus for us in playoffs is to make sure to play a full 40 minutes in each game that we’re in,” Bledsoe said. “We have had spurts in games where we play great basketball combined with some lapses, and I think if we can play a full 40 minutes with no lapses we can have a lot of success in the postseason.”

The tournament tips off at Amherst, who claimed the top seed in the conference for the second year in a row by posting an undefeated record. Wesleyan has secured the fifth seed in the conference, so they will face Middlebury in the quarterfinal round to be played at three o’clock on Saturday afternoon.

Rose Griffin can be reached at rgriffin@wesleyan.edu.

Teamwork, the buzzword for teams of all ages, playing all sports, is what brought the women’s basketball team back to a winning season. At least that’s what Senior Captain Maddie Bledsoe claims, who notices how the team’s renewed commitment to be successful has impacted their season.

“A big difference that I have seen throughout my four years here is the attitude of the team and the willingness to give time and effort to the team,” Bledsoe said. “This year we have more people in the gym working hard than in my previous three years and that is a huge difference for us.”

She also recognizes how the strong camaraderie among her teammates could be what is bringing them to their first postseason run in four years.

“Our team is most successful when we’re playing together and sharing the ball,” she said. “When we’re running and playing with energy, we can hang with almost anyone. Our bench has also been amazing this year, people are always up and cheering which is awesome.”

Watching Bledsoe and the rest of the Cardinals face off against the Trinity Bantams on Friday night made this pretty convincing.

The Bantams had to win on Friday night if they wanted a chance to make the NESCAC playoffs, and it was evident in their aggressive play. They were scrappy, motivated, and determined to give Wesleyan their best game. Wes had a clear size advantage, but it did not deter Trinity from driving to the basket. The commanding presence of Bledsoe and junior Tara Berger inside did little to scare the Bantams out of the paint. Instead, they moved the ball well on offense to create shots in and outside.

Still, the Dirty Birds did not let the Bantams pull off an upset and instead reflected the Bantams’ energy to earn their fifteenth victory of the season.

Though Friday night’s game was not Bledsoe’s best, at least according to the stat sheet, that’s merely because she has set the bar so high for herself. Bledsoe is the team’s second-highest scorer, has the highest three-point shot percentage, and makes the most rebounds per game. Additionally, Bledsoe was recently named the NESCAC Player of the Week for the second time this season, an honor she says is compounded by the overall success of her team. 

“It feels really good to be recognized as NESCAC Player of the Week,” Bledsoe said. “What makes it even better is that both weeks we had huge team wins, the most recent being our road win at Conn College.”

She adds to her team in ways beyond points, rebounds, and assists in her ability to keep the ball moving and force her way into the paint when the shot clock is winding down, creating scoring opportunities for the Cardinals’ offense.

Her ability to do this stems from her confidence on the court, which she attributes to practice and outside support.

“This year especially I have built up my confidence by working hard on my own and making sure I get enough shots up to feel confident taking them in games,” she said. “Also, my coaches this year have shown trust in me which has in turn helped me feel more confident in myself on the court.”

Bledsoe’s confidence seemed to have spread to the rest of the team as well, as they fought off a challenging team of Bantams this weekend.

The Bantams stayed within pecking distance of the Cardinals through the first half, and Wes lead 30-22 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bantams picked up their offensive game, while the Cardinals struggled to find their rhythm. At the end of three, Trinity outscored Wes 17-9 and tied the game at 39.

Without letting their momentary lapse in play get the best of them, the Cardinals came into the fourth quarter ready to stop the Bantams from flying away with a win. Bledsoe hit a layup to start off the quarter, putting the Cardinals back ahead, where they would stay for the rest of the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Cards outscored the Bantams 20-11 to propel themselves to a 59-50 victory.

With this win, Wes is now ranked fifth in the NESCAC, and with only two regular-season games remaining, it looks like they’ll have a spot in the postseason. The Bantams, however, are not as lucky, as this loss dropped them to tenth in the conference, and therefore out of playoff contention.

As they head into the playoffs, the Cardinals hope to keep improving their game.

“A big focus for us in playoffs is to make sure to play a full 40 minutes in each game that we’re in,” Bledsoe noted. “We have had spurts in games where we play great basketball combined with some lapses, and I think if we can play a full 40 minutes with no lapses we can have a lot of success in the postseason.”

The regular season winds down for good next weekend with a Friday night matchup against Colby and a Saturday Senior Day matinée against Bowdoin. The Mules are currently ranked just below the Cardinals in the NESCAC and will undoubtedly come prepared to compete. Bowdoin, on the other hand, is ranked second, having only lost to Amherst this entire season.

Though the Polar Bears average 82.7 points per game, they only scored 45 in their game against Amherst. If the Cards maintain a strong defense, harnessing the power of teamwork that has brought them this far, the Polar Bears will be in for a surprise on Saturday afternoon.

Rose Griffin can be reached at rgriffin@wesleyan.edu.

Last weekend was a mixed bag for the Cardinals, as they extended their winning streak to four games with a close victory against Bates before falling to Tufts. Then, they turned things around midweek with a resounding win against Rhode Island College, which should prepare them for a challenging end to the regular season in the coming week.

On Friday night, the Cards came out strong and led from the first basket, one of a pair of free throws from senior Maddie Bledsoe, to the final buzzer. The Bobcats attempted a fourth-quarter comeback, but the Cards did just enough to save their win. Bates kept the game close throughout the first half, which ended with Wesleyan leading 25-21. In the third quarter, the Bobcats challenged the Cards’ lead, coming within one point just over two minutes into the second half following a three-pointer from Emily Freedland. However, Wesleyan responded well, going on a 7-0 run for the final three minutes of the third quarter to hold a 42-31 lead entering the fourth.

The Cards’ eleven-point lead proved to be just enough as the Bobcats slowly chipped away at their deficit, again coming within one point with over a minute to play in the game. The Bobcats came close to claiming a come-from-behind victory when the Cardinals turned the ball over with 16 seconds remaining. Luckily, Maeve Vitale ’18 got in the way of Bates’ final offensive attempt, forcing Bobcat Nina Davenport to heave a long shot that just fell short.

Vitale explained that this close game may not have come out in their favor in years past.

“We have been able to win close games,” Vitale said, comparing this season to last year’s. “We’ve had the confidence and composure to close out games.”

Unfortunately, the Cardinals did not seem to have enough confidence on Saturday afternoon, as they traveled to Medford, Mass. to face the eighth-ranked Tufts Jumbos. The Cards played a close game for much of the first half, when there were four ties and six lead changes. Then, the Jumbos came out in full force in the second half and built a sizable lead, which eventually peaked at 17 points midway through the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals did not back down and cut the lead back down to nine, but a pair of free throws from Tufts’ Jac Knapp ended the game with a final score of 67-56, Tufts.

Wesleyan shot below their season averages in field goals and three-pointers, only making 31 percent of their field goal attempts and 26.3 percent of their shots from behind the arc. They also committed 16 turnovers, and since Tufts scored 22 points off turnovers, this made a huge difference in the final result of the game.

Still, the Cards showed their strength in the paint, outscoring the Jumbos 24-22 from inside and outrebounding them 48-40. Much of this was thanks to forwards Bledsoe and Tara Berger ’19, who led the team in rebounds with 13 and 9, respectively. Berger also added 12 points to the board for the Cardinals, second only to Olivia Gorman ’19, who led the team with 20 points.

On Tuesday night, the team continued their road trip with a game at Rhode Island College. The game started off with some exciting back-and-forth action, but Gorman made a layup toward the end of the first quarter to put the Cardinals on top, where they would stay for the rest of the game.

The Cards clearly dominated in the first half, leading the Anchorwomen 46-27 at the start of halftime. The third quarter started off with more competitive play, but a 5-0 Wesleyan run brought their lead to 60-36 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Cards started the fourth quarter up 62-40 as the Anchorwomen tried to make a comeback. They slightly closed in on the Cardinals’ lead, coming within 16 points, but the Cardinals were not shaken, finishing the fourth quarter comfortably with a 73-54 final score.

Berger was a clear standout on this weeknight matchup, recording a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Gorman and Vitale also scored in double figures, with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

With only three games left in the regular season, and all of them conference games, the Red Birds have to stay focused if they want to keep their playoff spot. They first face Trinity on Friday night. The Bantams are currently just out of playoff contention, ranked ninth in the NESCAC. They must make the most out of their remaining games if they hope to make a postseason run, so Wesleyan should prepare for an intense game.

How will the Cardinals put their best foot forward on the court? Vitale says that her team wins when they’re on their game.

“Our team is most successful when we are getting stops, running in transition, and sharing the ball so we can get easy baskets,” Vitale said.

This strategy will also come in handy next weekend when Colby and Bowdoin come to Middletown to round out the regular season. The Mules are currently ranked just below the Cardinals in the NESCAC, while the Polar Bears are ranked second. Still, each matchup is sure to be close as each team looks to gain momentum heading into the NESCAC Championship.

Rose Griffin can be reached at rgriffin@wesleyan.edu.

Since we all left for winter break, the women’s basketball team has remained hard at work. The Cardinals maintained a 6-3 record over the break, bringing their overall record to 12-5, and continued to show how much the team has improved since last season. With six regular-season games remaining, the team has already tied their total number of wins from the 2013-2014 season, which was the last time the team qualified for the NESCAC tournament.

Over the past three years, the Cardinals were not able to break a .500 winning percentage, and were left out of the postseason. Captain Maeve Vitale ’18 believes that their success this year is due to their ability to come out on top during hard-fought games. It was not that the team could not compete in years past, but that it could not last the full 40 minutes required of a team to win. This season, 7 of the team’s 12 wins had the Cardinals winning by less than 15 points, showing their commitment to finishing each game strong.

“[We’ve had] the confidence and composure to close out games,” Vitale said. “We’ve been more successful because we’ve demanded more from each other, which starts in practice.” 

After returning from their winter break, the team showed off their newfound confidence and accompanying dominance in Nashville, Tenn., at the Music City Classic. There, they beat the University of Dubuque 66-54 and crushed Goucher College 103-35.

To ring in the new year, the Red and Black played Little Three rivals Williams and Amherst, each for the second time this season. Though the Cardinals prevailed over the Ephs in an overtime thriller in December, they fell short this second time around, as Williams prevailed in a 69-64 finish. Amherst was also a challenge, but Wes showed major improvements since their face-off in November, when they lost to the Mammoths 64-40. Wesleyan played a much closer game and even outscored the top-ranked Amherst team in the second half, but the Cards were not able to claim victory, losing 66-51.

In another tough loss, the Cardinals fell to the Middlebury Panthers 77-60, dropping to 2-3 in conference play. Though the game was tied at the end of the first quarter and Middlebury was only ahead by three at the end of the first half, they pulled ahead in the third quarter, and Wesleyan never recovered.

Luckily, winter break was primarily a series of wins. Beyond their victories in Nashville, the team also triumphed against Hamilton, Springfield College, Conn College, and, most recently, Endicott College.

To cap a successful final week of winter break basketball, senior captain Maddie Bledsoe ’18 was named NESCAC Player of the Week. She posted her sixth double-double of the season against Conn., scoring 19 points and capturing 21 rebounds.

The Cardinals will play their first games of the second semester tonight at Bates and tomorrow afternoon at Tufts. The Bobcats have struggled this season and currently hold a 7-12 record. Though the Cardinals have performed better overall, the Bobcats played similarly close games against Middlebury and Williams and beat the former when Wes did not. Friday’s matchup should be full of competitive play.

Tufts, on the other hand, is sure to be a challenge. The Jumbos hold a strong 16-2 record and are currently ranked third in the NESCAC, just below Amherst and Bowdoin. To win, the Cardinals will have to maintain a strong offense and keep up the pace of their play.

“Our team is most successful when we are getting stops, running in transition, and sharing the ball so we can get easy baskets,” Vitale said.

If they’re able to follow this game plan in Medford on Saturday, Tufts should be prepared for an upset.

Currently, the Cardinals are tied for fifth in the NESCAC, and since the top eight teams make it to the playoffs, Wes is well positioned for a run into the postseason, something Vitale views as the team’s main goal. She recognized that the team’s performance in the next week will be crucial to their chances of meeting this goal.

“There are some key games we need to win to put ourselves in a good position to do this,” Vitale said.

Extending their three-game win streak with a pair of victories this weekend could easily send the Cardinals on their way to the NESCAC Tournament for the first time in four years.

Rose Griffin can be reached at rgriffin@wesleyan.edu.

Friday, Dec. 1 was not a great night to be a Maine Owl. The women’s basketball team from the University of Maine – Presque Isle came to Middletown last weekend to face off against the Cardinals in the Courtyard by Marriott Tournament, and the Owls simply could not keep up. I was secretly hoping my home state team would at least put up a fight against the Cardinals, but something must have happened on the long drive down from up north because Wesleyan triumphed 98-22.

The Owls committed 13 turnovers and did not score a single basket in the first quarter. They trailed 32-7 at halftime. Wesleyan did not let up in the second half, outscoring the Owls 25-6 and 21-9 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

The entire Wesleyan bench got plenty of playing time Friday night, with five players scoring in double figures. First-year Katy O’Conner also made her mark, recording her first double-double as a Cardinal by grabbing 10 rebounds in addition to 12 points. The team shot their best game of the season, averaging 52.6 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc. They also outmatched the Owls on the boards, out-rebounding them 54-24. However, UMaine did perform better than the University from the free throw line, shooting 64.3 percent to Wesleyan’s 56.3 percent.

On Saturday afternoon, the Cardinals faced a different team of Owls, this time from Westfield State University, and played a very different game. Westfield State was 5-1 coming into this game and was prepared to play another formidable central Conn. liberal arts college, having lost to Trinity in their second game of the season. Still, that preparation was not enough to down the Red and Black.

The Cardinals’ second game of the tournament was much more exciting than the first, complete with lead changes, competitive shooting, fast breaks, and strong contributions from bench players.

The game started in Wesleyan’s favor, as the Dirty Birds jumped ahead to a 5-0 lead following a three-pointer from senior Maddie Bledsoe. The Owls quickly responded with a 7-0 run, hinting at the competitive game to come. 

After a Darwinian first quarter, Westfield State led 20-17. Wesleyan opened up the second quarter ready to regain the lead. Chynna Bailey ’19 hit a lay-up and Olivia Gorman ’19 finished a three-point play to put them back on top 22-20. The Cardinals maintained their lead for the rest of the half and finished with a 10-0 run to lead 41-27 at halftime.

The second half continued the excitement of the first, and Westfield State managed to get within three points of the Cardinals lead until they pulled ahead to lead by as many as 16 points towards the end of the third quarter. The Owls hinted at a comeback with 4:45 to play in the game, shrinking the lead to nine, and then to seven two minutes later. When sophomore Ava Tompkins hit a three with just over two minutes to play, bringing their lead back to double digits, Wesleyan’s victory was secured. Just in the second half, Bledsoe dropped 11 more points, while Maeve Vitale ’18 added 10 to keep the Wesleyan win-streak, now at three games, alive.

Captains Bledsoe and Tara Berger ’19 both recorded double-doubles in scoring and rebounding. Bledsoe scored a career-high of 18 points and 21 rebounds, and Berger added 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Berger is looking forward to being a captain during her third season with the Cards.

“Being a captain this year along with three seniors provides us with great leadership,” Berger said. “I also feel that this is the most balanced team with strong depth from our freshmen and sophomores, which will make us much more competitive than in my prior two years.”

Berger has high hopes for her team this year, believing this season could easily lead to her first trip to the playoffs.

“I truly believe we will be very competitive,” she said. “[We] have a great opportunity to make the NESCAC playoffs, which has been a goal of mine since my first year.”

The Cardinals will finally get to see how they measure up within the NESCAC on Saturday afternoon when they open up conference play against Williams. Before that, however, they will have to tip off against Manhattanville College at 7 o’clock on Wednesday. Manhattanville also has a 5-1 record and matches up fairly evenly with Wesleyan. We should be in for an even more action-packed Wednesday night than usual!

Rose Griffin can be reached rgriffin@wesleyan.edu.

If you haven’t started following wrestling, now is a great time to start. Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the Wesleyan wrestling team traveled to Springfield, Mass. for the Doug Parker Invitational to get their first title of the season. Behind three individual titles, the Cardinals tallied an impressive total of 125 points, surpassing Little Three rival Williams and 14 other teams to claim victory. Of the 14 wrestlers sent to the tournament, eight members earned the status of place-winners.

Carter Armendarez ’18 was dominant again as he claimed the championship in the 149-pound division for the Cards. The 2017 NCAA Championship qualifier opened up by pinning Denver Dorsainvil of New England College in just 52 seconds. He then made his way to the final by sending three more opponents home mercilessly. In the championship, he ground out a 6-2 decision over Jojo Gonzalez of Springfield College to kick off Wesleyan’s winning streak.

Refusing to be left behind, Devon Carrillo B.A. ’17 M.A. ’18 made it to the championship match in the 197-pound division after defeating four opponents from Bridgewater State University, Trinity, Plymouth State University, and Springfield College. He faced the fourth-ranked wrestler in the country, Etiini Udott, in the final. Carillo, an All-NEWA wrestler, showed great strength and patience in a close a 6-4 decision.

Similarly, Isaiah Bellamy ’18 claimed glory for Wes in the 285-pound division, defeating challengers easily and winning by pinfall in 5:45 against Joe Fusco of Springfield in the final. Bellamy has now won two titles in the two tournaments he has competed in, hinting at a successful season to come.

The Red and Black also had a strong showing in the 125-pound weight class. Amir Daouk ’20 and Zack Murillo ’19 took third and fifth, respectively. The Cardinals also continued to excel at 133 pounds, where Tristan Stetson ’20 came in fourth place. At 184 pounds, first-year Simon Chee claimed sixth place. Although these wrestlers’ successful starts did not result in titles, they worked hard to come up in the consolation bracket to not only earn themselves respectable positions, but also crucial points for the team.

Now, the Wesleyan wrestlers are preparing for the RIT Invitational to be held in Rochester, NY on Dec. 2. At one point, the tournament was thought to be “the promised land” for the team: they claimed the title in 2012 and have produced several second-place finishes in the past. However, the Dirty Birds finished eighth last year as they suffered from road bumps like their captain’s injury.

They hope to return to glory this year and believe focusing on the intense pressure inherent in their sport will pay off. As you walk into the wrestling room in the Freeman Athletic Center, a sign printed with “Welcome to Dreamland” greets you, motivating the wrestlers. Clearly, this team does not take their sport lightly, and there are many aspects of wrestling that have an effect on the everyday lives of wrestlers.

For instance, in order to fit into their weight class, wrestlers often have to engage in extreme eating habits to quickly lose weight before matches. Restricting their food intake is just the beginning, as some choose to wear bulky clothing to increase their body temperature in hopes of sweating out the extra weight that could disqualify them from their weight class for upcoming tournaments.

“Having to cut weight is pretty emotionally draining,” said senior captain Armendarez. “But the most emotionally draining part is that your opponent just wants to break you, since wrestling is pretty much just fighting.”

Luckily, the team can use their strong camaraderie to help them get through these challenges.

“The team is an integral aspect of all my wins,” said Armendarez. “Tough matches are easier to get through when I can look over and see my coaches and teammates cheering me on.”

Armendarez is looking forward to the rest of this season, citing last season’s success.

“Last year I came a match from placing [in the NCAA tournament] so I’m feeling good about it,” Armendarez said. “It is all about becoming an All American.”

If Armendarez continues to claim titles this season, despite all of the hardships he faces as a wrestler, he will head to Cleveland, Ohio for the NCAA Division III championships next March. And, hopefully, some more Cardinals will join him there as they pursue a national title.

Henry Yang can be reached at hyang01@wesleyan.edu.