Wellesley Athletes Run Boston Marathon

"On Monday, April 21, a number of Wellesley students will pass through the famed tunnel as they make the 26-mile run for the first time, including senior cross country team members Kerry Shanley of Marshfield, Mass.; Katrina Utz of Middletown, R.I.; and Anya Ravitz of Hopkinton, Mass. All three women promised their coach, John Babington, they would finish out their running careers at Wellesley before tackling the challenges of a marathon. In exchange, he pledged to help them get official numbers during their senior year. Since January, they have been running together 10 hours weekly, spending their Saturdays pounding out 18 to 20 miles."
~Molly Tarantino, Wellesley Public Affairs

Read the full story

Upcoming Home Games

Wellesley Lacrosse and Wellesley Softball have two upcoming games this week against NEWMAC conference teams. We hope you will be there to cheer on the Blue!

Lacrosse:
April 8 at 4:30 vs. Wheaton
April 12 at 1:00 vs. Springfield

Softball:
April 11 at 3:30 vs. MIT
April 12 at 12:00 vs. Smith

Golf Alum Chosen For Reality Show

Wellesley golf alum Susan Choi '06 was recently chosen to appear on the Golf Channel's reality show "Big Break."

More than 25,000 professional women golfers from all over the world auditioned to compete on the show and only 12 were chosen.  The show begins airing on The Golf Channel on April 15th at 10pm.

To read more about Susan, go to: Wellesley Press Release

Wellesley Softball Outlook 2008

The Wellesley College softball squad started the 2007 season as a solid third-year program in a tough conference, and finished with a NEWMAC title, NCAA tournament bid, conference Pitcher and Player of the Year, three All-Conference and All-Region selections, one All-American, and the NEWMAC Coach of the Year. Currently ranked 23rd in the country, the Blue are looking to pick up where they left off last season.

The Blue return 12 players and have added five promising first-years. Sam Littlejohn ’09, Alex Warren ’10 and Shawna McCreadie ’10 will compete for the first base job and contribute power to the offensive lineup. All are solid defensive players, and Warren finished last year among the leaders in every offensive category, batting .305 with four homers and driving in 23 runs.

Sophomore Alex Houghtalin will see time at second base, joined by Sinta Cebrian ’11. Beej Grundlock ’09 will again split time between third base and pitching; standout utility player Amanda Tai ’09 will see time at third this year after playing most of her innings in center field last year. Alex Coari ’08, who last season was second in fielding percentage among starters, will compete with first-year Sarah Parmelee ‘11 for the shortstop job.

The outfield corps is strong again this year, with several players looking to split time among the three positions. Megan Wood ’10, a returning All-Region and All-Conference player, last year led the Blue in batting average and hits and finished second in on-base percentage and runs scored. Meghan Sullivan ’08, returns from a year abroad after batting .303 in 2006 and being named to the All-Region team. Ilana Orloff ’10 will get innings in right field and Tai will split time between the outfield and infield. In addition, newcomer Brittany Bakacs ’11 will add to the solid outfield.

The Wellesley pitching staff is anchored by four returners: seniors Jenna Harvey and Kristie Gola, junior Grundlock and sophomore Wood. Harvey was named last year’s NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year and received the team’s first All-American selection. Gola threw 7 complete games and struck out 58, Grundlock finished with a 1.05 ERA with 42 strikeouts, and Wood posted a 2.21 ERA.

Behind the plate, Kara Wong ’08 leads a trio of catchers that also includes first-years Ali Davis and Megan Townsend. Wong returns after a season where she was named All-Conference as well as All-Region leading Wellesley in several offensive categories including multi-hit games (15), on-base percentage (.409), runs batted in (26) and homeruns (6).

The team’s spring break contests on the West Coast will offer some great match-ups, including defending Division III champions Linfield College. O’Meara also cites the midseason tripleheader against top NESCAC programs Tufts and Williams as tough games. In the NEWMAC, the Blue will once again face serious competition. “Quite honestly, every team in our conference is very strong and any team could win the title,” says O’Meara. And after a season where 11 of Wellesley’s games were decided by one run, O’Meara has another goal, “We’re hoping to limit one run ball games!"

Wellesley Lacrosse Outlook 2008

After a 2007 season in which they posted their highest win total in six years, placed five players on the All-Conference squad, four on the All-Region squad, and finished second in both Seven Sisters and NEWMAC competition, Wellesley Lacrosse has their sights set on a conference championship in 2008.

Head coach Julia McPhee leads a young team (16 of the 20 players are first-years or sophomores) for which team chemistry figures to be a major factor. “We have a great team dynamic, which I believe will contribute to our success on the field,” says McPhee. “I am very pleased with how much our younger players have stepped up, as well as the leadership we are getting from our captain, Amber Evans.”

The Blue attack is led by Colette Whitaker ’10, coming off a tremendous rookie season in which she totaled 57 goals on a team-leading .613 shooting percentage. She was an All-Conference Second Team selection last year and will command the ball in transition and the settled scoring offense. Catherine Schaefer ’09 is a crucial playmaker and solid contributor on attack with what McPhee touts as “great vision.” First-year Briana Roberge brings great speed to the attack and will be relied on as a playmaker and scorer.

Haley Geller ’10 scored a team-high 58 goals in 2007 and will anchor the Wellesley midfield along with captain Amber Evans ‘08 and Loretta White ’10. Geller, who will take the draw for the Blue, will create fast break opportunities with her speed and be relied on for aggressive defense. Evans is an experienced midfield leader and a threat at both ends of the field who scored 22 goals last season. White moves to the midfield this year from the low defense, and will contribute scoring chances as well as her consistently excellent defensive play. Newcomers Kate Cushing and Liz Hays ’11 bring solid skills and hard work to the field and McPhee expects them to have an immediate impact.

Dee Garrahan ’09 “is rock solid on defense and intimidates attackers with her strong physical presence,” says McPhee. “It’s hard to get the ball when she is marking you.” Garrahan and Katie Bourque ’10, a defensive standout in both individual and double-team situations, will lead the Blue defense ahead of third-year starting goalkeeper Kristin Jaronczyk ’09. “Kristin can be the difference-maker this season,” says McPhee, citing her top-notch technique and improved clears which will increase fast break chances. Jaronczyk played in every game last season and compiled a .534 save percentage.

The Blue will challenge hometown rival and defending conference champion Babson for the NEWMAC title, which Wellesleylast won in 2001, while paying close attention to Springfield and Wheaton in conference play. The team aims to compete outside the conference as well, especially in their three games against NESCAC programs (Tufts, Bowdoin, Trinity), with the goal of breaking into the top 20 in the national rankings. McPhee is confident that the team’s tremendous skill level and dynamic makeup of youth and leadership have the potential to propel the Blue to the top of the conference in 2008.

Wellesley at the Swimming & Diving Nationals

Swimming and Diving Report from NCAAs

Wellesley Swimmer Cathy Poon and Diver Kate Sorenson are competing at the NCAA Div. III Championships at the College of Wooster in Oxford, OH.

Cathy Poon was out in an 11.56 and looked great for the first 35 yards. She was swimming next to the women who finished 1st and second in finals that night and was with them to the turn and was only a body length behind at the finish. She is already focused on what she needs to do next year to make finals. Over all the race was a very good one and I am very proud of her.

Sprout (Kate Sorenson) dove beautifully and was very relaxed and confident. She did a great job of staying positive and enjoying the moment and playing up the judges. She went into the consolation round 12th. She dove even better in that round and ended up 12th. She is very happy and ready for the 3 meter! It was a VERY long day for her (she did 11 dives, then got about 20-30 minute break and then had to do another 8, along with all the warm up) and she is off to warm up for the 3 meter right now.

We had a large group of fans here, which has been wonderful for Cathy and Sprout. Sprout had the largest fan club at diving. Cathy's mom, uncle and sister are all here. Sprout's mom is here! And Savanna's mom and dad drove out to watch Cathy and Sprout! They brought shirts for all the parents and you can see our block of BLUE even from the deck!

Cathy doesn't swim today, the 100 is tomorrow. Sprout has the first round of the 3 meter this afternoon, then the rest tomorrow. So I will update after the diving, but won't have anything official until tomorrow.

-Head Coach Bonnie Dix reports from the NCAA Championships at the College of Wooster in Oxford, OH

Winter Academic Awards for Wellesley

Five members of Wellesley College winter sports teams have been named to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference Team.  

For Swimming and Diving... Sophomores Emilie Mitten (Norwalk, Conn.) and Alex Stark (Moorestown, N.J.) earned all-academic nods for the first time. Mitten, a freestyler, has not declared a major.  Stark, a butterflyer, carries a double major in international relations and political science.  Junior diving standout Kate Sorenson (Bolton, Mass.), a mathematics major, also earned her first all-academic selection.  Senior freestyler and breaststroker Becky Hanna (Hong Kong), an economics major, is a three-time Academic All-Conference selection.

For Basketball...  Junior Courtney Richter (Sinking Springs, Penn.) was named to the All-Academic Team for the second consecutive year.  Richter, a three-year starter for the Blue, is pursuing a double major in art history and studio art.        

Honorees must have met the following criteria: earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5/4.0 scale or 4.35/5.0 scale after the 2007 fall semester, achieved second year academic status at her institution, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season. 

Wellesley Swimming and Diving End of Season Report

Wellesley Swimming and Diving capped a 9-4 regular season with a fourth-place finish at the NEWMAC championships.  The Blue notched 12 top-five finishes at the event with Jenny Wu earning All-Conference honors in the 400 IM.  Season highlights for the team included a close win over Bates, and wins over Clark, Babson, Coast Guard and Vassar.  The Blue also won their 11^th straight Seven Sisters’ title, taking first place in nine of the 20 events.  Junior Diver Kate Sorenson and first-year swimmer Cathy Poon have both qualified for the NCAA National Championships in Oxford, OH to be held March 13-15.

Wellesley Basketball End of Season Report

The Basketball team finished 7-17 this season and earned a #6 seed in the NEWMAC playoffs. Junior Jessica Duff was named to the NEWMAC All-Conference team while classmate Courtney Richter was named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference team.  Duff was the team’s leading scorer contributing 15.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.  Junior Julia Thomas also had a fantastic season averaging 10.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest. Highlights for the team included thrilling conference wins over MIT, Babson (in double overtime) and Clark, which secured a playoff spot for the Blue.

Wellesley Squash End of Season Report

The Squash team enjoyed a successful first season back as a varsity sport under direction of Head Coach Wendy Berry. The Blue entered the season with a national ranking of 24, quickly jumping up to a peak ranking of 20 after posting wins against Smith, Wesleyan, and St. Lawrence and a second place finish at the U.S. Women’s Collegiate Squash Championship. Wellesley finished third at Seven Sisters, behind Mt. Holyoke and Vassar. The Blue entered the Howe Cup Team Championships seeded 21^st, and after two tough losses, the Blue picked up a win against St. Lawrence to finish 23^rd in the nation. Wellesley’s no. 1 Sarah Odell competed at the CSA Individual Championships at the Naval Academy to finish the season. The team ended with an 8-7 overall record.

Wellesley Fencing End of Season Report

Wellesley Fencing finished the season with a 10-7 overall record and sent seven fencers to the NCAA Regional Championship.  As top individual performers, Hannah Braaten won the New England Championship in foil and later finished 25^th at the NCAA regionals, while Emily Johnson was named to the Northeast All-Conference Team in Epee and placed 28^th at the NCAA regionals.  Other NCAA qualifiers included Wendy Chin and Tess DeLean in foil, Annemarie Kocab and Anne Benjamin in epee and senior Captain Katie Kinnaird in sabre. As a team, Wellesley finished second at the New England Championships while winning a gold medal in the foil competition.  The Blue also took second in the Wellesley Invitational, losing to only Cornell University.