Cross Country
The cross-country team finished fifth in a field of 57 at the NCAA Regional Championship last Saturday hosted by Williams College. The Blue secured its 27-point advantage over sixth-place Tufts thanks in part to NCAA All-Regional performances by Priyanka Fouda ’16, Taylor Bickford ’15 and Mary Keenan ’17. Fouda set the pace for Wellesley, finishing 10th overall with a time of 22:14.1 in the 6K event. Close behind was Bickford, who crossed the line at 22:43.3 and Keenan 15 seconds later at 22:58.5. Nicole Chui ’15 and Alice Zhou ’17 claimed the Blue’s last two scoring positions, finishing in 23:16.6 and 23:24.0 respectively. Although fifth place did not earn automatic entry into the NCAA Championship, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association granted the top six teams in the race an at-large bid that will advance the Blue into next Saturday’s NCAA National Championship meet, marking Wellesley’s first qualification in 28 years. This Saturday’s race will feature the country’s strongest Division III teams in Mason, Ohio at 12:30 p.m.
Field Hockey
Wellesley 3, Juniata 0;
Wellesley 0, Salisbury University 1
After a first-round bye, Wellesley field hockey topped Juniata College in their 2014 NCAA debut by a three-goal margin. The Blue, who entered the tournament as the eighth-ranked team, dominated the first half, scoring just 3:19 into the game and finding the back of the net two more times before the halftime horn sounded. Nikki Sharkin ’17 found NEWMAC Player of the Year Nathalie Gruet ’15 off a penalty corner to put the Blue on the board. Toward the end of the half, Courtney Peterson ’17 then drilled in two more goals off assists from Gruet and Sharkin. The win was #19 for Wellesley, the highest total the program has ever recorded in a single season, and advanced the Blue to Sunday’s third-round contest.
The Blue wrapped up their historic season on Sunday at the NCAA Elite Eight round in Salisbury, MD. The game’s only goal came from Salisbury, with just under ten minutes left in regulation time at the 60:29 minute mark. Suffering from a 14 to four disadvantage in shots, the Blue were unable to answer and fell to the first seed Sea Gulls by a one-goal deficit. Lucy Hurlock ’17 played all 70 minutes in goal, recording eight saves in the loss.
Basketball
Wellesley 51, UNE 65; Wellesley 35, Keene State 74
Wellesley basketball started its season this weekend at the Ramada Roundball Invitational hosted by University of New England (UNE) in Biddeford, Maine. The Blue lost to UNE on Saturday 65-51. Morgyne Weaver ’15 led the Blue in scoring with 16 points, while Chelsi Scott ’16 contributed nine points. Scott also led the Blue in rebounds, collecting nine total.
On Sunday, the Blue faced the Keene State Owls in their second game of the tournament. Wellesley had a solid first half, but could not keep up with the Owls’ three-point shooting, which carried UNE in the second half. Weaver was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Blue, scoring 11 points and collecting six rebounds. The Blue lost to the Owls 74-35, due to Keene State’s 48 percent field goal percentage compared with Wellesley’s 25 percent. Weaver earned a place on the All-Tournament team from her scoring in double-figures in both games. Blue basketball will play tonight at 7 p.m. at Simmons.
Squash
Wellesley 3, Colby College 6
Wellesley squash fell to the Colby Mules at MIT on Saturday in a match of closely-ranked teams. The Blue are currently ranked 24th in the country, while the Mules hold the 22nd spot. Mollee Jain ’16, Phyllis Lin ’18 and Gabriella Wynne ’16 all picked up wins for the Blue in singles play. After a three-set loss in the #1 singles spot, Lin tied the match with a three-set victory in the second singles position. Rhea Advani ’17 then dropped the third singles match, giving Colby a lead that would again be tied up by Wynne, who won the fourth singles match in five sets. After Wynne’s victory, the Mules bested the Blue in five of the last six matches to secure the win. With the loss, the Blue now stand at 4-2 overall. Wellesley will play again this Saturday night at 7 p.m. against Connecticut College hosted by MIT.
Fencing
Blue fencing traveled to MIT on Saturday to compete in the first New England Conference meet. After a rocky start losing to MIT and Brown in the first two matches, Wellesley regained its momentum, defeating University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of New Hampshire and Boston University. The Blue finished fifth overall, behind MIT, Brown and Sacred Heart, who all tied for first, and Brandeis, who finished fourth. Strong Wellesley performers of the day included Taylor Hood ’18 and Pamela Wang ’17, who finished first and second in foil respectively. Charlotte Treadwell ’16, Kathryn Ledbetter ’15 and Vanessa Willoughby ’18 also took first, second and third place in epee. This weekend showed promise for Wellesley fencing for the remainder of the season. Blue fencing will compete next at Wellesley in January against Brandeis.
Swimming and Diving
Wellesley 171, Simmons 91
Blue swimming and diving faced the Simmons Sharks on Saturday at Chandler Pool. Wellesley defeated the Sharks 171-91, making them undefeated in the 2014-2015 season. The Blue gained momentum as its 200 medley ‘A’ team, consisting of Hannah Augst ’17, Sophia Dillon-Davidson ’18, Keelin Nave ’15 and Sharon Wu ’17, won the event with a time of 1:55.03. This set the pace for the remainder of the meet, with the Blue taking first place in 10 out of the next 12 individual events. Other key performances included Dorothy Ren ’16 who won the 200 fly, the 500 free, and the 200 M, as well as Tiffany Chen ’15 and Misha Olynk ’16 who took the top two spots in the 1,000 free. Blue swimming and diving’s next meet will take place on Friday hosted by the MIT Engineers.
Photo by Anna Cahill ’18. Sports & Wellness Editor