• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • The Wellesley (COVID) 100
      The Wellesley (COVID) 100
    • In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
      In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
    • Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
      Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
      The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
    • Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
      Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
    • No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
      No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Chloe Gong could publish her grocery list and I’d pay $20 for it (Books Before Boys review)
      Chloe Gong could publish her grocery list and I’d pay $20 for it (Books Before Boys review)
    • RIP to Wanda, the male betta fish (Books Before Boys review)
      RIP to Wanda, the male betta fish (Books Before Boys review)
    • When talking to ghosts only worsens your existential dread (Books Before Boys review)
      When talking to ghosts only worsens your existential dread (Books Before Boys review)
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Health and Wellness
    • February Student Athlete of the Month
      February Student Athlete of the Month
    • Athletics Update
      Athletics Update
    • Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
      Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
      Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
    • Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
      Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
    • Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
      Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Anna Cahill, Ivy Jiang Sports and WellnessApril 1, 2015

College athletic department announces reclassification to Division I

***Editor’s Note: This article was published as part of the satirical April 1, 2015

After several dominant performances this year by Blue varsity teams, including five Seven Sisters Championships earned by volleyball, tennis, crew, cross country and swimming and diving, the Wellesley College Athletic Department announced on Tuesday, Mar. 31 during their annual nationally televised press conference that all 14 of Wellesley’s varsity athletic teams would be reclassified from Division III to Division I, effective immediately.

Wellesley will join the Atlantic 10 athletic conference which includes teams represented by the University of Massachusetts, the University of Dayton, Davidson College, Virginia Common- wealth University and Fordham University.

According to the board of trustees, which is involved in fund- ing many of Wellesley’s major Campus Renewal projects and remodelings, the extensive Keohane Sports Center (KSC) ren- ovations that took place throughout the first semester this year were an early clue of Wellesley’s long time hope to compete in Division I.

“Improving the KSC was a major step for the advancement of our athletic program. Last fall, we initiated a dialogue with the [Division] I reps over at the NCAA offices to look into upgrading our division of competition, and they suggested that we develop our athletic facilities to mirror those of other elite schools such as the University of Kentucky, the University of Connecticut and Duke University,” Wellesley Chairwoman of Athletics Betsy Baller said. “This is a huge step for this institution. Not only are we the first school in NCAA history to move directly from Division III to Division I, but we are the only women’s college to ever compete in this elite class of athletic competition.”

The news was an unthinkable dream for the many Blue Pride enthusiasts on campus and sparked rioting on Central Street that featured the destruction of several high-end sports vehi- cles parked outside of Whole Foods. Despite this euphoria, a few students thought that this reclassification would hinder the college.

“Honestly, it’s about time for Wellesley’s academics to catch up with the athletics. We’re just as competitive in the classroom as we are on the court, and we rarely get credit for it. I don’t see national press conferences for the experiments and papers of students,” Brandy Bookworm said.
Despite this unpopular opinion, the vast majority of Wellesley students fully support the decision to reclassify as a Division I institution as they believe Wellesley’s Division III status deterred them from engaging in the wild parties that often ac- company “big-time” athletic programs.

“I am excited to witness this great change. We can finally have those tailgating parties that other schools have been posting about on Instagram,” Susan Studious said.

A recent scientific poll showed that 99 percent of students believe that in addition to the renovated KSC, more resources should be allocated to the athletic department. An overwhelm- ing majority stated that they wanted more than 67 percent of all college funds to be spent on equipment, airfare and warm-ups for athletic teams. Qualitative responses in the survey indicated that many students would be willing to sacrifice the funding for one dining hall in favor of freeing up resources for the athletic department. More than half of all responses also wanted Welles- ley to form its own varsity cheerleading squad. The squad will hopefully come into fruition in the fall of 2015 and will defi- nitely boost Blue pride at home and away events.

Wellesley lacrosse, softball and tennis will initiate Atlantic 10 competition this week.

Photo Courtesy of Anne Schnitzer ’18

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleAthlete of the Week: Mindy Midterm ’18
Next articleThe SHE Corner

You may also like

February Student Athlete of the Month

Athletics Update

Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top