This Sunday, Wellesley Cross Country hosted the Seven Sisters tournament on our own Nehoiden Golf Course. The runners from Smith, Mount Holyoke, Vassar, St. Catherine’s, Simmons, Bryn Mawr and Wellesley began the race at 11 a.m. The Wellesley Cross Country runners were the two-time defending champions in the Seven Sisters tournament heading into the race. How- ever, they were racing with a smaller team, and they were without one of their top runners, Mary Kreidel (Boerne, TX), this year. Determined to prove that Wellesley Cross Country still dominate the Seven Sisters competition, seniors Sonja Cwik (La Canada, CA) and Edie Sharon (Winchester, MA) led the team across the finish line in second and third place at 22:45.2 and 22.49.4, respectively. Sara Vannah (Amherst, MA) finished in sixth place with 22:55.5, and all three Wellesley runners earned All-Seven Sisters First Team honors.
Wellesley’s Taylor Fortnam (Portola Valley, CA) finished in 12th place with a time of 23:16.8 and earned All-Seven Sisters Second Team honors. Eva Paradiso (Burlington, VT) finished in 23:45.5, Catherine Xie (Newton, MA) finished in 24:57.4, Clare Salerno (Johnson, VT) finished in 25:34.9, Elizabeth Lambert (Kensington, MD) finished in 25:51.0 and Sophie Dolan (Austin, TX) finished in 26:56.7.
“Seven Sisters is different because there’s so much history behind it and because most of the teams are ones we race against a lot so there’s more camaraderie than at other competitions,” said Sharon ’17. Following the race, the seven teams attended a luncheon in Wellesley’s Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse, a tradition that Seven Sisters schools uphold after their tournaments. “All the teams usually split up, so at every table there is a variety of schools present. This allows us to get to know people from the other schools during lunch,” explained Cwik ’17.
The Blue won the race with 42 points, ten points ahead of second place finishers, Vassar College, and received the Seven Sisters Cup at this year’s luncheon for the third year in a row. “We’re so excited that the Seven Sisters cup will be spending another year at Wellesley!” exclaimed Sharon ’ 17 after reflecting on the day’s events.
Mindy Mangels, Associate Athletic Director, said of the event, “We are thrilled with the cross country team’s 3rd Seven Sisters team championship in a row and 12th title overall. This was a true team effort with incredible senior leadership from Sonia Cwik and Edie Sharon. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful Wellesley Weekend of competition for the Blue.”
Wellesley Cross Country will race again on Oct. 29 at Smith College for the NEWMAC Championship.
Wellesley Field Hockey was at it again with another exciting overtime win this past weekend. On Oct.15 the Blue took on NEWMAC foe Springfield College. The Blue opened up strong with a goal by sophomore Rachel Huang (Campbell, CA) coming at 9:33 into the first half. Huang’s goal was assisted by senior Nikki Sharkin (Summit, NJ). Springfield went on to score minutes before the first half was complete. The two teams remained scoreless in the second half, causing the game to go into sudden death overtime.
First year Hannah Maisano (Gambrills, MD) sealed the victory with her goal 5:55 into the first overtime. Maisano’s goal came off of a penalty corner when Sharkin received the ball at the top of the circle and found Maisano on the right post. Maisano and Sharkin collaborated earlier in the season for an OT goal against Mount Holyoke. In addition to being an exciting game, the Blue honored their seniors: Courtney Peterson (Glastonbury, CT), Nikki Sharkin, Lucy Hurlock (Needham, MA) and Cat Anderson (Andover, MA). A pregame ceremony celebrated the four seniors and the contributions they have made to Wellesley Field Hockey and Wellesley Athletics over their past years of play. The Blue will host Bridgewater State on Thursday Oct. 20 at 4 p.m.