Wellesley Fencing, Basketball and Swim and Sive all kicked off their seasons in late fall to promising results for the rest of the year. Basketball began in November with a close win against Regis, and recently had a resounding win against Fisher, 72-34. Fencing has seen incredible individual success, and competitions full of either wins or very close losses. Swim and Dive has had a dominant undefeated season since their close win against Wheaton on Oct. 28. Though our school spirit might take a dive in the cold winter months, we only have to turn to these teams to get it back up again.
Though their roster is small, their fight is anything but. With only 10 players, four of them first-years, Basketball has been able to defeat Regis and Fisher so far this season. In the Regis game, Wellesley had an impressive 60% three-point percentage. Against Fisher, the Blue had 22 points off of turnovers, taking advantage of Fisher’s losses. Though the Blue have faced three losses, they have still performed well despite their difficulties and young team. The Blue are gearing up to face Elms at home tonight at 7 P.M.
Wellesley Fencing has had a great year, particularly with foil and epee. Recently, they competed at the Northeast Fencing Conference, where they faced off against numerous Division One schools and still had strong standout performances. They had three competitors win all-conference honors: sophomore Grace Xu was First Team in epee, first-year Alisha Li was second team in epee, and first year Phoebe Li was First Team in foil. Each had winning records above 70% for the tournament. Wellesley Fencing is looking forward to continuing their success on Dec. 3. when they travel to the Brandeis Invitational.
Wellesley Swim and Dive has been unstoppable this season. After a close win in their opening meet against Wheaton, 147.5-149.5, no other team has come close to defeating them. For reference, last year, the team lost 161-133 to Wheaton; they had not taken a win against Wheaton in their season opener since 2019. On the week of Nov. 5., the 400m medley relay team won NEWMAC conference honors as the team of the week; the team is made up of sophomores Tracey Liu and Kavita Sekhon, junior Cecilia Cai and senior Ariana Mitsuoka. On Nov.18., they faced off against Mount Holyoke at home for senior day, and won by an impressive margin with a score of 160-121. The Blue will look to continue their streak at the MIT invitational this weekend from Dec. 1. through 3.
Each of these teams has had impressive showings so far this year. Winter sports in college can be tough given the long break, the weather, and the difficulty of finals. However these athletes have shown that they have what it takes to get through the tough season on top and continue to thrive.
