Blue sports have sprung into action this semester, with Crew, Golf, Lacrosse, Tennis and Softball beginning their seasons. Swim and Dive and Fencing, meanwhile, recently finished their seasons at NCAA competitions. Each team has shown incredible grit and growth this spring, and the Wellesley News is excited to report on their hard work.
Fencing concluded its season on March 10 at the NCAA Northeast Regional in Brookville, New York, with sophomore Phoebe Li making the foil finals and placing 12th. Sophomore Gina Huang and first-years Lauren Khoo and Alisha Li also had standout performances. Since the competition, eight members of the team have received New England Fencing Conference Academic All-Conference Honors.
Swim and Dive concluded their fantastic year by competing in the NCAA Division 3 championships in Greensboro, North Carolina last week. They competed in the 200 and 400 medley relays and the 200 and 400 free relays. Sophomore Kavita Sekhon competed individually in the 100 breaststroke, the 200 individual medley and the 200 breaststroke, while fellow sophomore Tracey Liu competed individually in the 100 back. Sekhon advanced to the finals and placed 8th in the 100 breaststroke, becoming an All-American. The Swim and Dive team also saw 13 members placed on the NEWMAC all-academic team at the end of their season.
As for the teams beginning their seasons, the Crew team swept the competition at their first event of the year, the Washington College Invitational in Maryland. Before this great start, senior Anya Hanitchak and sophomore Hannah Bates had been named Athletes to Watch by the College Rowing Coaches Association in their annual list; both rowed for the Wellesley “A” boat that won the first Varsity 8 event in Maryland. Blue Golf won the Jekyll Island Women’s Invitational on March 24, and first-years Sarah Yeh, Grace Sun and Audrey Wang all had top-ten finishes. They defeated Williams College, in second, and Amherst College, which took third. Lacrosse has struggled with numerous close games in the first half of their season, with all of their losses in the past week being within four points or less. However, sophomore goalie Anna Blake Patrick has already achieved 65 saves on the season, and junior defender Ryan Boone picked up a career-high six ground balls in the Blue’s most recent match against Clark. The Blue will face MIT on Saturday, March 30 to continue conference play.
Softball played ten games in Clermont, Florida over Spring Break and had an overall record of 6-4, defeating Middlebury, Clarkson and Elmhurst, among others. First-year Emily Kulhanek scored the 2-run homer that won the Blue the Elmhurst game, while junior Lauren Young and first-year Sarah Wicker had impressive showings pitching against Clarkson and Millikin. Softball will face Clark at home on Saturday, March 30. Blue Tennis has had an astounding season so far, with a current record of 5-1 after a very close loss to NYU. The Blue had a perfect Spring Break, decisively defeating George Fox, Lewis and Clark, and Linfield. They hope to continue their winning streak also on March 30 against Springfield.
