From Oct. 12-14, Wellesley Athletics celebrated their annual Homecoming, kicking off the festivities with the Blue Nation Pasta Dinner for varsity and club sport athletes and their families on Friday night. The weekend was packed with competition, and the Blue earned some hard-fought victories.
Crew opened their season at the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta. Wellesley’s three Varsity Eight boats finished second, eighth and 12th, and the two Novice Eight boats finished second and fourth in their race. The second-place Varsity Eight boat completed the 2.5-mile course in 15:39.916. Wellesley Crew next competes at the Head of the Charles Regatta on Oct. 21.
Cross Country took second place at the Seven Sisters Championship at Bryn Mawr College, with Grace Cowles ’21 completing the six-kilometer course in 23:06 to become Wellesley’s eighth Seven Sisters Champion. Maya Bradbury ’22, Taylor Mahlandt ’20 and Ava Shipman ’21 all posted top-15 finishes.
Field Hockey lost 6-1 to Springfield College, with Haley Chrobock ’19 scoring Wellesley’s lone goal. Goalkeeper Maggie Connelly ’19 made six saves. The game was also part of the New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) annual Play4theCure initiative, which raises funds and awareness for the National Foundation for Cancer Research.
Golf won a dual match against Holy Cross University, finishing with a total of 317 strokes to Holy Cross’s 340. Three Wellesley golfers made fewer than 80 strokes for the par-71 course: Ryan MacVicar ’20, Chansie Yang ’22 and Aine Kenwood ’22.
Lacrosse played their alumnae game on Saturday.
Soccer fought hard in a double-overtime game against Emerson College, eventually tying 1-1. Kelly Hoover ’19 scored her first collegiate goal in the 84th minute, and goalkeeper Olivia Reckley ’20 recorded three saves.
Softball played two scrimmages against Bentley University and Brandeis University on Saturday, followed by their annual alumnae game on Sunday.
Tennis competed at the Bowdoin Invitational. Libby Chang ’22 and Michaela Markwart ’22 each won two matches, while Lily Chu ’21, Korina Hernandez ’20 and Cinji Lee ‘22 each won one match. The invitational marked the team’s final competition of the fall; they will next play at the Seven Sisters Championship in February.
Volleyball trounced the State University of New York at Geneseo and Plymouth State University on Saturday, the team’s Senior Day, winning both matchups 3-0. In the Geneseo match, Lauren Gedney ’21 tallied 12 kills, and against Plymouth State, Yasmine Reece ’19 had 18 kills. Across both matches, setter Michelle Li ’19 made 60 assists. The team’s record is now 15-3.
Some of Wellesley’s club sports teams, including Equestrian, Rugby and Sailing, also competed during Homecoming Weekend. The Equestrian team traveled to Holliston, MA for the Brandeis/Babson Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association show. Rugby played against Brandeis and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at home. Sailing competed at the McMillan Cup at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Wellesley Homecoming concluded with the induction of seven new members to the Athletics Hall of Fame: Katie Antypas ’99, Volleyball; Marret Arfsten ’03, Field Hockey; Sarah Hilgenberg ’00, Soccer; Betsy Jordan ’59, Swimming; Jennifer Kegel ’88, Cross Country; Amy Ayres Parratto ’83, Diving and Louise O’Neal, director of athletics and department chair from 1990-2006. The inductees were celebrated for their athletic achievements both at and after Wellesley — notably, Betsy Jordan set an open-water swimming record at the age of 75!
Between a pasta dinner, varsity games, club sports competitions and new additions to the Hall of Fame, Wellesley Athletics had a busy and successful Homecoming. As the fall season draws to a close, look out for the Blue as they aim for spots in the NEWMAC playoffs, which begin at the end of October!