Or, rather, they were bitter. Until they decided to do something about it.

It was soccer that first concocted the idea. After hearing crickets at their Sept. 6 game against Endicott at home, a game they lost in the deafening silence, an anonymous senior slapped a junior in the locker room. After a moment of silence, the two began a full-fledged battle, and, rather than intervening, the team began to pick sides, screaming in support of their chosen fighters. In the end, there were only a few scratches and bruises to be seen, but both players felt more gratified than ever before. The team then enjoyed a lovely dinner together in Lulu, feeling truly bonded, with their bitterness released. 

A field hockey player, upset with similar turnouts, overheard the fight; they decided to reach out to their friend on soccer to see if they could get in on the action. On Sept. 17, the first inter-athletics fight club was held in Severance Hall’s Dungeon of Fun. There were three fights total: a captains’ show-down, a sophomore 2v2, and an all-out first-year brawl. In the end, soccer took home the win, but all of the players had resolved their bitterness for the time being.

Though their teammates were loud, both teams wanted the crowds bigger. They contacted every team in the following weeks, with everyone agreeing to participate privately except crew, because it was past their bedtime. Each Sunday night thereafter in the Dungeon of Fun, athletes would get bloodied, bruised, and feel the unmistakable ecstasy of glory. Most had rarely experienced loud crowds or wins before, and both became addicting.

When winter came, the fight club was at its peak. There were 10 battles every Sunday. The organizers, soccer and field hockey, wanted to end the semester with a bang; they scheduled a night full of the most high-stakes battles yet. The highlights included a volleyball vs. tennis match, where a setter and hitter pair smacked volleyballs at two tennis players and the tennis players responded by serving tennis balls right back at them. It was a game of chicken- the first partnership to stop would lose- and tennis ultimately took the win. There was also a swim vs. dive wrestling tournament in a kiddie pool and a battle of the fencers with real swords and armor. The night was unforgettable.

However, just after the last battle, a group of first-years hungry for a party stumbled into the DOF, and the fighters fled the scene. The Wellesley Athletics Fight Club dissolved that day; since then, an anonymous source has exclusively shared the story with the Wellesley News, who is always excited to highlight athletes’ hard work. Why, you may ask? Well, she said, with tears in her eyes, “I miss the beauty of the brawl, and the memories I made with my friends while we KO’ed those softball players.” She wanted to publish the story to let her fellow fight clubbers know that she is still willing to try the whole thing again, changing times and locations, and bribing new RAs to ignore the noise complaints. Until then, she submitted the following photo that reminds her of the good ol’ times, for everyone to enjoy.

Basketball

The Blue had a mixed start to the NEWMAC season, losing to Emerson by two points on Jan. 17, but bouncing back with a win over Coast Guard on Jan. 27. First-year forward Trinity Barrow was named the NEWBA Rookie of the Week and the NEWMAC Women’s Basketball Defensive Athlete of the Week for her stellar performance against Coast Guard, where she scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked four shots. They lost to MIT 73-43 on Jan. 24, had a big senior day win against Salve Regina on Feb. 3, and played Wheaton on Feb. 7 at home.

Fencing

Blue fencing defeated Division I No. 10 Northwestern at the Tufts Invitational on Jan. 14, with a score of 14-13. The Blue also beat Hunter, New York U., Haverford and Stevens at the same event. Wellesley competed at the Eric Sollee Invitational at Brandeis on Jan. 27, where they remained undefeated after facing NJIT, Boston College, Brown and MIT. There was also a dual meet against Brandeis on Jan. 30 which they lost 14-13.

Track & Field

The Blue finished seventh out of 14 teams at the Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational on Jan. 13, where senior Emily Brydges won the 3000m race with a time of 10:34.76. They also participated in the Branwen Smith-King Invitational at Tufts on Jan. 20 and placed eighth out of 13 teams. Next was the Tufts Cupid Challenge on Feb. 3 where Sophomore Ella Whinney finished fourth in the Indoor Mile with a time of 5:17.57. Up next, Wellesley competes at Boston University’s David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Feb. 9.

Swimming & Diving

Swive competed at the Sisters Invitational at Mount Holyoke on Jan. 20 and 21, where they faced Mount Holyoke, Simmons and Smith. Wellesley finished at the top of the team standings with 1229 points and sophomore Kavita Sekhon was named the NEWMAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Swimmer of the Week for the week ending Jan. 21, 2024. The Blue also had a tri-meet against Coast Guard and Springfield on Jan. 26 and 27 which they lost and won, respectively. The team was recognized as a Fall Scholar All-America Team on Monday by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). This is the ninth year in a row the team has received the honor.

Go Blue!

At Wellesley:

1. Basketball’s winning streak

Wellesley Basketball continued a winning streak that began Nov. 21 at Fisher by defeating Elms, Worcester State, Lasell and Nichols in rapid succession. Each of these games was within 10 points, but Wellesley came out on top. They now have the rest of December to continue fueling their fire, with their next game taking place Jan. 2 at Colby-Sawyer.

1. Indoor Track and Field makes their debut

Blue Track and Field began its indoor season on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Mary Grinaker Invitational at Smith. The Blue took a few key wins: Sophomore Simone Beauchamp won the 3000m race with a personal best time of 11:09.53, while the 4×200 relay team finished in second, and Senior Emily Doyle finished second in the weight throw. The Blue had a promising start and will continue the season on Jan. 13 at Brandeis.

1. Fencing Impresses at the Brandeis Invitational

Wellesley fencing went 4-2 at the Brandeis invitational on Sunday, Dec. 3, losing to St. John’s and closely to Division I Cornell. Foil had five squad wins, while epee had four. The Blue were undefeated against Yeshiva, and additionally triumphed over Lawrence, Drew and LIU. Next up, they will be at the Tufts invitational on Jan. 14. of next year.

Beyond Wellesley:

1. College football final four announced

The final four teams set to fight for the national championship of NCAA men’s football were voted on and announced Dec. 3. The top four included #1 Michigan, #2 Washington, #3 Texas and shockingly, #4 Alabama. Though Florida State had an immaculate undefeated season, Alabama still snubbed them for a spot in the top fpir, though they had a loss. The semi-finals will take place Jan. 1, while the finals will take place Ja/ 8; Michigan is the heavy favorite.

1. Caitlin Clark breaking records

On Dec. 6, Caitlin Clark scored her 3000th point, becoming the first player in men’s or women’s NCAA basketball to have 3000 points, 750 assists, and 750 rebounds. Clark rose to fame during March Madness this year, leading Iowa to a second-place finish under LSU. Much of the news surrounding Clark now is about where she will go when she undoubtedly gets drafted to the WNBA next year.

1. Women’s pro sports on track to make $1 billion in 2024

The women’s professional sports industry, including the Olympics, NCAA competitions and professional leagues, is expected to generate $1.28 billion dollars in revenue in 2024. This is roughly three times the predicted revenue in 2021. Much of this profit will likely be seen at the Paris Olympics, through March Madness and national women’s soccer.

The Wellesley Cross Country team started their fall season strong by putting their best foot forward. The Blue hosted the Wellesley 5K Invitational on Sept. 2 and squeezed in behind Brandeis to take a second place finish overall. Senior Claire Anderson finished in second place in the 5K race with a time of 18:45.06. Anderson set a personal record of 18:08.32 at the 5K UMass Dartmouth Invitational 2 weeks later. Senior Ellie Murphy-Weise also set a PR of 18:28.02 at this race. They will take to the course again at the Connecticut College Invitational on Oct. 15.

Field Hockey

The Field Hockey team stands 3-4 on the Fall 2022 season so far. With a tough set of games at the start of the year, they are picking up some momentum off a 3-2 win against Worcester State University on Sept. 13 and a 5-1 win against Clark University on Sept. 17. The Blue was excited to hear that teammate Alex Lenart ’24 received the NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week award for the week of Sept. 11. Lenart had four goals, 11 shots and two wins during the week.

Soccer

The Soccer team has had a strong start to their season with new Head Coach Caitlin Pickul at the helm. The Blue has collected four wins out of six games so far, which highlighted great performances from several players. Juniors Remi Fernandez and Paige Sangston have scored goals that helped bring the team to victories over Simmons College, Suffolk University and Framingham State University. Senior goalkeeper Kendall Lincoln has saved 75% of shots on goal this season. The Blue takes to the field against Springfield University and Curry College this week.

Volleyball

As the Volleyball team chips away at their 25-game season, the team is seeing a lot of participation from new players. Lone Senior TylerBell Smith has been tasked with leading the team through their 4-6 start to the season. One of the team’s best games so far was against Norwich University in which Kate Salimbier ’24 had 14 kills and first-year libero Kaija Kunze-Hoeg picked up 17 digs to lift The Blue to a 3-0 win on Sept. 7. The team has faced tough opponents such as MIT and Springfield University, but they will carry energy with them after a 3-2 win over Keene State University on Sept. 22 throughout the rest of their season.

Wellesley Swim & Dive placed sixth at the 2022 NEWMAC Championships hosted by MIT last weekend. Wellesley scored 482.5 points in total, just behind WPI and Coast Guard. Jessica Wegner ’22 led the Blue, placing first in the 100-yard butterfly in 55.30, her third time winning the event at a NEWMAC Championship. Her swim scored her the NEWMAC record as well as the Wellesley program record. She is currently ranked 11th in the nation in the 100 fly, and will be traveling to Indianapolis, Indiana for the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships on March 16-19. Here, she will compete in the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard backstroke. Wegner is the first swimmer to represent the Blue at the NCAA Championships since 2012. 

Track and Field

The Blue sent four runners, Ari Marks ’22, Maya Bradbury ’22, Claire Anderson ’23 and Ellie Murphy-Weise ’22, to the New England DIII Championships at Colby College in Waterville, ME last weekend. Marks finished first in the 3k meter run and the 5k run scoring All-Region Honors. Marks’ time of 9:41.73 set the 3k record at the Colby College indoor track. Bradbury, Anderson and Murphy-Weise took 14th, 16th and 20th place, respectively, in the 3k. The Blue will be heading to the Tufts National Qualifying Meet next Saturday, March 5. 

Fencing

On Saturday, Wellesley Fencing earned a third place finish at the NEIFC Championships at Brandeis University. The Blue finished second in the foil squad, fifth in the sabre squad and fourth in the epee squad. Brooke Dodrill ’23 was the Blue’s highest finisher in the sabre, scoring fifth. In foil, the Blue’s top finisher was Alexia Gilioli ’23 placing fourth in the A pool. Kimberley Kimura ’23 placed third in the A pool in epee. Wellesley Fencing will compete at the NCAA Northeast Regional at Vassar College on Sunday, March 13. 

Lacrosse

The Blue competed in their season opener last week against Framingham State. The Blue finished in a 18-3 loss. Liz Sugg ’23 finished the game with two goals, while Eleanor Mallett ’22 scored the third for the Blue. Lorna Li ’22 and Hannah Pangborn ’23 led the defensive side with a combined 14 saves. The Blue will host their home opener next Wednesday, March 9 against Curry College. 

Tennis

Wellesley Tennis hosted their home opener against RPI on Saturday afternoon. The Blue defeated their opponent 5-4. Highlights from the match include Cristiana DeAgazio ’24 and Michelle Shen ’22 earning their first victory (8-2) in a doubles match. Additionally, the No. 1 doubles team of Annissa Mu ’24 and Melinda Alviar ’24 earned a close 8-7, 7-5 victory against their RPI counterparts. On the singles side, Mu earned a 6-1, 6-4 victory. DeAgazio finished the match for the Blue with a pair of singles wins. Wellesley will travel to NYU next Saturday, March 5 for a 1 p.m. match. 

Crew

Blue Crew will begin their season on March 26 at the Washington College Invitational in Chestertown, MD. The College Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) recently announced the NCAA Division III Rankings, in which the Wellesley College Crew team is ranked preseason No. 1.

The Cross Country team hit the ground running this season with an excellent performance at the Wellesley College Invitational on Friday, Sept. 3. The Blue placed third at the race with a strong showing from Claire Anderson ’23, who placed 10th overall with a time of 19:30.01. Many members of the team, including Anderson, sealed their personal record at this event. The team will travel to Dartmouth, MA, next weekend to keep their momentum going at UMass. — Dartmouth Invitational.

Field Hockey

Due to COVID-19 cases on opposing teams, the first three Field Hockey competitions were postponed or cancelled. The team came back from the hiatus with a 2-1 win over Worcester State University. Amy Kate Williams ’23 scored the first goal, assisted by Alex Lenart ’23 who scored in the final few minutes of the game. The Blue is scheduled to play at Clark University on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 12:00 p.m. and again on Sunday, Sept. 19, at 2:00 p.m. against Williams College at home.

Volleyball

The Volleyball team is going into their third week of competition with a 4-1 record. They started the season off with a 3-0 win over Albertus Magnus College led by Captain Nicole Doerges ’22, who had 13 kills on 31 attempts. The Blue met their match against Rivier University on September 4 and again on September 11 against Illinois Tech and Tufts University, losing 1-3, 0-3 and 0-3, respectively. They are set to play at Babson College at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Volleyball games in the Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse are closed to all off-campus spectators at this time.

Soccer

Last week, Blue Soccer won their third straight game in a 2-0 victory over Suffolk University to advance their record to 3-0. Marleigh Ausbrooks ’25 and Caroline Prestowitz ’24 each scored a goal to lead the Blue to their victory. Kendall Lincoln ’23 posted her second shutout to assist the team’s defensive effort. Wellesley Soccer swept NEWMAC weekly awards as Eliza Roy ’23 was named NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week and Liz Zhou ’22 was named the NEWMAC Defensive Athlete of the Week for the week ending in September 5. Wellesley Soccer will travel to New London, CT, next Saturday, Sept. 18, to take on the US Coast Guard in a conference matchup. 

Golf

Last Saturday, Wellesley placed first at the Bowdoin Polar Bear Classic hosted by Bowdoin College at the Brunswick Gold Club. The Blue finished ahead of second place Bowdoin and third place Bates, with Elizabeth Kim earning the individual medalist honor with a score of 77. Caroline MacVicar ’23 placed third (79) and Ella Warburg ’22 tied for fifth (81). Wellesley Golf continues their season this weekend in Middlebury, VT, where they will compete in the George Phinney Classic at The Ralph Myhre Golf Course on Saturday, Sept. 18 and Sunday, Sept. 19. 

Crew

The crew team will kick off their season at the Head of the Housatonic in Shelton, CT on Sept. 16. They will be back on the water again on Sept. 24 at the Head of Charles Regatta in Boston, MA.

Last Sunday, three Wellesley College fencers advanced to the semifinal round at the 2020 NCAA Northeast Regional Championships at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Sejal Saxena ’23 and Brie Maurer ’20 took 17th and 19th place, respectively, as part of the foil squad to lead the Blue. Kimberley Kimura took 20th place in epee. The 2020 NCAA Fencing Championships will take place on Mar. 19-22 in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Participants will be selected by the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Fencing Committee and announced on Mar. 10. 

Tennis

Last Sunday, Wellesley Tennis took a 6-3 victory over Brandeis at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse in Wellesley. This victory puts the Blue at a 2-3 overall record. Cinji Lee ‘22 and Korina Hernandez ‘20 had an 8-2 victory at No. 3 doubles to start the Blue off. In singles, Michelle Shen ‘22 gained a 7-6 victory followed by a comeback victory by Libby Chang ‘22. Wellesley will open its New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) season on Mar. 17 while hosting Wheaton College. 

Lacrosse

Last Sunday, Wellesley Lacrosse fell to Albright College 15-7 at SUNY Polytechnic Wildcat Field. Carson Dennis ’21 and Eleanor Mallett ’22 led the Blue scoring two goals a piece. Kat Gallison ’21 scored her seventh goal of the season, while Louise Conary ’21 and Cassia Schuler ’22 also scored one goal each. Wellesley Lacrosse continues their season on Mar. 18 when they travel to Curry College. 

NEWMAC Winter All-Sportsmanship Honorees

Each season The New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference recognizes one student-athlete from each NEWMAC institution in every sport an All-Sportsmanship award to the student who best demonstrates the ideals of the NEWMAC and its Code of Conduct. The 2019-20 Winter honorees were Alexandra Bullen-Smith ’22 from Swimming & Diving and Kendall You Mak ’20 from Basketball.

Last Saturday, Wellesley Tennis fell to Skidmore College 6-3. Michaela Markwart ‘22 and Michelle Shen ‘22 earned an 8-2 victory in No. 2 doubles to help Wellesley to their final score. The pair was also named the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference women’s tennis Doubles Team of the Week. This was each of their first time receiving this NEWMAC weekly award. Selina Peng picked up a victory for the Blue in singles. Wellesley Tennis will continue their season on March 1 with a 10:00 AM match at Rensselaer.  

Track & Field

Last Saturday, Wellesley Track & Field competed in the 2020 Division III New England Indoor Track & Field Championships at Middlebury College. Ari Marks ‘22 led the Blue finishing fifth in the 3000m with a PR of 10:04.70. This race places Marks among the top-30 in the nation in the indoor 3000m. Maya Bradbury ‘22 finished 12th in the same event with a time of 10:39.15. In the mile, Eva Paradiso ‘20 and Elizabeth Wegman ‘20 placed 12th and 26th respectively. Wellesley Track & Field finishes up their indoor season on March 7 at the Tufts Last Chance Qualifier in Medford, Massachusetts. 

Basketball

Last Wednesday, Wellesley Basketball fell to MIT in the 2020 NEWMAC Basketball Quarterfinals. The score of the game was 67-53. Alyssa Cho ‘21 led the Blue schoring 19 points. Caitlin Aguirre ‘20 finished her final collegiate game with 13 points and seven assists. She finishes her career at Wellesley with 1,103 points making her the fifth all-time high scorer in program history. Emily Kopp ‘20 had six points and six rebounds. Wellesley Basketball finishes their season with a 14-9 overall record. 

Lacrosse

Last Wednesday, Wellesley Lacrosse fell to Framingham State 19-12 in their home season opener. Izzy Burdick ‘22 scored a hat trick leading the Blue on the offensive side. Kat Gallison ‘21 had two goals and four assists. Ella Matticks ‘21, Louise Conaty ‘21, and Cassia Schuler ‘22 each scored two goals as well for the Blue. Goalkeeper Lorna Li ‘22 finished the game with four ground balls and eight saves. Wellesley Lacrosse will host Wentworth on March 4 for a 4:00PM game.

Last Week, Wellesley Basketball came back from a 13-point deficit in the first quarter to defeat Emerson College 60-52 on their senior day at Wellesley. Seniors Caitlin Aguirre, Emily Kopp and Kendall You Mak were celebrated before the start of the game. Wellesley basketball now sits at a 14-6 overall record and a 6-2 NEWMAC record. The Blue are now at the number three spot in the NEWMAC conference and have two games remaining in their regular season. Jiyun Chae ’23 led the Blue scoring a team high of 15 points. The Blue continue their season on Feb. 19 as they travel to Cambridge for a 7:00 p.m. game against MIT. 

Track and Field

Last Saturday, Wellesley Track and Field competed in The Gordon Kelly Invitational hosted by MIT. Samara Shaz ’20 took first place in the Mile, and Kathryn Winkler ’23 took first in the 400m to lead the Blue. Shaz finished with a personal record of 5:30.69 to win the mile. Claire Anderson ’23 and Fiona Harrigian ’20 followed, placing fourth and eighth respectively. Sally Richardson ’23 was Wellesley’s top competitor in the 200m, finishing as runner-up with a personal record of 27.45. Wellesley Track and Field will continue their season on Feb. 22 at the Bowdoin College Invitational in Brunswick, Maine. 

Upcoming Events

• Swim and Dive travels to Cambridge to compete in the NEWMAC conference championships from Feb. 20-24 at MIT. 
• Basketball travels to Springfield for a 12:00 p.m. tip-off.
• Fencing travels to Poughkeepsie, New York for the NEIFC Championships at Vassar College on Saturday, Feb. 22.
• Track and Field travels to Brunswick, Maine for the Bowdoin Invitational at Bowdoin College on Saturday, Feb. 22.
• Tennis hosts TCNJ for an 11:00 a.m. match as well as “Earn the W Day.”

Last Sunday, Wellesley Fencing posted a 6-0 perfect record at the Northeast Fencing Conference (NFC) meet at Tufts University and set the program record for wins in a season at 24. The Blue posted wins against Tufts, Smith, UMass, Vassar, Boston University and Dartmouth. This completes their NFC season with a 9-3 record. Highlights of the day included Brie Maurer `20 leading the foil squad and finishing with a 16-1 record. Julia Calventus-Coveney `21 and Kimberley Kimura `23 each finished 12-3 in the epee squad. Brooke Dodrill `23 led the sabre squad with a 14-1 record. Wellesley fencing’s next match will be the NEIFC Championships which will be held at Vassar College on Saturday Feb. 22. 

Track and Field

Last Saturday, Wellesley Track and Field competed in the Tufts University Cupid Challenge. Eva Paradiso ’20 led the Blue finishing fifth place in the mile. Her time of 5:12.68 was a personal record and it qualified her for the Division III New England Championship (DIII NE). Three additional members of the Blue qualified for the DIII NE meet during the day: Elizabeth Wegman ’20 placed 13th in the 1000m with a personal record of 3:11.77, Ari Marks ’22 finished seventh in the 3000m with a time of 10:36.49 and Maya Bradbury ’22 finished eighth in the same event with a time of 10:29.87. The Blue will compete next at Boston University’s David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Friday Feb. 14.  

Basketball

On Saturday, Wellesley Volleyball defeated Mount Holyoke 64-26 in a NEWMAC matchup at Mount Holyoke. The Blue recorded 26 steals and 34 forced turnovers throughout the game. Pujita Shukla ’23 scored 14 points and had three rebounds and four steals to lead the Blue. Rachel Shurberg ’23 and Caitlin Aguirre ’20 finished the game with six steals and ten points each. Emily Kopp ’20 had ten rebounds to lead the Blue on the defensive end. The Blue sit at a 13-5 overall record and a 5-2 NEWMAC record. Wellesley Basketball will host Fisher on Feb. 12 for their next game.