50 Years: Belgiovine Champions Blue from 2006-19
Belgiovine retired in June 2019 following a successful 40-year career in education, 21 years in higher education.
At Wellesley College she oversaw all facets of a department that included a physical education curriculum, a comprehensive recreation program with eight club sport teams and a varsity program with 13 teams. Blue athletes won four NCAA Individual National Championships and its crew team claimed the institution's first team NCAA National Championship. In addition, Wellesley teams earned 17 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships and made a combined 25 team appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Wellesley's LeadBLUE Program, an educational initiative established during her tenure was aimed at enhancing the quality of the athletic experience focused on leadership development, mental health, inclusion and team culture training student-athletes to become the next generation of strong and resilient leaders.
Belgiovine has been the recipient of many leadership and service awards through the years, the most recent in 2020 as a member of the NACDA Hall of Fame which honors significant lifetime leadership and achievement in intercollegiate athletics. She has been recognized as the Under Armour Division III Athletic Director of the Year, ECAC Division III Administrator of the Year, the Claire Van Ummersen Leadership Award recipient, and a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. She was honored with the Meritorious Service Award from the Division III Commissioners Association and the Athletic Merit Award from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. She was inducted into the Immaculate Heart Academy Hall of Fame, received the Springfield College Distinguished Alumna Award and the Tarbell Medallion, its highest honor all recognizing her contributions as a student and alumnus.
50 Years: The Lights Shine Bright on Butler Stadium in 2019:
The turf and track were renovated in 2019 and renamed Butler Stadium in honor of John and Alice Lehman Butler '53 and the generosity of Chris and Suzanne Sandman Pasko '90 P'23 and the Martore Family Class of '73 and '10. The renovation included lights, a new track, playing surface, and upgrades to the spectator seating area. The first night game played on the field took place on Friday, August 30, 2019, a 3-0 Wellesley field hockey victory vs. Husson.
50 Years: Tessa Spillane Received 2016 Ernestine Bayer Award
After leading Wellesley to its first NCAA Championship, Head Crew Coach Tessa Spillane received the 2016 Ernestine Bayer Award from USRowing. The award name for Bayer, who is known as "the mother of women's rowing", recognizes outstanding contributions to the sport. Spillane has also directed Wellesley's intramural rowing programs and teaches sailing and canoeing during her tenure at Wellesley.
"I am truly honored to have been nominated and selected as the Ernestine Bayer Award winner by USRowing," said Spillane at the time. "Ernestine Bayer was a doer and a champion. I met her as a 19-year-old, and I have her picture in my office, so to have my name affiliated with her is something I never could have imagined."
50 Years: Golf Hits the Varsity Links in 2001:
In the fall of 2001, Wellesley Athletics added golf as a varsity sport. The team practiced (and continues to practice) at the historic Nehoiden Golf Club. The course is among the oldest nine-hole golf courses in the country, with roots dating back to the late 1800s, and is owned and operated by Wellesley College. Under Head Coach Kim Lapointe the team was the runner-up at the inaugural Wellesley Invitational in 2001. 23 years later, the prospering golf team will begin the spring season on March 22 at the Jekyll Island Women's Invitational.
50 Years: Athletics Expands with New Fields in 2002:
In 2002, Wellesley College opened four new athletic fields and a track. The fields were built at the west end of campus beyond the Field House on the former Paint Shop Pond site. The facility included a state-of-the-art artificial turf field encompassed by an eight-lane track. The field is the current site of practice and competition for the Blue's field hockey and lacrosse teams, while the cross country and track & field programs train on the track in the fall and the spring.
50 Years: Eaton Drives to Fourth NCAA Division III Tournament in 2011
The most accomplished golfer in Wellesley Athletics history, Kim Eaton '11 made the most of all four years with the Blue. A four-time NCAA Division III National Championship qualifier, she finished 10th nationally in 2008 and 2010. Eaton was named an National Golf Coaches Association All-American three times, and was an honorable mention as a first year. In 2011, Eaton received the National Golf Coaches Association Division III Golfer of the Year award, the highest honor for a Division III golfer.
50 Years: O'Neal Brings Wellesley Success from 1990-2006:
As Director of Athletics and Department Chair from 1990-2006, Louise O'Neal was instrumental in building and turning Wellesley Athletics into what it is today. She oversaw enormous growth and success of the athletics programs and was responsible for the construction of a state of the art outdoor fields complex and the addition of the sports of golf and softball. Wellesley made 16 NCAA Championship appearances during her tenure, with both the field hockey and volleyball teams advancing to the NCAA Final Four. Additionally, Karyn Cooper '92 won the NCAA Division III Tennis Singles National Championship, the first individual NCAA Championship in Wellesley history, during this era. O'Neal was inducted into the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
50 Years: Wellesley Gets a Scoreboard 25 Years in the Making in 1984:
In the fall of 2009, Wellesley Athletics was gifted a brand new scoreboard, courtesy of the Varsity Athletes class of 1984. The scoreboard was donated as a 25th reunion gift and still sits at Butler Stadium. Check out the scoreboard the next time you come for a field hockey or lacrosse game.
50 Years: Chang Places at NCAA Championships in 1995-96:
A 2014 Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Heidi Chang '96 was an NCAA Regional Individual Epee Champion in 1995 and runner-up in 1996 and fenced in the NCAA National Championships three of her four years, earning individual honors in epee by finishing second in 1995.
Chang distinguished herself as the best fencer in Wellesley history competing in both epee and foil. Heidi's consistency and competitive drive during her career led to outstanding bouts and two wins at New England Championships; foil in 1994 and epee in 1995. She was also named to the All-New England Fencing Team all four years. At the national level, Heidi's success was even more remarkable during her four-year career. In addition to her fencing skills, Heidi was also a scholar-athlete and co-captain for all but her first year, winning the Outstanding Class Athlete Award twice. In 1996, Heidi earned the highest honor bestowed to a Wellesley athlete with the prestigious Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.
50 Years: Vaughan Grows Department from 1973-1990:
During her tenure as Chair/Athletic Director of the Department of Physical Education and Athletics at Wellesley from 1973-1990, Linda K. Vaughan is credited with leading the continued growth of a strong physical education curriculum and ushering in a transformation and new era of varsity intercollegiate sports, moving the program into the NCAA.
Vaughan's leadership and legacy are marked by two significant projects for the department. She served as the director for the Keohane Sports Center project that culminated in the 1985 grand opening. In addition, Linda was a founding co-chair of the Friends of Wellesley College Athletics along with former trustee, Kitsy Rigler. Vaughan's love of Wellesley College was forever etched when she established the Linda K. Vaughan Endowment Fund for the Friends of Wellesley College Athletics with the income supporting the endeavors of Wellesley's scholar-athletes. In 2014, Vaughan was posthumously inducted into the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class.
50 Years: Rigler Helps Lead Friends of Wellesley College Athletics National Committee in 1987
As a student, Katherine Curtis "Kitsy" Rigler '61 was engaged in scholarship, leadership and service. She was a Durant Scholar, a member of the Athletic Association and an avid participant in both dorm basketball and class crew. Kitsy also demonstrated her fierce competitive drive as a two-time winner of the Wellesley Squash Tournament.
Beyond graduation, Kitsy served as a member of the Wellesley College Board of Trustees and supported the fundraising efforts to build the Keohane Sports Center. In 1987, following her service on the Board of Trustees, Kitsy served as the initial alumnae co-chair of the Friends of Wellesley College Athletics National Committee alongside Department Chair/Director and Friends of Athletics founder Linda Vaughan. In 2012, Kitsy agreed to rejoin the National Committee. In recognition of Kitsy's support for Wellesley Athletics, the program christened a varsity crew shell in her honor as the Kitsy Rigler, Class of '61 on October 18, 2014, the same year Rigler was inducted into the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame.
50 Years: 1995 Blue Field Hockey Nets NCAA Final Four Trip
The 1995 season was the best in Blue history at the time and culminated in a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament Final Four.
After going 9-1 in conference play, Wellesley claimed a second NEW8 Championship. Sherry Sebasta '96 earned the conference Player of the Year award. Head Coach Sam Landau was named the NEW8 Coach of the Year and the Northeast Regional Coach of the Year.
Wellesley won its first two NCAA Tournament games over William Smith and Lebanon Valley. The team reached the Final Four, losing to eventual winner Trenton State 1-0 in the semifinals. Sebasta received National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-American honors and future Wellesley Athletics Hall of Famer Alix Wandesforde-Smith '98 made the NFHCA All-American Second Team as a first year. Sebasta also earned NCAA All-Tournament team recognition alongside Laura Permut '97.
50 Years: Sticco-Ivins' 2017 Sweep at Nationals:
After winning the 3-Meter Diving National Championship in 2015, Maura Sticco-Ivins '18 became the first Wellesley student-athlete to ever win multiple individual NCAA Division III National Championships in 2017, winning both the 1-Meter Diving event with a score of 475.40 and the 3-Meter event with a score of 504.00. Sticco-Ivins was also named the 2017 College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Women's Diver of the Year.
50 Years: Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse Gets a Facelift in 2015:
Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse reopened in 2015 following a comprehensive ten-month renovation that included the addition of a 3,000 square foot fitness center and a new hardwood floor named in honor of Gracia Mangano Martore '73. The home to the Blue basketball and volleyball teams and indoor home to Blue tennis, Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse also features arena seating for 500, three indoor tennis courts, a spin room, a climbing wall, a four-lane 200-meter track, a high jump area, a new long and triple jump pit and a spin studio, home to 12 LifeCycle GX Life fitness spinning bikes.
50 Years: Arfsten Takes Blue to NCAA Division III Championship, Receives National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American First Team Honor in 2002:
Marret Arfsten '03 finished her Wellesley field hockey career as a two-time All-American, including a selection to the NFHCA All-America first team in 2002. During Arfsten's time with the Blue, the team won the 2002 NEWMAC Championship and made the Second Round of the NCAA DIII National Championship. A three-time NFHCA All-Region first team selection and NEWMAC All-Conference selection, Arfsten registered 117 points on 48 career goals and 23 career assists, ranking her among the all-time leaders in career points in program history. Arfsten finished her career as Wellesley's Most Outstanding Senior Class Athlete and was a Massachusetts State Finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award in 2003. For her accomplishments, Arfsten was honored as a member of the 2018 Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame Class.
50 Years: Volleyball's 1998 Season Culminates In NCAA Final Four Appearance:
The Blue went 37-1 in the fall of 1998, capturing a fourth consecutive NEWMAC Championship en route to the NCAA Division III championships. The team's win streak ran to 36 with NCAA wins over Eastern Connecticut State, Williams, and SUNY Cortland to reach the NCAA Semifinals. While Wellesley fell to eventual winner Central (Iowa) in the semifinals, the Blue earned one last thrilling 3-2 win over Juniata in the National Third Place game. Katie Antypas '99 and Allison Schnitzer '00 were both named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association National All-American Second Team and Antypas earned NCAA All-Tournament Team honors.
50 Years: Hauptfuhrer's Generosity Pioneers Wellesley Athletics in 1973
As a participant in both basketball and crew and an accomplished golfer, Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer '49 was one of the early pioneers in sport at Wellesley. She established herself as a leader on campus, serving as class president in both her First and Senior year. Barbara's leadership continued beyond graduation as she was one of the country's earliest directors of major corporations, among them the Vanguard Group, the Raytheon Company, Owens-Illinois, Inc., the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, Knight-Ridder, and the Massachusetts Mutual Financial Group. Hauptfuhrer served on many nonprofit boards, including Wellesley?s Board of Trustees and as a President of the Alumnae Association.
The Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer Physical Education Fund was endowed in 1973 "to establish a fund enabling Wellesley students to participate in inter-collegiate athletic events." The primary purpose of the fund was to pay for student athletes and their coaches to travel to postseason competitions. This includes most NCAA national championships, and other events like the College Squash Association Individual Championships.
Barbara was one of the most generous supporters of athletics. Her endowed gifts annually fund all varsity student-athlete and team post-season competitions. The Hauptfuhrer Awards fund annually bestows the Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer Scholar-Athlete award to a Senior who exemplifies the meaning of a true Wellesley Scholar-Athlete. And, in 2009, due to Barbara's continued generosity, a legacy fund established a new athletics tradition -- every senior athlete is presented with a "BBH" Scholar-Athlete Sash to wear during Commencement symbolizing their proud participation as a varsity athlete. Hauptfuhrer was posthumously inducted into the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
50 Years: Janssen Petra Scores All-American Honors in 1993-94:
Liza Janssen Petra '94 was a nationally recognized force in basketball during her career. She helped turn the program from an 8-15 record to an 18-6 record by her final season, winning two Seven Sisters Championships in the process. Liza was named a two-time Kodak National Basketball All-American in 1993 and 1994 and earned Eastern College Athletic Conference All-New England accolades in 1994 and NEWMAC Player of the Year honors in 1993. Liza ended her basketball career with 1,739 points including six games with 30+ points. In 1993, she was named NCAA Division III Offensive Player of the Week, led the division in blocked shots and was named Seven Sisters Tournament MVP. In her final year, she led Division III in rebounds.
As a soccer athlete, Liza had a total of 111 points that included 41 goals and 29 assists. Liza was also a three-time College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-Region selection and the recipient of one of the few NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships recognizing academic and athletic excellence. Liza continued to support Wellesley as a member of the Friends of Athletics National Committee leading the communications and development efforts for many years and was a part of the inaugural Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2014.
50 Years: Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame Opens its Doors in 2014
On June 9, 2014, in front of an audience of 1,200 students, alumnae, and the world at large, Wellesley alumna and Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright '59, accompanied by four-time Olympian Angela Ruggiero, introduced the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame and its very first class of inductees. The group of 10 Wellesley Scholar-Athletes and Four Women of Inspiration were enshrined in the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, October 18, 2014.
The first Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame class included student-athletes Paula Andres-O'Brien '90, Evelyn Boldrick Howard '45, Barbara Bruning McGhie '54, Heidi Chang '96, Karyn Cooper '92, Liza Janssen Petra '94, Elizabeth Murphy '86, Allison Schnitzer '00, Deborah Twichell McDermott '90 and Alix Wandesforde-Smith '98.
Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer '49, Nannerl O. Keohane '61, Katherine Curtis Rigler '61 and Linda K. Vaughan were all inducted as Women of Inspiration.
50 Years: Twitchell McDermott Makes Splash at the NCAA Division III Championships from 1988-90:
Deborah Twichell McDermott '90 swam into the record books early and often during her career at Wellesley, leading to an induction into the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. Deborah was a four-time Individual NCAA Division III All-American and a three-time NCAA Division III Relay All-American which means she placed in the top 16 in nearly every event she entered. In fact, she never finished lower than sixth place in Regional Competition. At the time of her Hall of Fame induction, Twitchell McDermott held College records in four events - the 500 Free; 200 Fly; 400 Individual Medley and as a member of the 800 Free Relay. In the Seven Sisters Championships, Twitchell McDermott was nearly unbeatable winning the 400 IM; 200 Fly; 200 IM; 400 Free Relay and finishing second in the 200 Breaststroke.
50 Years: Murphy Named First Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer Scholar-Athlete Honoree in 1986:
Lisa Murphy '86 is both the first Wellesley student-athlete to ever receive the highly coveted Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer Scholar-Athlete award in 1986 and a member of the first Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame Class in 2014.
Athletically, Murphy is in a "league of her own". In addition to winning the Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer Scholar-Athlete award, She was a four-sport athlete, the first player in Wellesley basketball history to score 1,000 points, a Wellesley Outstanding Athlete winner, a winner of the Katherine Malone Scholar prize, a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient and lastly, a Rhodes Scholar. Among many, her highest accomplishment was winning the New England Division III Tennis #2 Doubles championship and being named an NCAA Division III Tennis Championships qualifier with her doubles partner Ann Smith. In basketball, Lisa was captain, team MVP, Seven Sisters Tournament Champion and a New England Women's Basketball Association Senior All-Star. Lisa continues to serve Wellesley as a member of the Malone Scholars Committee.
50 Years: Boots Races to Championship in 2011:
Randelle Boots '13 became the second student-athlete in Wellesley Athletics history to win a NCAA Division III National Championship by capturing first in the Mile Run at the 2011 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships with a winning time of 4:57.46. Boots earned four career All-American honors and still holds the Wellesley track & field program record in the indoor mile run and outdoor 1500m races.
50 Years: Ari Leaves A Mark With Two National Championships in 2022:
Ari Marks '22 made a lasting impression in Wellesley Athletics history with a pair of first place finishes at the 2022 NCAA Division III Track & Field Outdoor Championships. Having finished second in both the 3000m and 5000m finals at the Indoor Championships in March of 2022, Marks won both the 5000m and 10000m races at the New England Division III Championships to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Geneva, Ohio.
Marks dashed past the competition in the 10000m with a time of 34:50.55 that was nearly a half minute faster than the next finisher. Not content with one National Championship, Marks returned two days later and set a Wellesley program record with a time of 16:08.90. Marks was named the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track and Field National Track Athlete of the Year and received U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Outdoor Track & Field All-America Honors in both the 5000m and 10000m.
50 Years: Blue Crew Captures First Team Championship in Wellesley Athletics History in 2016
The 2015-16 Blue Crew team became the first Wellesley Athletics team to ever win a NCAA Division III Championship. A successful regular season concluded with a sixth consecutive NEWMAC title to earn an automatic qualifier bid to the NCAA Championships. Meg Roberts '16 was the NEWMAC Rower of the Year, Stephanie Kim '17 earned her first of two NEWMAC Coxswain of the Year awards, and Head Coach Tessa Spillane received NEWMAC Coach of the Year honors.
After finishing with the most overall points at the New England Rowing Championship for the first time in program history, Blue Crew set off to Gold River, California to compete in the eighth NCAA Division III Championship in program history. Both the Varsity Eight (V8+) and Second Varsity Eight (2V8+) won their heats on the opening day to advance to the Grand Final. After the 2V8+ earned second in the Grand Final, the V8+ captured first with a time of 6:46.100. The results gave Wellesley 40 points, four more than second place Bates, to seal Blue Crew's title run.
Following the championship, Loren Lock '16 was recognized as a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-American First Team member and Sydney Dollmeyer '17 made the All-American Second Team. Spillane, Seth Hussey and Hannah Woodruff '11 received the CRCA NCAA Division III National Coach and Coaching Staff of the Year award.
50 Years: Late Season Surge Leads Softball to First NEWMAC Title in 2007
The Blue only needed three years of existence as a varsity program to make a mark on collegiate softball. After reaching the NEWMAC playoffs as the No. 6 seed, the Blue caught fire, beating Wheaton, Springfield and finally Babson to capture the program's first NEWMAC title. The success carried into the NCAA Division III Tournament. Wellesley went 3-2 in NCAA Division III Regionals with wins over Misericordia, Keene State and Emerson.
Jenna Harvey '08 was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Third Team after striking out 285 batters and throwing two no-hitters, one of them against Babson in the NEWMAC Finals. Harvey also earned New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) Regional Player of the Year and NEWMAC Athlete of the Year honors. Head Coach Keri O'Meara grabbed NEWMAC Coach of the Year and Kara Wong '08 and Megan Wood '10 made the NEISCA Second and Third Regional Team respectively.
50 Years: Butler Boathouse Relaunches in 2015:
Thanks to the generosity of Alice Lehmann Butler '53 and her husband, John, the boathouse on Lake Waban was renovated in 2015 to update and upgrade a facility used by Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics (PERA). Alice Butler was an avid member of her dorm crew, and she and her husband are lifelong fitness enthusiasts. Their gift fully enabled a much-needed renovation to the structure, increasing campus-wide recreational opportunities and supporting other PERA initiatives as well.
The building was completely renovated and made more accessible, creating a new main entry, "quarterdeck" class/meeting room, improved shop space, two restrooms, canoe/kayak room, and storage. The project also improved the north end of the site, addressing soil erosion and drainage issues. The building reopened for Reunion, welcoming hundreds of alumnae back to the shores of Lake Waban. A formal dedication was held on September 25, 2015 during Family & Friends and Homecoming weekend.
50 Years: Track & Field Off to the Races in 2010:
Despite having cross country since 1985, it wasn't until 2010 that track & field was added as the most recent varsity sport. The team's first ever competition took place at the Jay Carisella Invitational hosted by Northeastern University on December 4, 2010. Randelle Boots '13 won the NCAA Division III National Championship in Indoor Mile during the Blue's initial season and later claimed third in the 1500m race at the Outdoor Championship. At the NEWMAC Championship Wellesley earned sixth. Leah Clement '12 won the 3000m Steeplechase and 800m events and Camille Basurto '13 finished first in the 5000m race. Boots and Clement were both named All-Americans.
50 Years: Hilgenberg and the Blue Reach NCAA Division III Regional Finals in 1998-99:
The only National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American in Wellesley soccer program history, Sarah Hilgenberg '00 earned the honor in both 1998 and 1999 while helping the Blue to back-to-back NCAA Regional final appearances. Wellesley's Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer '49 Scholar-Athlete Award winner in 2000, Hilgenberg was a four-year NSCAA and New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) All-Region and NEWMAC All-Conference honoree. Hilgenberg was voted the NEWMAC Women's Soccer Athlete of the Year in 1999 - a fitting end to a career that included 65 points and 23 career goals. A NSCAA National All-American, helping the Blue to back-to-back NCAA Regional final appearances. 2000 BBH winner, four-year NSCAA and New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) All-Region and New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Conference honoree. Sarah Hilgenberg '00 is a member of the 2018 Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame Class.
50 Years: Blue Crew Goes Back-to-Back in 2022-23
2022 and 2023 were a pair of unforgettable years for Head Coach Tessa Spillane and Wellesley crew. Both teams picked up NEWMAC titles comfortably to earn automatic bids to the NCAA Division III Rowing National Championship. The 2022 Varsity Eight (V8+) boat was the first in program history to finish first at the New England Rowing Championship. The 2023 V8+ became Blue Crew's first ever winner at the National Invitational Rowing Championship.
Both teams were at their best competing at the highest level. Both teams advanced the V8+ and Second Varsity Eight (2V8+) boats to the Grand Final. The 2022 team finished second in both the V8+ and 2V8+ races. The consistency of both boats gave Wellesley 51 points as a team, one more than second place Bates. The following year, the Blue once again reminded the rowing world why the team was the top ranked Division III program in the nation. Blue Crew finished first in the V8+ with a time of 7:06.275 and the 2V8+ earned second in the Grand Final. Wellesley finished with 54 points, well ahead of second place Wesleyan with 45.
Katie Ball '22 and Anneka Hallstrom '23 earned Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Division III Athlete of the Year in 2022 and 2023. Both earned CRCA All-American Status, along with Olivia Gorman '22, who made the Second Team in 2022, and Isabella Santos '23, who made the First Team in 2023. Blue Crew's coaching team of Spillane, Emilie Muller and Emilia Ball '19 received CRCA NCAA Division III National Coach and Coaching Staff of the Year recognition both years.
50 Years: Woo Becomes an NCAA Division III All-American and Hong Kong Olympics Qualifier in 1996:
The co-recipient of the 1996 Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer '49 Scholar-Athlete Award, Jack Woo '96 qualified for the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in the 100 and 200 meter backstroke during both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. Woo earned NCAA All-American honors in the 100 meter backstroke as a senior at the 1996 NCAA Championships before going on to represent Hong Kong at in the 1996 EPSON Swimming World Cup, later adding Hong Kong Olympic Team Qualifier to Woo's career honors; which also included four consecutive Seven Sisters All-Tournament Team appearances, All-New England honors and numerous Wellesley program records. Woo's accomplishments culminated in a 2020 induction into the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame.
50 Years: Cooper Claims the Championship in 1991:
Karyn Cooper '92 holds the distinction of being Wellesley's First NCAA Division III National Champion, winning the national Singles Tennis title in 1991.
Cooper's additional on-court success includes the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association/Rolex Regional Singles Championship and a Seven Sisters Singles Championship. She was also recognized as a three-time All-American, and a three-time New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Conference selection. She was honored as the Volvo Rookie Player of the Year, as an Academic All-American and was twice named as Wellesley's Outstanding Athlete of the Year. Her career record was an astounding 65-1.
50 Year: The New Wellesley College Sports Center Opens in 1985
In 1985, Wellesley College opened a new sports center, including a new field house, pool, exercise rooms, locker rooms and administrative offices. The original Mary Hemenway gymnasium was razed to make room for the new field house. Major portions of the Recreation Building were preserved and incorporated into the new center, although the original Davenport Pool became the site of squash and racquetball courts.
50 Years: Softball is Most Outstanding in its Field (Literally) in 2010:
In 2010, Wellesley's softball field received the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Field of the Year. The award-winning diamond was selected to host NCAA Division III Tournament Regional play in both 2010 and 2014. The field was also chosen as a shooting location for the Women's Sports Foundation HBO special, "Sounds of the Game." The field was constructed with subsurface drainage and an irrigation system and includes the same red crushed-stone warning track material that is used at Fenway Park in Boston.
50 Years: Softball Leads Off Strong in 2005:
Wellesley Athletics announced the addition of softball to its varsity roster in the Spring of 2005. Keri O'Meara was hired as the first coach, and to this day remains the only head coach in Blue softball program history. The team won its opener 2-1 over Colby on March 20, 2005. Wellesley went 22-14 in 2005 and reached the NEWMAC Semifinals. The team also qualified for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament. Christine Sodaro '08 and Kara Wong '08 were both named to the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team.
50 Years: "Ping's Angels" Race into History in 1977:
The 1977 Lightweight 4+ crew of Karen Cunningham Van Adzin '79, Kim Cooke Himmelfarb '77, Eleanor Horrigan Spyropoulos '80, Polly Munts Talen '77 and coxswain Elizabeth Pingchang Chow '79, was the first group of inductees in the team/relay category in Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame history in 2020.
The 1977 Lightweight Four captured First Place at the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges Lightweight Sprints, a first in the storied history of Wellesley Crew. "Ping's Angels" went on to the National Women's Rowing Association National Championships, finishing fourth nationally at the open championships that included not only collegiate crews but competitors from many of the top club programs in the nation.
50 Years: Wellesley Captures NEWMAC President's Cup in 2014:
The Blue's pristine 2013-14 year was capped off by winning the NEWMAC Women's Presidents Cup. Wellesley earned conference championships in field hockey, crew and softball, and finished second in three other sports. Crew finished fourth at the NCAA Division III Championships in 2014, softball was the runner-up at the NCAA Regional Tournament and field hockey made the NCAA Tournament Third Round.
"This cup symbolizes the passion, commitment, preparation, and competitive spirit exhibited by our student-athletes, coaches, and administrators in their pursuit of athletics excellence as members of the NEWMAC," noted Athletic Director Bridget Belgiovine at the time.
"Winning the Presidents Cup is a huge testament to the depth and strength of our Athletics program at Wellesley," commented Wellesley Head Crew Coach Tessa Spillane.
50 Years: Resurfaced Tennis Courts are a Winner in 2023
The Amy Batchelor '88, Trustee, Tennis Courts were resurfaced in the fall of 2023 to conclude an extensive renovation made possible by the generous contributions of Amy Batchelor '88. The project was completed by Cape and Island Tennis and Track and includes a new surface in addition to new fencing and upgrades to the lighting at the facility.
Wellesley's outdoor tennis facility features six tennis courts for varsity and recreational use. The courts are also fully lit, allowing for practice and competition at any time of day. The Blue held a ribbon cutting ceremony prior to the Wellesley Invitational this past September.
50 Years: The Blue Join the NEW6 in 1985
During the 1985-86 academic year, the New England Women's 6 Conference (NEW 6) was founded. Wellesley was a charter member of the NEW6 alongside Babson, Brandeis, MIT, Smith and Wheaton. Mount Holyoke College and WPI joined in 1988 and the name was changed to the NEW 8 Conference.
Wellesley basketball won the inaugural NEW6 title in 1986. The Blue went on to win 67 more conference championships over the past 38 years.
The NEWMAC was established in 1998, when the former New England Women's 8 Conference (NEW 8) voted to begin sponsoring conference play and championships for men. At this time, the conference expanded its membership to include Springfield College and the United States Coast Guard Academy.
50 Years: Lacrosse Earns First NCAA Tournament Bid in 1990:
The spring of 1990 was one of the most memorable in Blue lacrosse program history, ending with the team's first ever NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. Under the coaching of future USA Lacrosse Hall of Fame member Susan Ford, Wellesley went 17-2 and won its inaugural NEWMAC Championship by going undefeated in NEWMAC competition. Nina Lee '90 earned NEWMAC Player of the Year and Coach Ford received NEWMAC Coach of the Year honors.The team went on to make the finals of the NIAC tournament before punching a ticket to the 1990 NCAA Division III Tournament, where the team competed against eventual runner-up St. Lawrence. Future Wellesley Athletics Hall of Famer Jessica Gosnell '90, Janet Hanousek '90, Angie Hickman '90 and Lee were all named to the 1990 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association National All-America Team.
50 Years: Keohane Supports the Blue from 1981-1993
Nannerl "Nan" O. Keohane '61 graduated from Wellesley and went on to attend Oxford University, later earning her Ph.D at Yale. She served as a faculty member teaching political science at Swarthmore, the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University before returning to her alma mater as President in 1981.
As President, Nan is credited with vastly improving facilities such as the building of the Keohane Sports Center which opened in 1985 as well as the Davis Museum and Cultural Center. During her 1984 Convocation address, President Keohane eloquently spoke about the "practical, strategic and theoretical case" for why a Sports Center was important for Wellesley College. She believed that a sound mind in a sound body was more than a piece of rhetoric and, the self-knowledge and mental acumen that comes through athletics are not totally separate from the realms of intellect where they become most valuable in use.
50 Years: Batchelder Squashes the Perception of Women in Sports in 1979
Ann Batchelder earned her doctorate in Education from Boston University in 1976 before joining Wellesley College's faculty. Ann was the first sport-specific faculty member hired at Wellesley when she was hired to teach squash in 1979. At the time, she was one of the top-five nationally ranked players in the nation and the top-ranked player in Massachusetts.
Appointed permanent Associate Chair of the Physical Education, Recreation, Athletics (PERA) Department in the 1980's, Batchelder became Professor Emerita in 2008 and was awarded the Wellesley Community Service Award in 1996 and the Friend of Athletics Linda K. Vaughan Exceptional Service Award in 2015. Batchelder was inducted into the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2016.
