Wellesley Junior Earns All-America Honors at NCAA Diving Championships
With a fourth-place finish at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Regional Championships, Wellesley diver Hayley Goydan ’14 qualified to compete at the NCAA National Championship, held in Texas last week. The Chester, N.J., native, a double major in Chinese language and literature and economics, now claims All-America honors on the 1-meter board. Goydan finished 11th place overall with a score of 403.70. She was the top NEWMAC finisher at the event and the only diver in the conference to advance past the preliminary round. Earlier in the competition she placed 21st in the nation on the 3-meter board.
Gabby Cooper-Vespa ’15, also qualified for NCAA Regional Championships, her first NCAA diving appearance.
Wellesley Swimming and Diving had a fantastic season with a third place finish at the NEWMAC Championships. The Blue ended the regular season with a 9-2 record in dual meets and also ranked as high #18 overall in Division III. First-year Dorothy Ren earned All-Conference honors, setting several new school records along the way. The team also continued its dominance in Seven Sisters competition, capturing its 16th straight championship title. In addition, the Blue had eight NEWMAC All-Academic selections and two NCAA Diving regional qualifiers.
Winter Sport Recaps
Basketball
The Blue finished a successful season with an overall record of 16-11, 12-6 in conference play. Third-ranked Wellesley finished the NEWMAC tournament as the runner up, after defeating second-ranked Smith in the semifinals to advance to the championship game for the first time since 2002. The Blue then earned a bid to the ECAC Division III New England Tournament, also for the first time since 2002, advancing it to the semifinal round.
Senior Malia Maier, who scored her 1,000th point during the ECAC semifinal game, earned NEWMAC First Team All-Conference honors—and will graduate as the Blue’s all-time leader in both steals and assists. In addition, the Blue had six players earn NEWMAC All-Academic honors, the most for any institution in the conference.
Fencing
The Wellesley fencing team recorded nine dual meet victories this season and ranked 10th overall at the New England Championships. The Blue's epee squad finished sixth overall in New England, while the sabre squad ranked 12th and foil, 13th.
Wellesley closed out the season with seven competitors at the NCAA Regionals: Elise Dong ’13, Eileen Cho ’16, Camille Samulski ’16 (foil); Charlotte Treadwell ’16, and Kathryn Ledbetter ’15 (epee); Dania Wright ’14 and senior Mariami Bekauri ’13 (sabre). Treadwell ranked 11th among Division-III fencers in epee, and Wright placed 14th in sabre among Division-III opponents.
Squash
Wellesley Squash finished the 2012-2013 season ranked #23 nationally, with a 9-15 overall record. The Blue finished play at the 2013 College Squash Association (CSA) Championships with a 5-4 upset over higher-ranked Connecticut College. The Blue narrowly missed a Seven Sisters title, finishing second at the event and falling 5-4 to Mount Holyoke in the championship match. Junior Rosemary O’Connor and first-year Gabriella Wynne each earned All-Seven Sisters honors for the Blue.
Track & Field (Indoor)
The Blue track and field team wrapped up a solid indoor season, as senior Randelle Boots advanced to the NCAA Championships. Boots was 10th overall in the mile, despite having been plagued by injury early in the season, completing a four-year streak of top-10 national finishes.
Earlier in the season, Boots and the 4x800-meter relay team of Cristina Lucas ’13, Alexandra Dunn ’15, Alessandra Gavin ’16, and Sharon Ng ’16 earned All-New England honors, finishing fourth in their respective events. Additionally, Lucas medaled in the 1,000-meter event at the Open New England Championships, competing against Division I, II and III opponents.
Reporting by Lauren Ferrett