Wellesley Athletics

Wellesley Athletics Opens Its Fall Season September 6

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College Athletics will open its fall season Saturday, September 6 as its soccer and field hockey teams will start their seasons at home on Wellesley’s new multi-million dollar athletic complex.

The 2002 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Champion field hockey team opens its season at 1 p.m. on Saturday taking on regional opponent Bowdoin College under the direction of first-year head coach Nicole Smith. Wellesley field hockey posted an impressive 17-4 record in the 2003 season, including a 7-1 mark in conference play en route to capturing the NEWMAC crown and earning a berth to the 2003 National Field Hockey Championship.

National Field Hockey Regional All-America selections midfielder Laura Bender ’04 (Mattapoiset, Mass.), goalkeeper Caitlin Andrews ’05 (Edgecomb, Maine) and forward Zana Previti ’05 (Ashburnham, Mass.) return to anchor Wellesley’s 2003 campaign.

The Wellesley College soccer team plays host to Elizabethtown, Western Connecticut and William Patterson in its annual Wellesley Soccer Invitational. Wellesley opens its season at 2 p.m. on Saturday against Elizabethtown following the Western Connecticut/William Patterson game at 12 p.m.

Wellesley finished the 2002 season with a 10-7-1 record and advanced to the semifinals of the NEWMAC Championship. Senior goalkeeper Elizabeth Senecal (Wellesley, Mass.), a 2002 NEWMAC all-conference selection, returns to lead a solid defense anchored by senior co-captain Kelly Kehm (York, Pa.).

Wellesley’s four remaining fall sports open their seasons during the month of September, including its five-time NEWMAC Championship volleyball team which opens its season on the road against Gordon College on September 9 at 7 p.m.

Wellesley’s 2003 NEWMAC Champion Cross Country team returns all three of its top runners in sophomores Sarah Bard (Waterville, Maine), Tracy Bassett (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) and Christine Grant (Mercer Island, Wash.). Grant earned NEWMAC Rookie of the Year honors finishing second overall at the championship race and was named to the All-New England regional team. Bassett earned all-conference and regional honors, while Bard earned all-conference honors in their first season. The Wellesley runners will open their season on the road at the Connecticut College Invitational, Saturday, September 13.

Saturday, September 13 will also be the season opener for Wellesley’s tennis team as the Blue will travel to Springfield College for its first NEWMAC match of the season. Wellesley returns a solid group of juniors including two-time all-conference selection Kirsi Hakkinen (Cincinatti, Ohio). Hakkinen finished the 2002-03 season with a 15-8 record at no. 1 and no. 2 singles.

Wellesley’s golf team opens its season on the links, Saturday, September 27 at the Mount Holyoke Invitational. In its second year of competition, Wellesley golf placed fourth at the 2003 Northeast Championship. Junior captain Vicky Lyo (San Francisco, Calif.) returns to pace the Blue. Last season, Lyo maintained a solid 93 average, including a season-low 87 at the 2002 Mount Holyoke Invitational.