vicious circles – Roth on Wesleyan

As readers of this blog know well, I like to note athletic achievements from time to time. Of course, the risk here is that I leave people out (like the great Frisbee teams, whose parents want recognition for the joyful, creative feats of their kids!), and that my attention is not as fairly distributed as it should be. Vicious Circles and Nietzsch Factor, you know who you are! Case in point: How long has it been since I’ve written about the crew teams?? Too long, and now they are national powerhouses.

The women’s team has been strong for a long time and this year is building on its tradition of excellence. They have been dueling with Tufts and other New England teams for top honors and have been ranked #1 in the nation for part of this season. Although the Jumbos bested us this past weekend, we are aiming high as we head into the final part of the season. Head Coach Pat Tynan leads a great group.

The men’s crew team is currently ranked #1 in the country! These guys have been creating a wake effect all year long, and they head into the final part of the season with plenty of momentum. Head coach Phil Carney heads an impressive, talented group of student-athletes, all of whom are committed to showing how individual effort and extraordinary teamwork can be combined for success in all things.

I find it hard to cheer for crew—where is the boat? Can they hear us? But let’s give a big Wesleyan cheer for both teams!

And while you’re at it, cheer on the Wesleyan men’s tennis team, who upset the highly ranked Williams boys this weekend. And the Wes Women’s tennis team, which again won The Little Three Championship!

Go Wes!

Yesterday Wesleyan’s Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team — Vicious Circles — finished second IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY in the Division III national championships. This club team traveled to Kentucky to compete in the tournament with a combination of cooperation and exuberance. Mutually supportive teamwork helped this squad upset higher ranked clubs and the Wesleyans gave the defending champs a run for their money.

Here’s part of the report from UltiWorld:

[Captain] Luci Salwen’s [’17] persistent flick hucks kept Wesleyan in the game. Salwen was able to find cutters in traffic on the endzone line and also send them deep the next point. Cutters Claire LeGardeur [’17] and Lily Gould [’19], in particular, scored several points off of Salwen’s assists. [Grad student] Tessa Hill was found all over on Wesleyan’s offense, handling against the zone and then coming down with some huge endzone skies.

The article goes on:

“We’re so happy to be here,” said senior captain Oona Wallace ’17. “Our goal all tournament has been to work hard and play our best.” Instead of committing themselves to an end goal, Wesleyan focused on playing every point as a point they could be proud of.

In addition, the Wesleyan captains maintained that “the team plays for each other” and that “before ultimate, we created an encouraging, positive environment that provided a supportive network for women.” They made it a priority to “make sure people absolutely feel they deserve to be on the field when they’re playing.” Each player on Wesleyan played her heart out because she knew giving her best to her pumped up teammates was exactly what the team needed, and was simply enough.

So proud of these Wesleyan athletes who played their hearts out at the highest level. Congratulations, Vicious Circles!! Go Wes!

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