This is an update of my short update of D‘s mostly repost of previous athletics unofficial orientation series posts.
This is part of our 2017 Unofficial Orientation Series. A quick reminder that you can check out the welcome post here and past years’ series here.
Some of you frosh probably don’t know that WesTech competes in the prestigious NESCAC—the most competitive D3 conference in the country. Despite the throngs of news outlets that flock to many of our sports games, you will never have to enter a lottery system or wait in a line overnight to obtain tickets. We also aren’t like these fans, and we never will be. That’s okay. Do not believe the naysayers who claim that Wesleyan students do not support or appreciate athletics. I have personally witnessed Wes students get so fired up after a basketball loss to Trinity that we started a “safety school” chant. Not our best moment but definitely an example of caring!
Whether you’re attempting to relive your high school glory days, looking to get or stay fit (the freshman fifteen is real), or trying out a new sport, Wesleyan has what you are looking for!
Last year the Dirty Birds did some real damage yo: we had 2 national championships, 5 Little Three titles, and one NESCAC championship. , Eudice Chong ’18 defended her title (for a third time, and the only person to win this three times) as D3 NCAA singles champ in women’s tennis. She and Victoria Yu ’19 took home the doubles title as well. Our football team won the Little Three title against Williams and Amherst for the first time in 33 years. Men’s basketball also won the Little Three, which was their first title in 26 years. Men’s lacrosse won the NESCAC championship for the first time ever, and set a number of other program records. Women’s lacrosse also had a record-setting season.
You may be wondering how far away the Freeman Athletic Center is from central campus. If you live in Bennet: close; if you live in Butts: not close enough. Regardless, here is the link to a campus map if you’re still doubtful and here are the facility hours as an added bonus.
Freeman has everything that you need: a weight room, sauna, steam room (yes, there is a difference), locker rooms for both athletes and non-athletes, pool, and rowing center. There is also a field house with an indoor track that has been resurfaced this summer. Do not hesitate to see Joe Fountain, the Director of Athletic Injury Care, or Bob Chiapetta, Manager of Intercollegiate Operations. The former can treat your injuries; the latter can provide you with equipment. They are both located on the bottom floor near the locker rooms. I almost forgot about this stunner. When the varsity teams are not practicing on it, students are free to use it.
There are a lot of ways to get involved with athletics even if you’re not on a varsity team. Check out this site for all our fall, winter and spring intramural leagues. Also, there are plenty of club teams, like fencing, cycling, co-ed ice hockey, and broomball, though they require more commitment than intramural sports. If group exercise is more your thing, Wesleyan Body and Mind offers several different yoga and cardio classes for students, including free events almost every weekend.
To be honest, seeing as I am an Internet blogger and haven’t really done sports ever (this is me, wilk, admitting my shortcomings), I would seriously recommend checking out the Wes Athletics website and Twitter, as they are really on top of their news and shit and I can’t possibly aggregate everything into this post.
I will say that athletics at Wesleyan is like most things at Wes: there if you want it, there if you don’t, and you can always choose whether you want to be a part of it and, if you do, there will likely be some super passionate and impressive folks on the teams.
Since there is so much more to discover about athletics at Wesleyan, and I can only make this font so small, I encourage you to explore the main page of the athletics department. Check out the team schedules, new exercise programs, sports class offerings, and much more.
Okay, because I feel like this post is too short (seriously, check out the athletics website for more info), here’s some dope Wes sports related media. Also, please feel free to let us know about better and more up-to-date sports media in our tipbox.
Wesleyan Tennis Spring Break 2016
This choice content c/o Wes Swim & Dive ’15-’16:
Throw Culture Spring Break 2017 (Wes’s grooviest coed ultimate team):
A photo posted by Wesleyan Women’s Crew (@weswomenscrew) on
“Our football team won the Little Three title against Williams and Amherst for the first time in 33 years.”
2013 says hello.
“Men’s lacrosse won the NESCAC championship for the first time ever…”
http://wesleyanargus.com/2009/05/05/men%E2%80%99s-lacrosse-wins-first-nescac-title/