Dear Alumni, Parents and Eph Fans,
The temperatures may be dropping, but that also means that our fall student-athletes are moving toward the stretch runs of their seasons. It has been a thrilling fall with many great moments and surely more to come.
There have been some recent changes to athletics administration:
First, I’m pleased to announce that Carolyn Miles was promoted to Deputy Athletic Director after serving last spring as the institution’s interim athletic director.
Second, we have moved to a sport-supervision model for senior leadership. Carolyn has supervision responsibilities for men’s and women’s crew, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, wrestling and field hockey.
David Lindholm, recently added as senior associate athletic director for recruitment and sports supervision, supervises men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s skiing, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s squash and men’s and women’s ice hockey.
David comes to Williams from Bard College where he served for the past two years as the athletic director; previously at Bard filling the roles of associate athletic director and head cross country and track and field coach since April 2017. He arrived at Bard in 2016 as an assistant coach for men’s soccer and men’s and women’s squash.
Leslie Shevlin, recently added as senior associate athletic director for compliance and sports supervision, supervises men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track & field, football, softball, baseball, volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s basketball.
Shevlin comes to Williams from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where she served as an associate athletics director and the senior woman administrator for the past three years. Prior to embarking on an administrative role in athletics, Shevlin was the Bearcats’ head coach of men’s and women’s swimming.
Now let’s get to some of the exciting fall results to date: Field hockey is currently ranked No. 3 in the country and has defeated six ranked opponents, including five in the top-12. The Ephs are 10-0 overall and 7-0 in the NESCAC, and 24th-year head coach Alix Barrale ’93 earned her 300th career win as a Division III head coach and her 250th at Williams during a 4-0 victory at Trinity on Sept. 21. The 7-0 start in the NESCAC is the best for the Ephs under Barrale—the team previously started 6-0 in 2000 and 2006.
Women’s soccer, currently ranked 15th in the country, is 6-4-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the conference. The squad shut out six straight opponents from Sept. 15-Oct. 6 and seven overall this season, with Tori Huang burying five game-winning goals. On Sept. 7, the Ephs defeated then-fourth-ranked Tufts, 2-1, at Cole Field.
Men’s soccer is 8-2-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the NESCAC, as the team is currently on a nine-game unbeaten streak with a 7-0-2 record during that period. The Ephs defeated then-top-ranked Amherst, 1-0, at Cole Field on Sept. 14, marking the program’s first win over Amherst on Cole Field since 2005.
Football is currently 3-2, opening up with back-to-back wins against Hamilton and Colby. The Ephs defeated Bowdoin, 34-14, on Oct. 5 at Farley-Lamb Field. Sophomore quarterback Owen McHugh was named NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16 and senior running back Mario Fischetti was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Oct. 8.
Volleyball is 10-6 overall and had a five-match winning streak from Sept. 7-14. The team has defeated NESCAC rivals at Connecticut College 3-0, on Sept. 21, Bates 3-0, on Oct. 5 and Bowdoin 3-1, on Oct. 12.
Men’s cross country finished first out of 21 at the Keene State College Invitational on Oct. 5. Senior Chuckie Namiot placed first overall in the individual standings immediately followed by eight teammates, as Williams took the top-nine spots in the individual standings.
Women’s cross country has won three meets this fall, placing first out of 23 at the Keene State College Invitational on Oct. 5, first out of 16 at the James Earley Invitational on Oct. 12 and first out of five at the Purple Valley Classic on Sept. 21. Kate Tuttle ’28 and senior Grace Kaercher were the first runners overall to cross the finish line at both Keene State College Invitational and James Earley Invitational.
Men’s golf finished in a tie for second overall out of 21 at the Skidmore Fall Invitational on Oct. 12-13. Sophomore Alex Moller finished third overall in the individual standings. Women’s golf finished first out of 13 at the season-opening Polar Bear Shootout on Sept. 14-15. Sophomore Maryanne Grace placed first overall, shooting a five-under par in the two-round event.
Women’s and men’s tennis competed in two and three fall events, respectively, and are looking forward to the main spring season. Men’s crew opened the fall season at the Head of the Housatonic on Oct. 13. Women’s crew recorded a first-place finish out of 13 boats during the Varsity Eight event at the “Go for Gourd” Regatta.
The NESCAC Championship for men’s and women’s cross country will take place on Nov. 2 at Bowdoin. The field hockey and men’s and women’s soccer quarterfinal round of the NESCAC Tournament will take place at the higher seed on Nov. 2. The highest remaining seed in each sport will host the semifinals and final rounds on Nov. 9 and 10. The quarterfinal round of the volleyball tournament will take place on Nov. 9 at the higher seed, and then the highest remaining seed will host the semifinals and final rounds on Nov. 15 and 16.
We appreciate your dedication to Williams athletics and our phenomenal student-athletes. Make sure to show off your Ephs’ athletic gear and be loud and positive to encourage our teams.
See you soon.
Sincerely,
Lisa Melendy
Athletic Director