Courtesy of Sean Elliott
September rolls around, the mornings are getting colder, leaves are starting to turn, and the sun is setting earlier: all tell-tale signs that the much anticipated fall sports season is upon us! The coming days and weeks will be filled with all of the teams you love to watch and cheer on. The College Voice wants to make sure you are kept up to date with everything you need to know about the teams before the season gets into full swing. The following information is as of Sept. 15, but you can see the most recent scores, records, and schedules at camelathletics.com.
Women’s Cross Country
This season is certainly looking up for the women’s cross country team, but not without big shoes to fill. The 2023 season was a historic one for Conn; the women’s team qualified for the NCAA DIII Championship for the first time ever, finishing 28th overall in the regular season and fourth in the NESCAC Championship. Despite the graduation of five seniors since last season, this year’s team seems to be living up to their predecessors, already winning the season opener at the Trinity Invitational. In the 2024 preseason coaches poll, Conn ranks #21— their highest national ranking in recent history. The Camels return All-NESCAC cross-country first team runner Abby Fernald ’26 as well as NCAA DIII Outdoor Track and Field All-Americans Alexa Estes ’26 and Grace McDonough ’26. The team hopes to see a repeat of last year’s success. Captain Caitlin Bird ‘26 shares her thoughts on the road to get there. “We are returning the majority of our top runners this season and we remain optimistic that this is possible by living out our team’s values of the 5C’s: Character, Common sense, Commitment, Confidence, and Competitiveness,” said Bird. It will be interesting to watch as this team progresses throughout the season. Be sure to show support for the first home meet at Harkness Memorial State Park on Oct. 19, as well as at regionals Nov. 16!
Men’s Cross Country
Last season, Conn’s Men’s Cross Country team finished seventh overall with 214 points in the NESCAC Championship. Not a bad end to the season, and we’re already seeing the Camels keep that same energy headed into the 2024 season. There’s a lot of room for rising stars as the team graduated five seniors last year, many of which were top competitors. This team doesn’t seem to be having any trouble picking up the slack, having placed third in the Trinity Invitational. Many strong runners still remain, including All-NESCAC Track and Field runner Matt Scardigno ‘25 and All-New England Track and Field runner Ellis Iurilli-Hough ‘27. With the addition of six first-year members, the Camels have a fighting chance at greatness. The Conn College Invitational will be hosted at the Harkness Memorial State Park on Oct. 19, come watch and cheer on the runners!
Women’s Field Hockey
It’s shaping up to be a thrilling year for Conn’s field hockey team. Last season, the team racked up its most victories since 2014 with a record of 6-9. For two years in a row the women’s field hockey team has been able to consistently get two NESCAC wins. As ten seniors graduated last year, it will be a compelling story if they can repeat, or even surpass, these wins without some of those key players. They ended their season in victory, so let’s hope they can bring that energy back to the 2024 season. So far, it has been a bit of a rough start for the team with three losses against nationally ranked #14 Amherst, #4 Babson, and NESCAC foe Bowdoin. However, the Camels pulled off their first win of the season against Wellesley on Sept. 10 with two goals from All-NESCAC Second Team forward Bridget McGann ‘26 and a shutout from Liz Winemaster ‘27. Come out and show support for the field hockey team on Oct. 2nd for their next home game against Springfield College!
Women’s Rowing
The women’s rowing team has been hard at work getting ready to take on the competition after a successful past year of rowing. In their last race of the 2023 fall season, the team placed fifth in the 1V8 with a time of 21:16.8 and 13th in the 2V8 with a time of 23:33.9. Over the year they continued to improve, dropping 18 seconds off their preliminary time in the last race of the season. They crossed the finish line with their best time being 7:19.29, giving their fastest performance of the season. Continuing a common theme seen across most fall sports is a large graduating cohort of seniors from last season including All-NESCAC second team coxswain Emma Lanahan ‘25. This year, with the graduation of fourteen seniors, the returning roster and incoming first-years look to cement their chemistry quickly and keep up the momentum from the spring season into the fall. Even with the graduation of many seniors, the Camels return four rowers from their top varsity boat in Emily Fairfield ‘26, Julia Finney ‘26, Sydney Frank ‘26, and Paisley Brown ‘26. The women’s rowing team will have their first competition at Head of the Snake on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Men’s Rowing
Last fall season, the team finished with a 1V4 time of 10:07.5, a 2V4 time of 22:22.6, 1V8 time of 20:16.9, and 2V8 time of 21:31.4. After finishing strong in the fall season, the team then went on to qualify for the 3rd level finals at the National Invitational Rowing Championship. The 1V8 crew finished 4th with a time of 6:54.32 and the 2V8 had a time of 7:02.92. Six seniors graduated from last year’s team, so while about a quarter of the crew will be different, new talent may bring a fresh approach to competing this season. The Camels do return six of their varsity eight including All-NESCAC second team rower Finn McKitterick ‘26. The men’s team is getting ready for an exciting fall season with their first competition on Oct.12 at Head of the Snake.
Co-ed Sailing
After missing out for qualification for the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) National Championships last spring after two consecutive years of qualification, the sailing team is eager to return to the national stage. Despite the graduation of eight seniors, the Camels return 21 sailors from last year and add six first-years. Having placed 13 out of 18 teams at the Harry Anderson Trophy race at Yale and nine of nine teams at the Pine Trophy at the Coast Guard Academy, the sailing team will hope to build more chemistry to hit the ground running in the spring to qualify for the national championships. The co-ed sailing team will compete next at the Hoyt Trophy at Brown University in Providence on Sept. 21 and 22.
Courtesy of Sean Elliott
Women’s Soccer
Conn has started off the fall season strong with three wins, against University of Saint Joseph, Coast Guard Academy and Bowdoin College, as well as one one loss against Amherst College. Last season was an exciting one for the team, who made it all the way to the NESCAC quarter-finals with a 9-6-1 record. There’s a whole new set of faces on the field this season following the graduation of seven seniors last year, including all four captains. This year’s seniors are ready to pick up the leadership, especially with eleven new first-years joining the team this fall. The team is led by captains Ella Kahrl ‘25, Clare Mulvihill ‘25, and Ella Davidyock ‘25 and Ella Gazo ‘26 currently leads the NESCAC in goals scored and assists with three each in four games. We’re all eager to see where the Camels can go this season, so make sure to come down to their next home game on Oct. 12 against Hamilton College!
Men’s Soccer
The bar is set high for the men’s team this year, coming off a historic 2023 season. Ending last year with a 12-7-2 record, they led an undefeated regular season for the first time in the history of the program. They also made an appearance in the NCAA DIII Elite Eight for the third time since 2019. All of this landed them in the eighth spot in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. They started off the season with two wins, one against USMMA and the other against Salve Regina, and while they won’t have an undefeated record this year due to a loss against Amherst the team still has their sights set high for the rest of the season. When asked what his goals are, Captain Jack Lavorel ‘25 said, “I would like to see this year, as opposed to other years, overcoming adversity with positivity,” said Lavorel. With high aspirations and a positive mindset, there’s no doubt the Camels will go far in their fall 2024 season. The team returns many seniors who took a spring semester off to make one more run at a championship this fall, including All-NESCAC First Team captain and last season’s leading goalscorer Matt Scaffone ‘25, All-NESCAC Second Team forward Jake Creus ‘25, captain Sam Boehm ‘25, captain Alessandro Horvath Diano ‘25, midfielder Rye Jaran ‘25, and defender Brendan Clare ‘25. You can come support the men’s team in their season at their next home game on Oct. 2 against Trinity College!
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball team is on its way to greatness this year, after starting out undefeated six games in a row. Last season was full of highs and lows for the team, with a record of 12-12 and going down in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs. The team has goals of making it all the way to the top three this year. With a big emphasis on unity, Amanda Kriedler ‘25 stated, “our team collectively decided we want to win [the] NESCAC this year.” There is a lot of optimism about the team around this season. There is a largely changed dynamic within the team with seven of fifteen team members being first-years and four seniors having graduated from last year including DIIICA Women’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year nominee Emma Wheeler ‘25. Katherine Randall ‘25 mentioned that she wants everyone to know, “we are definitely a new group—don’t expect the old team to be back.” Mila Chan ‘28, Katherine Randall ‘25, and Rae Wartelle ‘27 currently lead the team in kills and points. Don’t miss the chance to stop by and see the new and improved women’s volleyball team, a big crowd always helps, so be sure to come to their next home game on Sept. 27 against Trinity!
Men’s Water Polo
Coming off a tough season last fall, with only two wins and twenty-two losses, the Conn men’s water polo team has a chance to come back strong. There are a lot of familiar faces coming back to the team this year with only one senior having graduated, but there are also five new incoming first-year players who could give a new jolt to the game. ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention attacker Jesse Ellis ‘27 returns alongside senior captains Jonathan Rojas ‘25, Siaki Nelson ‘25, and Liam Merrill ‘25. So far, there is an even split between wins and losses, a blank slate for the rest of the season. With one win against Wheaton College and a loss to Austin College, we’re holding out hope for success in the coming season. You can come see them play their next home match against John Hopkins University on Sept. 29!
