Eighth-Seeded Cards End 13-Match Losing Streak vs. Bowdoin to Advance in NESCAC Championship

Entering the NESCAC Championship hosted by Trinity for opening-round contests Fri., Feb. 6, Wesleyan accomplished a first by ending a 13-match losing streak vs. Bowdoin with a thrilling 5-4 victory. Wesleyan's last win over the Polar Bears came in 1994 while each of the last three losses between 2005-2008 were by 9-0 counts.

Tanesha Jackson '13 (left side of photo) was the highest Cardinal on the ladder to produce a victory as she took her match at #3 by a 3-1 score. While Bowdoin captured three of the top four spots, Gwynne Hunter '10 (right side of photo) led the power of the lower portion with a 3-0 triumph at #5. Also winning by 3-0 scores were #6 Jenny Chu '11 and #9 Meherazade Sumariwalla '12 while #7 Caroline Fox '12 came through with a 3-1 decision.

New for the Cardinals in the five-year history of the NESCAC Championship is a second-round match in the main draw at Trinity on Saturday. Wesleyan faced top-seed and defending champion Trinity in its second-round match and not surprsingly dropped a 9-0 decision without winning a game from the powerful and second-ranked nationally Bantams. Each of the first four years of the tournament, Wesleyan had been one of the lower three teams and competed in the consolation matches at Wesleyan on Saturday. Following its match with Trinity, Wesleyan took on Amherst in the next round, again losing 9-0 but four Cardinals took at least one game from their Lord Jeff rival with #7 Fox going a full five games.

Wesleyan played its final NESCAC match on Sunday, taking on Colby with the winner claiming seventh place and the loser holding eighth. The Mules captured the match, 6-3, as they did three weeks earlier. Wesleyan winners included Chu, Fox and Sumariwalla while four other Cardinals who came up short took at least one game from their Colby opponent.

Wesleyan travels to Vassar for its Team Challenge Sat., Feb. 13, taking on the host, Conn. College and Columbia for its next matches.

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