Highlights Include Naming of Nathalie Gruet '15 as Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer '49 Award Winner

Wellesley Blue has much to celebrate as the spring athletics season draws to a close. College records have been broken, championships won, and individual scholar-athletes have received recognition from Wellesley as well as at the regional and national levels.

One of the most prestigious awards Wellesley bestows on athletes is the Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer ’49 Award, named in honor of the longtime supporter of Wellesley College, Friends of Athletics, and Wellesley’s scholar-athletes. This year, Wellesley field hockey senior Nathalie Gruet ’15 received the award.

Among her many contributions to Wellesley, Hauptfuhrer was president of her class and served as a trustee and as president of the Alumnae Association. The legacy she left to the Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics Department included establishing and endowing the Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer Physical Education Fund in 1973 “to enable Wellesley students to participate in intercollegiate athletic events.” Her generous gift supports Wellesley athletes in all post-season play. In addition, she endowed the award that bears her name, given annually to a senior who embodies the characteristics of a true scholar-athlete.

Gruet is a two-time New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) and Regional Player of the Year. She amassed 63 goals and 21 assists for the Blue, scoring 18 game-winning goals in 83 career games and becoming the first Wellesley field hockey player to earn NEWMAC Player of the Year honors in back-to-back years. Gruet was also named All-Region and All-Conference for four consecutive years, including three consecutive years on the All-Region first team. Gruet started her career as NEWMAC Rookie of the Year in 2011 and ended it with an appearance in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game in 2014. An economics and political science double major, Gruet was also selected by the Division III Collegiate Women Sports Awards as the 2015 Division III Woman of the Year Nominee for field hockey. She is also Wellesley’s nominee for the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

Other highlights from the season include:

Track & Field

The Blue's Taylor Bickford '15 (steeplechase), Isabella Narvaez '17 (400m Dash) and Abena Asare '18 (Long Jump) each won individual NEWMAC Championships, while Priyanka Fouda '16 (5000m), Mary Keenan '17 (5,000m), and Asare will represent the Blue at the 2015 NCAA Championships, May 21-23, at St. Lawrence University. 

Crew

Led by NEWMAC Rower of the Year Kathryn Barth '17 and Coxswain of the Year Stephanie Kim '18, Blue Crew won its fifth-straight NEWMAC Championship earlier this month and will make its sixth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Rowing Championships, May 29-30, at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, California. 

Softball

After an outstanding run to the their second-straight NEWMAC Tournament Championship, Softball also picked up a victory in the NCAA Tournament, as Julia Warner '18 tossed the thirteenth no-hitter, and the first in an NCAA Tournament game, in College history.

Lacrosse

Led by All-Region honoree Claire Canty '15, Wellesley went 9-5 overall during the 2015 season, advancing to the NEWMAC Semifinals while recording the most wins for the program since 2009. 

Golf

Tennis

Wellesley wrapped up the year with a Senior Day celebration for Sojung Lee '15 before learning that Lee has earned recognition from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as the Northeast's Most Improved Player of the Year.

-Wellesley PERA contributed to this story. Photo by Alex Berman '16.