[Disclaimer: Henry France is captain of the Vassar men’s rowing team]
It has been a historic fall for Vassar Athletics. Between August and November, Vassar student-athletes showcase their skills in the following sports: men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, men’s and women’s rowing, men’s and women’s rugby, women’s golf, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s cross country. The tennis and rowing teams’ seasons are primarily in the spring, but both hold fall competitions. Following a strong spring, the rowing team sent a men’s and women’s varsity eight boat to Boston for the storied Head of the Charles Regatta, where nearly 400,000 spectators lined the banks of the river for the three-day fiasco]. The tennis teams showcased strong top-to-bottom rosters at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Regional Championship in Saratoga Springs, New York. Whether it is on the river, court, field or course, fall teams earned recognition for record-setting performances across the board.
Women’s Soccer
The women’s soccer team captured the program’s first-ever Liberty League crown after bolstering an impressive regular season record, winning 14 of their 17 games. The Brewers earned a bye in the first round of the Liberty League tournament as the No.1 seed in the league. In a tense game against Ithaca College in the semi-finals, attacker Gianna Panarelli ’27 netted the game-winner just one minute into the sudden-victory overtime period to earn the squad a trip to the tournament finals against Rochester Institute of Technology. In the Brewers’ first trip to the Liberty League finals since 2019, goalkeeper Laura Shea ’28 posted her 11th shutout of the year in a tight 1-0 victory, with the lone goal coming from Liberty League Rookie of the Year, Ava Holman ’29. Senior captain Lindsey Nihei ’26 earned the tournament’s most outstanding player, holding down the squad’s defensive efforts the entirety of the tournament. With this victory, the squad automatically qualified for the NCAA tournament, where they drew the University of Mary Washington in the first round, losing in a tight 1-0 battle.
Men’s Soccer
After a special year for the team, winning the Liberty League championship just last fall, Coach Hood’s boys looked to return to the top after graduating seven seniors, including four who started in that Liberty League championship game. After a turbulent season where the Brewers went 9-5-3, the squad paved a path to the Liberty League championship against nationally ranked No.16 Hobart College. In a rainy battle in Geneva, New York, the squad pushed until the final whistle, ultimately losing 2-1. Despite the upsetting finish, the year was still notable, with Senior forward Jared Fiske being named Liberty League Player of the Year for the second time in his career. Joining Fiske, Arden Tabolski ’28, Otis Wildman ’26, Jackson Allen ’27 and Mauricio Mejia ’27 were named to all-Liberty teams.
Field Hockey
It was a special year for Vassar’s field hockey team, claiming their second league title in five years, flipping the script after a disappointing 2024 season. This time last year, the Brewers sat at the bottom of the Liberty League table after going 4-14 (1-6 in LL play). Bringing in 10 first-year recruits and welcoming Sydney Kovel ’26 as a student coaching assistant, the squad entered the season revitalized. Starting the season 4-5, the team entered Liberty League play without much momentum, but won their first three Liberty League matches, including one against nationally ranked No.25 Ithaca College. Earning a first-round bye in the Liberty League Championship tournament, the squad defeated William Smith in the semi-finals before overtaking Union College 4-2 in a dramatic championship game, featuring four of the six goals coming in the final 10 minutes. Winning the Liberty League, the squad automatically qualified for the NCAA tournament, where they faced Williams College in the first round. They lost a tough-fought battle 4-2. Sofia Beseth ’26, Karina Hoffman ’27 and Sophie Rosenblum ’28 earned All-Liberty League First Team honors alongside a coaching staff led by Annie Fowler, who was named Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year.
Men’s Rugby
The men’s rugby team endured a rocky season, finishing with a 6-5 record after falling in the Tri-State conference championship 24-31 to the U.S. Massachusetts Maritime Academy. But the season was not without high points, with strong victories over the University of Albany and Montclair State University. The squad will look towards spring action.
Women’s Rugby
It was nothing new for Vassar’s women’s rugby team, continuing their reign of dominance over Division II women’s rugby. Vassar won their 10th Tri-State championship in an 88-5 domination over Fairfield University. The conference victory followed a perfect season where the Brewers pummeled one opponent after another. With the win, the Brewers qualified for the National College Rugby Playoffs in Georgetown, Delaware, where they won their first round matchups to punch their ticket to the semi-finals in Houston.
Women’s Golf
On Oct. 5, the women’s golf team rounded out fall action after a busy handful of matches. The squad finished last in all but one of their four matches in a challenging year for the Brewers. The team will look to get back onto the fairway in spring play.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball team entered the season under their third coach in three years. The Brewers embraced their young core, with seven of their 16 players being first-years, but it was not just the rookies that got it done for the squad. Holland Kaplan ’27 and Maura McAusland ’27 led the squad in kills with 307 and 404, respectively. McAusland put together a spectacular year, hitting a strong .329 on 404 kills, with 240 digs and 24 blocks. Defensively, Ellie Kogan ’26, Francesca Medrano ’27 and Rebecca Gutierrez ’26 put together great 2025 campaigns. Winning eight of their first nine matches, the squad built up momentum heading into Liberty League play, where they went 5-4, good for a ticket to the Liberty League playoffs. The squad fell in the first round in a tight five-set match against Skidmore College. Despite a sour ending, the team’s future looks bright with a balanced crew of talented rising seniors and a hungry young core.
Men’s Cross Country
The men’s cross country team strung together another strong year, finishing fourth out of nine in the Liberty League championship meet before posting a top-ten finish out of 26 teams at the NCAA Mideast Regionals. It has been a long season for the Brewers, beginning in August and continuing through November over eight races. The strong performance has been a full team effort, led by Sean Miller ’27 and Max Frazee ’27, who both earned Liberty League first team honors. Now, the squad looks towards the NCAA DIII Championships in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Women’s Cross Country
The Vassar women’s cross country team won the Liberty League crown for the third consecutive year this fall, with seven racers finishing in the top-20, including Haley Schoenegge ’27, Anika Mueller-Hickler ’26 and Adelaide Nyhan ’27 finishing second, fourth and fifth, respectively. Next, the squad travelled to St. Lawrence University for the Mideast Regional Championships, where they competed against highly touted competition. The team raced to fifth out of 25 total squads. The strong 2025 campaign is a part of an arduous season that began in hot Poughkeepsie in August and wraps up in a chilly November. Over the year, the runners garnered a handful of top-20 national rankings, peaking at No.16. The squad turns its attention to the NCAA DIII Championships in Spartanburg, South Carolina, this upcoming weekend.
Across the board, Vassar sports have continued to dominate, with record-setting performances, matches and seasons raining in from teams across the department. Vassar College Director of Athletics Michelle Walsh could not be more excited about the performance of fall athletes. She told The Miscellany News, “It has been an absolutely outstanding fall for our teams! All six of our fall teams who have a playoff model advanced to their conference postseason [and] five of those six teams advanced to their conference championship games.” Walsh has cultivated an environment where student-athletes are driven to succeed in all areas of college life since joining Vassar in 2015. Student-athletes are getting it done in the classroom just as much as they are on the court, field or course.