W&L fall athletics season sees Generals return to NCAA stage

Some fall sports continued in the post-season, while others have come to a close

Christian Basnight, Staff Writer

The Washington and Lee University field hockey and men’s and women’s soccer teams competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association events this past weekend, while three individual Generals qualified for the Division III championship in cross country.  

Field hockey 

The Generals field hockey team kicked off NCAA play on Wednesday, earning a 3-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan. The triumph marked head coach Gina Wills’ 100th win.  

 “One-hundred wins is a great accomplishment, but I’m most grateful for the women that I’ve had the opportunity to coach throughout my time here at W&L,” Wills said. “I think it takes a lot of a lot of people to reach that milestone for me.” 

The field hockey team traveled to Salisbury, Md. on Saturday to face No. 8 Williams College in the NCAA second round. The Generals fell to Williams 3-0, ending their season with a 17-3 record.  

Washington and Lee field hockey had another standout season, winning their second consecutive Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship title and fourth overall after defeating Lynchburg 1-0 in a nail-biting overtime finish.   

Seven field hockey players made ALL-ODAC teams, tied for the second-most in program history. Peyton Tysinger, ’23, led the team in scoring with 15 goals throughout the season. Tess Muneses, ’23, was voted ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Betty Boatwright, ’26, earned Rookie of the Year. Gina Wills was named ODAC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. 

 Wills, who capped off her eighth season as head coach, said she’s most proud of her team’s unity in building strong performances on the field.  

 “They’re an amazing group of women who are supportive of each other and continue to build each other up,” she said. 

Men’s Soccer 

The men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Division III Round of 16 for the third consecutive fall season. The No. 22 Generals opened their NCAA campaign with a 5-1 rout over Brevard before defeating Muhlenberg 5-2 Sunday on Watt Field.  

 This year marks the fifth straight season where men’s soccer lost fewer than two ODAC games. The Generals recorded their lone conference loss this season to Guilford in the final game of regular play, falling 0-3. The Generals dominated Guilford 7-0 three days later in the ODAC quarterfinals. They went on to win their seventh conference crown after defeating Roanoke 2-1 in the final.  

 The men’s soccer team experienced its best season in program history, being ranked the No.1 team by the United Soccer Coaches last year. The Generals also reached the final four stage of the NCAA Divison III championships for the first time. Head Coach Mike Singleton acknowledged the challenge of backing up the extraordinary season. 

  “This year has been interesting because we have a big senior class but we’re not as close to COVID, so they might have forgotten that it was a privilege for some time,” Singleton said.  “Then they might look back on an undefeated regular season last year and think, ‘Oh, well, we just did it because we’re good.’ I have to make sure they realize that it’s hard work that gets them there, not brilliance.” 

The men’s team also suffered considerable injuries throughout this season, producing various line-up changes. Singleton said these “trials and tribulations” have only made his team stronger. 

The 16-2-4 Generals take on No. 3 Kenyon for a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals. Weyimi Agbeyegbe, ’25, leads the team in scoring with 15 goals this season and is currently on a five-game scoring streak. Samuel Bass, ’23, currently holds an all-time program record of 26 assists.  

Women’s Soccer  

Women’s soccer finished regular play unbeaten, setting a program record of 19 consecutive games without a loss to open a season. The Generals recorded their first defeat in the ODAC semifinals, falling 2-1 to Virginia Wesleyan. Due to their impressive play throughout the year, Washington and Lee received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, making their first appearance since 2016. The No. 18 Generals traveled to Atlanta on Saturday. They lost 2-1 to Centre in the opening round.  

The Generals conclude their season with a 14-2-5 record with eight players being selected to All-Conference teams. Head coach Tiffany Pins earned the ODAC Coach of the Year honor in her first season leading the women’s soccer program.

Cross-country 

Three runners will represent Washington and Lee at the 2022 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships on Nov. 19. Carolyn Todd, ’23, Kristen Clodgo, ’25 and Charles Scharf, a law student, will travel to Lansing, Mich. next week to compete.  

 The men’s cross country team came in fourth at the 2022 NCAA South Regional Championships, placing a program-record five runners on the All-Region teams. Scharf’s 25:38.8 8k time made him the 15th Washington and Lee  runner to qualify for the DIII Championships after finishing in seventh place. Scharf, who qualified last year while an undergrad at Dickinson College, becomes the first General to compete in the men’s championship race since 2017. 

 Todd qualified for her second consecutive NCAA championship race after finishing fourth at regionals. Todd’s 6k time of 22:56.3 led the women’s cross-country team to a third-place finish overall with six Washington and Lee  runners earning All-Region honors. Clodgo, who finished 17th in the race, received her NCAA nod after Emory University acquired at-large selection into the tournament. 

Regionals have presented Todd with challenges. For the second straight season before the regional race, Todd contracted pneumonia and needed medication until the day before the competition.   

“I’ve been in kind of a weird place—not really knowing what to expect going into the race, but I’m a little bit healthier this year,” Todd said. “I have improved a little bit on my times and am faster this year, so I’m excited to see what I can do at Nationals.”