Coming off the 50th anniversary of Division III College Athletics and Title IX, Worcester State University’s Women’s Athletics programs have made tremendous strides to level the playing field for treatment, recognition, and resources for female athletes. The drive and ability to win is infectious across Lancer women’s athletics with teams and individuals consistently winning championships and making NCAA tournament appearances, all while succeeding in the classroom.
Thanks to trailblazers worldwide who fight for equal treatment and the persistent dedication of players and coaches, female athletes are being promoted and recognized for their accomplishments more than ever. Karen Tessmer, associate athletic director and women’s basketball head coach, says that it is important to keep fighting for the recognition of women in sports, as it is easy for them to be overshadowed by male athletes.
Last year saw the Lancers hit the 25-win mark, an impressive season that saw the Lancers finish in the number three position when it came to their MASCAC conference seeding. The team lost four seniors and one grad student from last year's illustrious squad, but with a wealth of new talent joining this year, they are not feeling hampered. To replace these key figures, recruits were brought in to help the Lancers challenge for a top 2 finish in the MASCAC and come away with even more wins this season. The Lancers play a condensed schedule, thanks to the vagaries of the New England weather, which can see them play around 40 games in 55 days. A majority of these fixtures are doubleheaders making for long days of action on game days. Not all, but a large portion, of the hard work of getting ready to play a college season was done during the late fall and early spring semesters inside batting cages and on turf helped the team get fit and prepare before the team heads on Spring Break to play 12 of their allotted 40 games in a season in one compact week of action.
As February comes to a close, it is a great time to look back at the month of February, and its role as Black History Month. Black History Month became federally recognized in 1976 in recognition of the successes of the Civil Rights movements in the 1950s and 60s. Negro Week and other pro-black days of remembrance were the predecessors that laid the ground work for this month of reflection, respect and celebration.
The transition between elementary school to middle school can be difficult for many children. That transition from middle to high school can often be magnified with it also being the beginning steps of young people entering adulthood. These difficulties all come to a head when seniors in high school enter college institutions and at times can be especially difficult for those who are student-athletes. Many of these talented athletes have to compete against players 3 to 4 years older than themselves, with experience juggling school, social and sport. Many were the big fish in their pond and are now working just to find their place. While there are no redshirt years at the Division III level, it is not uncommon for some teams to have an average age well above 21. Worcester State has brought in hundreds of first years to their athletics programs over the decades and while all these athletes varied in playing time, each and everyone learned important lessons from their times on the bench and the field. Many even found their way to on field success, earning a range of honors.
This upcoming semester will be very important for all students at Worcester State, as the second semester of the school always seems to be. This is the final time for the graduating class to make lasting memories on campus and as members of the Worcester State community. For all of the first years, this semester, hopefully, is one where they are feeling more comfortable and adjusted to life as a college student. With the new year finally upon us, and well on its way, many students will look to achieve certain goals both academically and socially. The Wellness Center is often where many students go to socialize and participate in group activities, making new friends along the way. For those who have not frequented the spaces in the Wellness Center, now is a great time to see what some of these students have to say about the importance of it to them and why improving your health this semester is always an admirable goal.
Hello and Happy New Year, welcome to BEHIND THE SHIELD, an article series where I, your host, Denzel Valera, will be sitting down with some of your favorite Worcester State Athletes to get to know a bit more about what is inside the mind of these athletes and what inspires and motivates them everyday.
On this week's episode I sat down with a veteran member of the Worcester State University Lancers Men’s Ice Hockey Team. Class of 2025, Forward, from Stara Lubovna, Slovakia, #8 Martin Dlugolinsky.
Hello and welcome to BEHIND THE SHIELD, an article series where I, your host, Denzel Valera, will be sitting down with some of your favorite Worcester State Athletes to get to know a bit more about what is inside the mind of these athletes and what inspires and motivates them everyday.
Hello and welcome to BEHIND THE SHIELD, an article series where I, your host, Denzel Valera, will be sitting down with some of your favorite Worcester State Athletes to get to know a bit more about what is inside the mind of these athletes and what inspires and motivates them everyday.
The NCAA has announced the roster of coaches that will be a part of the Individual Pathway of the 2023 NCAA College Basketball Academy in Memphis, Tennessee, taking place July 24-31.
The 2023 season for the Lancers ended shy of where the team hoped to finish this season, with a second-round playoff exit. Despite that, there were numerous accomplishments by the team and players throughout the year that made this one of the most remarkable seasons for the program.
The Women’s Lacrosse team finished with an above-500 record and saw many high-scoring close matches throughout the season. The team returns eight true seniors and one grad student who is currently killing it on as a member of the Women's Hockey team as well. This team is led by head coach Kelly Downs who also works as the coordinator of student-athlete support services in the athletics department. This team has many things to look forward to as they look to emulate many of the other teams on campus that have had both regular-season and postseason success. I took it upon myself to interview three of the players who will all be looking to make a big impact in the upcoming season.
For student-athletes in the class of 2024, the last few years have been tough. The pandemic canceled high school graduation, for fall and winter athletes their freshman year seasons were lost altogether. By sophomore year the season came, but progressed in a way that was by no means normal. Finally, now juniors, athletes such as Katie Hurynowicz are getting their chance to shine; and Hurynowicz is most definitely taking advantage of that long-awaited spotlight.
Through the first half of the season, Jennarae Bateman has put up eight points including the deciding goal of the Lancers victory this past Tuesday night. A native of Forest Lake, Minn., she has come halfway across the country to join the first ever freshman class in Worcester State Women?s Hockey history. While Bateman is currently putting together a fine season on a solid squad, WSU was hardly on her radar throughout the recruitment process. But the risk of joining a new program seems to be paying off for the young forward in more ways than one.
Thursday, December 1, Erin Gallella (Tewksbury, Mass.) started her 60th career game for the Women's Basketball team at Worcester State. Since her freshman season back in 2019-2020, Gallella has started all but two games the Lancers have played in her time in Worcester, and has established herself as a standout player in the MASCAC.
On Sep. 2, James Riley led the Worcester State Men's Cross Country team with a 5K time of 18:13. Two weeks later on Sep. 17, Riley once again finished first amongst his teammates at the UMass-Dartmouth invitational. Just last Friday again, Riley went out and put up a personal best 8K time of 28:09. And this week marks one month that James Riley has been a student-athlete at the collegiate level.
If you?d have told Raelyn Callahan a year ago that she would have scored in a Worcester State University vs Keene State College soccer game... she would have probably believed you. What she may not have believed was that she would be putting it in the back of the net for the Lancers, and not the Owls.
Worcester State University?s nursing program is among the institution's highest regarded concentrations. The challenge, skill and difficulty of the major make pursuing athletic endeavors a remarkable feat. In turn, the program's pedigree results in a couple of precedents for students who take on the challenge. For example, many nursing students have to change majors due to the demanding workload, and with that, there are very few student-athletes that are able to continue their athletic endeavors while remaining a nursing student during their entire eligibility. Enter Camryn Burgio. Not only has she figured out how to balance the nursing workload and Volleyball, but she?s doing it at a high level of play.
Nearly two months to the day before she was supposed to walk across the stage at the DCU Center to receive her Bachelor’s degree in nursing, Worcester State University women’s basketball student-athlete Sam Ellis saw her senior year take a drastic and unforeseen turn.
In the first week of June, Worcester State University women’s volleyball libero Brooke Lamothe would normally be enjoying the first few weeks of summer.
Worcester State University baseball senior Kenan Kolanda (Sterling, Mass.) has been named to the First Team Academic All-District, as voted by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Senior Karalyn Gallella had already played her final game in a Worcester State University basketball uniform when the COVID-19 pandemic reared its ugly head, cancelling the seasons for five of the University’s 20 varsity athletic teams.
The Worcester State University men's and women's basketball teams each had a pair of student-athletes named to the All-Worcester Area College Basketball Association teams.
Worcester State University women's basketball student-athletes Mya Mosley (Worcester, Mass.) and Erin Gallella (Tewksbury, Mass.) have each been named to New England Women's Basketball Association All-Region teams.
For the second consecutive week, the Worcester State University women's indoor track & field team has earned two weekly awards from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Worcester State University men's basketball head coach Tyler Hundley was named Coach of the Year, while three Lancers took home All-Conference honors as the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference announced its end of year awards on Wednesday afternoon.
Two Worcester State University women's basketball student-athletes have received All-Conference honors from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Women's Athletics Shines with Championships, Individual Success and Academic Excellence
April 22, 2024Coming off the 50th anniversary of Division III College Athletics and Title IX, Worcester State University’s Women’s Athletics programs have made tremendous strides to level the playing field for treatment, recognition, and resources for female athletes. The drive and ability to win is infectious across Lancer women’s athletics with teams and individuals consistently winning championships and making NCAA tournament appearances, all while succeeding in the classroom. Thanks to trailblazers worldwide who fight for equal treatment and the persistent dedication of players and coaches, female athletes are being promoted and recognized for their accomplishments more than ever. Karen Tessmer, associate athletic director and women’s basketball head coach, says that it is important to keep fighting for the recognition of women in sports, as it is easy for them to be overshadowed by male athletes.
