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Vassar Celebrates Historic Semester of Athletic Achievement
assar’s 2025 fall sports season was one of the best in the College’s history, as four teams won league titles, two others qualified for their conference championship games, and seven student-athletes earned All-American status.
Michelle Walsh, Director of Athletics and Physical Education, said, “I am incredibly proud of our fall teams and look forward to many more successes in winter and spring. We are experiencing an unprecedented time of success among our teams that is significantly raising the bar on how we define ‘on the field’ success at Vassar while remaining committed to our core values of student-athlete learning and a high-quality experience.”
Here’s a brief look at how these fall-season success stories unfolded:
The women’s cross country team finished the regular season, earning the Liberty League Championship on November 1 on the campus of St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. It was the team’s third straight Liberty League championship. Haley Schoenegge ’27 finished second overall in a 101-runner field in the 6k race to earn All Liberty League First Team honors. Anika Mueller-Hickler ’26 and Adelaide Nyhan ’27 finished fourth and fifth, respectively, also gaining spots on the All Liberty League First Team. The team followed up that performance with a school-best 10th-place finish in the NCAA Division III Championships on November 22 in Spartanburg, SC. Schoenegge finished 15th overall in the 291-runner field to earn All-American honors for the second straight year. Mueller-Hickler finished 95th, a career-best in the national championship race.
In the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Championship, also held November 22 in Spartanburg, SC, Sean Miller ’27 posted a 56th-place finish, the best for a Vassar runner in the event since the 2006 season.
The women’s rugby team continued its long tradition of excellence, defeating Fairfield University, 88-5, in the Tri-State Conference championship game and advancing to the Final Four of the National Collegiate Rugby tournament. The Brewers were edged by the United States Coast Guard Academy, 29-24, in the semifinals but rebounded to take third place, defeating the University of Binghamton, 73-0. Jude Robinson ’26 and Sophia Bailey ’26 were named All-Americans.
The men’s rugby team reached the Tri-State Conference finals with a 50-28 win over Maritime College on November 2, but fell to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 31-24, in the championship game on November 9.
The women’s soccer team won its first league championship in school history, defeating Rochester Institute of Technology 1-0 in the finals of the league playoffs. Ava Holman ’29 scored the only goal of the game late in the first half, and goalkeeper Laura Shea ’28 posted her seventh shutout of the season. Vassar finished the season ranked 20th among all NCAA Division III teams. Forward Gianna Panarelli ’27 earned Third Team All-American status.
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The men’s soccer team advanced to the finals of the league championship tournament before losing a hard-fought contest to Hobart College, the 16th-ranked team in the country, by a score of 2-1 on November 9. Midfielder Jared Fiske ’26 earned Third Team All-American honors.
The women’s volleyball team lost to Skidmore College in the first round of the league championship tournament on November 11, but outside hitter Maura McAusland ’27 was rewarded for an outstanding season by earning Third Team All-American status.