Marit Hoyem ’24 is an English major from Menlo Park, Calif. She is a section editor for sports, and she previously served as a staff writer for the sports section.
This past weekend, seven of the College’s fall varsity teams — men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, football, field hockey, men’s and women’s cross country — and two of the College’s club ultimate frisbee teams all competed at home. Hosting this many sporting events was no easy feat: Executing a home weekend requires hours of planning from a wide range of Operations & Maintenance staff, as well as administrators in the athletic department.
The Record publishes “Coach’s Corner” interviews to give readers the chance to get to know the coaches of their favorite Eph teams. This week, we checked in with Paula Thoms, the new head coach of women’s crew. The Record sat down with Thoms to discuss her coaching career, regatta memories, and the season ahead.
For most athletes at the College, their senior season brings an end to their competitive playing career. However, for Frankie Stola ʼ21.5, graduation signaled the beginning of a professional career, albeit in a very different environment than Williamstown. Stola, a former receiver for the football team who holds six career and single-season receiving records, recently signed a season-long contract in April to play and coach for the Cottbus Crayfish American Football Club in Cottbus, Germany.
Dr. Jen Fry, a social justice educator, former student-athlete, and volleyball coach, spoke to the College about addressing conflict, race, and cooperation in sports teams.
Joey Lye ’09, an Olympic bronze medalist and Canadian national softball team player, spoke to the College community on Jan. 17 and a group of sophomore athletes on Jan. 18 about her journey of leadership and self-discovery.
This week marks the first time in nearly two years that many winter season athletes are taking to the court, ice, or pool to compete in purple and gold. Around half of most teams have yet to compete at the collegiate level, meaning teams have drastically different rosters from their last winter season in 2019-2020.
Victoria Garrick, a former Div. I volleyball player at the University of Southern California (USC) and current mental health advocate, spoke at the College on April 20 about her athletic career and struggles with anxiety and body image.
Ten years ago, Dylan Dethier ’14 took a gap year to explore the U.S. through golf, but his journey did not end when he came to the College. It took him to a book deal, a career in professional golf, and a lifelong dedication to write about the side of golf that few know about.
Marit Hoyem ’24 speaks out against the sexist culture present within the sports industry while advocating for students to work toward eliminating this culture from Williams athletics.
Due to the spread of COVID-19, athletes have access to resources and facilities of varying quality, and coaches have had to learn to modify coaching and recruiting to accommodate a variety of environments.
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