WNE Men’s Wrestling Celebrates 50 Years

The Western New England University (WNE) men’s wrestling program proudly celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2024-2025 season, marking an extraordinary milestone in the program’s rich and storied history. Established as a club team during the 1974-1975 academic year under the leadership of then head coach, Bob Skelton, the program officially transitioned to varsity status in the 1976- 1977 season. Skelton, who is now a WNE Downes Athletic Hall of Famer, coached the team for more than 26 years and remains the winningest coach in the program’s history. During the late 1980’s into the 1990’s, the Golden Bear men’s wrestling program saw multiple athletes earn top placements in the prestigious National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division III Championship, including future Olympic medalist Rodney Smith ’89/G’03, Jesse Morrison ’96, and Bill Simpson ’96, all of whom earned top-five finishes in their respective weight classes at the event.

The program’s momentum continued to build in 2012-2013 when the Golden Bears competed in the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional tournament for the first time, marking a new era of excellence. Since that pivotal season, the team has produced numerous wrestlers who have earned National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-American honors. The program has flourished under the leadership of Head Coach and Director of Wrestling, Mike Sugermeyer G’17, who has been at the helm since the 2015-2016 season. One of its most historic achievements occurred during the 2018-2019 season when John Boyle ‘20 captured the 184-pound national title, becoming Western New England’s first-ever NCAA National Champion.

To commemorate this year’s 50th anniversary, the program hosted a weekend of celebratory events during Golden Bear Weekend, that brought together more than 150 alumni, family members, and friends, representing five decades of WNE wrestling history. Looking to honor the program’s legacy and the people who helped shape it, the festivities included the induction of Bryan Brunk ’98 into the Downes Athletics Hall of Fame, an intrasquad scrimmage held in the newly renovated wrestling room - which was officiated by BIG 10 wrestling official, and WNE alumnus, Angel Rivera ’94 - as well as a 50th anniversary banquet.

The 50th anniversary banquet, held at The Sheraton in downtown Springfield, drew over 100 attendees from the WNE wrestling community. The dinner featured inspiring speeches from notable alumni wrestling figures spanning multiple generations. The Monteiro family, who have had members on the University’s wrestling roster for nearly 35% of the program’s history, were also recognized for their lasting contributions.

“When you make the decision to wrestle at WNE, it is for more than just four years; you become a part of our wrestling family for the rest of your life,” began Sugermeyer. “Our 50 year celebration was a great testament to that, as we welcomed over five decades of wrestling alumni and more than 150 members of our wrestling family back to campus. The program’s legacy is a source of pride for everyone involved, and we look forward to building on this solid foundation in the years to come.”

Derek Johnson Headlines the Men’s Golf Fall Season

The Western New England men’s golf team competed in five events this past fall, improving three spots in their conference championship event thanks to newcomer, Derek Johnson. Johnson began his WNE men’s golf career at the Duke Nelson Invitational, impressing many eyes at the event. He finished second out of 120 golfers and led the Golden Bears to a fourth-place overall finish out of 22 teams. Johnson played scratch golf for the 36-hole event, finishing +1 on opening day of the tournament while completing his second round at -1, finishing even par. Johnson carried that success into the Bowdoin College Invitational where the Mountain Top, Pa. native finished 18th overall in a competitive 109 golfer event.

The first-year student would continue his successes on the course at both the Skidmore Invitational and the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association’s (NEGIA) championship event, helping lead WNE to a 15th place finish at Skidmore and 8th place finish at the NEGIA event. Johnson found his swing during the most important event of the fall - the Conference of New England (CNE) Championships - where he helped the Golden Bears place third overall, shooting a 150. As a first-year, Johnson ranks regionally within the top 15 male golfers for the season.

Women’s Volleyball Matches Largest Win Total in Ten Years

The Western New England women’s volleyball team picked up 21 total wins during their 2024 fall campaign, matching their highest win total in over ten years. With a predominately heavy road schedule, the Golden Bears were victorious in 10 of the 15 away matches this season. WNE was led this season by senior Alissa Hawes, who recorded over 400 kills in-season, becoming just the fourth Golden Bear of all-time to reach such a feat, and the first since 2009. Hawes will also go into the women’s volleyball single season record books in multiple categories, including kills per set, attack attempts, points, and points per set. Hawes’ remarkable career will also be reflected in the record books for total kills, kills per set, total attacks, digs, digs per set, total points, points per set, and block assists. In the final match of her career, the Tupelo, Miss. native reached 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs in the same game, further solidifying her leadership of the Golden Bears. Hawes will be joined in the record books by fellow senior and teammate, Taylor Geist, who put together 2,000 career assists this season, being one of just three in WNE women’s volleyball history to accomplish this milestone. Geist’s assists per set numbers this season will also rank in the top five of all-time within a single season in the program’s history. As a team, the Golden Bears advanced to the Conference of New England (CNE) tournament and made it to the semifinal round for the fourth straight season.

Men’s Cross Country’s Matt Provost Breaks 8K Race Program Record

Western New England men’s cross country standout, Matt Provost, made history twice this season breaking a program record that had stood for over 20 years, and cementing himself as the fastest runner in Western New England men’s cross country history on an 8K course. Provost first achieved this remarkable feat during the Western New England Invitational on October 19, as part of the Golden Bear Weekend festivities. Running on his home course, Provost completed the 8K event in an impressive 26 minutes and 45 seconds, shaving six seconds off the previous record, which was set back in 2002. And then again, a few weeks later during his final race on the cross country team, Provost broke his own historic record, running a 26.31, 14 seconds faster than his previous record this season.

His record-breaking performances underscore his stellar season and solidifies his place among the program’s elite runners. Following the Conference of New England (CNE) Championships, which also took place on his home course, the Monson, Mass. native now holds seven of the top 25 fastest 8K times in the program’s history. Adding to his accolades, Provost has claimed the top spot for the fastest time in the men’s 5K race, further highlighting his versatility and dominance on the course.