WNE Women’s Wrestling Continues to Climb to New National Heights

The Western New England University (WNE) women’s wrestling team, in just its fourth full season of existence, continued to make waves on the national stage this season. The 2025-2026 season saw the Golden Bears place second at the NCAA Regional Championships, the best finish in program history, where eight Golden Bears qualified to compete on the national stage. The eight qualifiers included four first-time national competitors; Victoria Orender ’26, Maddie Ripley, Sanyah Queen, and Sky De Leon. Four Golden Bears returned to the national stage for the second time: Jazmene Molina, Tanya Teneva, and Atiyana Williams, while Linda Holeman reached nationals for the third time.

Freshman, Maddie Ripley, led the Golden Bears this season with 28 victories over 32 matches in the 117- pound weight class. Ripley became just the second in program history to be crowned a regional champion after a dominant performance at the NCAA Region I event. She went on to compete in four matches at the NCAA National Championships, picking up a pair of victories for WNE. Ripley was joined by sophomore Atiyana Williams, who was also a regional champion for the Golden Bears in the 180-pound weight class this season, the third regional champion in the program’s history. Williams won her second career match at the NCAA National Championships this past season.

Meanwhile, Tanya Teneva and Linda Holeman, collected 26 wins each for the season. Both Teneva (138-pounds) and Holeman (124-pounds) were second-place finishers at the NCAA Region I event this past winter and competed on the national stage.

Men’s Lacrosse Wins 15th Conference Championship in Program History

The Western New England men’s lacrosse team finished the 2026 season back on top of their conference after winning the Conference of New England (CNE) Championship for the 15th time in program history. Playing one of the toughest schedules in Division III proved to be important for the Golden Bears success, as they started out the season just 1-3, but competed against some of the top teams in the sport. WNE opened its season in mid-February, with snow still on the field, against No. 13 St. Lawrence University. The first WNE win of the season came against Keene State College, with a 10-7 victory. As the season went on, the Golden Bears continued to be tested by top-tier programs, finishing 5-6 in non-conference action.

Conference of New England play began for Western New England, and the Golden Bears caught fire, opening play with wins over Wentworth Institute of Technology, University of New England, and Gordon College. The blue and gold held their own in back-to-back home contests and prevailed, taking down Roger Williams University and University of Hartford to remain undefeated within the conference. Western New England ripped off the next three wins, defeating Nichols College, Johnson & Wales University, and Curry College. These results left the final game of the season to decide the top-seed in the conference as the two undefeated squads—WNE and Endicott College—would meet to round out the regular season. Despite scoring six goals in the second quarter, it would not be enough, as Endicott claimed the top seed in the CNE Tournament with the win over the Golden Bears.

Western New England hosted the University of Hartford in the CNE Semifinals, looking to get back to the championship game after missing out in 2025. The Golden Bears trailed Hartford at the half but stormed back in the second to outscore their opponent 9-4 punching their ticket to the championship game. There, WNE would look for revenge on Endicott, while also looking to snap a five-game losing streak against the Gulls. The championship game featured back-and-forth action, with the teams trading the first eight goals of the game before the Golden Bears pulled away late in the third quarter, scoring four straight goals and coming away with a 10-7 victory and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time. Western New England’s season came to an end in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament after falling to SUNY Cortland, rounding out the year with a 13-7 record.

Women’s Ice Hockey Sees First All-American in Program History

Western New England women’s ice hockey had major accomplishments both on and off the ice this past season, most notably having the first All-American in program history. Sophomore Michaela Birmingham put together a sensational season, one that saw the Enfield, Conn. native come away with career-highs in nearly every statistical category. Birmingham played in all 27 of Western New England’s games this season, scoring seven goals and adding 18 assists, securing 25 points on the season. Birmingham led WNE with 143 shots on goal. Two of Birmingham’s seven goals came in overtime, while the sophomore had three total game-winning goals, second-most on the team. Defensively, she blocked 33 shots, third-most for the Golden Bears. With an outstanding season, Birmingham became the first All-American in program history, one of just ten student-athletes across NCAA Division III to earn the honor as a defender.

Around the Den: Notable Golden Bear Accomplishments

• The Western New England women’s basketball team competed in the conference title game for the third straight season in 2025-26, compiling a record of 20-8 overall, going 12-4, finishing second overall for the season.

• Western New England women’s ice hockey got back to the Conference of New England championship game this season for the second time in program history in the fifth full season of existence. WNE’s 18-8-1 record this season was the most wins in program history, while the Golden Bears received votes in the top 15 poll from the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) organization.

• The Western New England men’s basketball team made the conference championship game for the second straight season, accomplishing a 21-6 overall record, going 14-2 in conference play.

• For the third time over the last five years, the Western New England baseball team appeared in the Conference of New England championship series, finishing second. Led by CNE Player of the Year as well as Rookie of the Year, Tyler Waterbury, the blue and gold started a nine-game win streak to close out the season before falling to eventual champion Endicott. WNE wrapped up the season with a 24-20 record.