Wesley College Timeline

In 2013, Wesley College celebrates 140 years of impact in the community and, most importantly, in the lives of students. Our theme for the year is “Memories and Milestones” which captures the historical events and the personal stories that resonate with us all—whether we were actually in attendance or simply seeing and hearing fond recollections. We hope you enjoy the timeline of memories and we have created.

Click the link above to download a Wesley College timeline PDF and see the history of the College.

With the loss of Chris Douglas and Darrell Johnson to graduation and a slew of newcomers thrown into the fray, not many knew what to expect from the 2012–13 men’s basketball team. An impressive summer trip to Montreal changed all of that as the improvement of veteran players like David Langan, Eric Selby and Quincy Pettiford was quite evident. From there, the Wolverines knew they might have something special as returning All-CAC performer Paul Reynolds prepared for his senior season.

Paul Reynolds

What concluded was Wesley’s first ever 20-win season, a program record 11-game winning streak, which included victories over No. 1 Virginia Wesleyan, ninth-ranked St. Mary’s, and 2011-12 National runner-up Cabrini. In the midst of the winning streak, head coach Jerry Kobasa was named the Division III National Coach of the Month for January. Reynolds was voted as the CAC and ECAC Player of the Year and earned All-America recognition from three different publications.

Reynolds was also selected to play in the Division III National All-Star Game, where he scored 20 points and helped the East All-Star team to a blowout victory over the West. Langan also earned First Team All CAC honors, marking the first time that two Wolverine players were named to the First Team.

Wesley got quite a boost from freshman Wayne Lennon, who was named the CAC and Mid-Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year. Midway through the season, starter Jacquard Hagan, who averaged over 11.8 points, went down with a season-ending injury, allowing Lennon more playing time. Lennon subsequently earned Freshman All-America accolades at the end of the season.

Three straight wins to open the season, followed by two narrow losses to ranked teams, gave many in Dover room for optimism. Reynolds was his usual, highly efficient self early on, but David Langan showed that he was also a dominant force, averaging a double-double which included a CAC-record 23 rebounds against Christopher Newport.

An early CAC loss to York (Pennsylvania) opened the eyes of many players on the Wolverines squad as students went home for winter break. The defeat must have been a blessing in disguise, as Wesley started its record-breaking streak with a pair of overtime victories over Eastern Mennonite and Bridgewater (Virginia) on Dec. 14–15. What followed shortly after was a win over local rival Washington College and an upset victory over top-ranked Virginia Wesleyan.

The Wolverines opened the 2013 calendar year with six straight victories, including a Jan. 2 win over Cabrini, before falling to St. Mary’s on the road on Jan. 30. Going 9–3 in the CAC, Wesley received a first round bye and a home game against Salisbury in the CAC Semifinals. Double-doubles by Reynolds and Langan helped the Navy & White defeat the Sea Gulls for the 14th time in the last 15 meetings before an overtime loss at St. Mary’s in the championship game.

Defeating Salisbury gave Wesley its 20th win of the year and the NCAA Selection Committee rewarded the Wolverines with an NCAA Tournament berth and a trip to the No. 7 Williams College Ephmen. Despite leading at halftime and a career high 35 points by Paul Reynolds, who was later referenced nationally as the “Charles Barkley of Division III,” the Wolverines fell to the Ephs by a single point.

Despite losing Reynolds, the Wolverines’ first all-time rebounder and second leading scorer, the future looks bright for Wesley. Both Langan and Lennon return, to go with a healthy Hagan, as well as key players like Selby, Pettiford and Brandin Youngblood.

Wesley is scheduled to open the 2013–14 season in Baltimore against Mount St. Mary’s College at the Johns Hopkins University tournament on Nov. 15

Featuring the toughest schedule in all of NCAA Division III during the 2012 season, the Wesley College football team went 10–2 overall, made its eighth-straight NCAA playoff appearance, advancing to the National Quarterfinals, and finished ranked sixth in the nation. Despite the graduation of several All-Americans from the season prior, the Wolverines had high expectations with the return of senior quarterback Justin Sottilare, the 2010 South Region Player of the Year.

Sottilare did not disappoint, as he threw for more than 3,000 yards and 33 touchdowns, leading one of the most prolific offenses in the nation. Among his more frequent targets were sophomore Steve Koudossou, with 51 receptions, 747 yards and 10 touchdowns, and senior Matt Barile, with 36 receptions, 572 yards and six touchdowns. Wesley also got solid production in the run game, led by senior Askia Jahad, who ran more than 600 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Defense is where the Wolverines really stood out, ranking among the nation’s best. With the graduation of four All-Americans, two each on the defensive line and linebacker, Wesley prided itself on being a no-name defense. During the year, the Wolverines proved they were more than just a bunch of names as senior defensive end Devin Hardy, junior defensive back Jared Morris and sophomore linebacker Sosthene Kapepula were named All-Americans.

Sosthene Kapepula

No longer in the shadow of all-time great Chris Mayes, Hardy drew constant double teams to record nearly 50 tackles to go with 9.0 tackles for loss. Morris made the switch from the offensive to the defensive side of the ball without any problem, registering a team high record six interceptions to go with 76 tackles and eight for a loss. Morris’ first game as a defensive player also included a Wesley single-game record four picks in the season opener at East Texas Baptist, a 34–14 win.

Kapepula, who was later named the 2012–13 Wesley College Male Athlete of the Year, proved to be one of the best defensive players in the country in just his second collegiate season. Leading the team with 120 tackles, the most by a Wolverine since 2004, Kapepula also recorded 13 tackles for loss and led the country with four fumble recoveries. With a strong nose for the ball, Kapepula closed out the year with a career-high 18 tackles at Mary Hardin-Baylor in the National Quarterfinals.

Following the season, eight Wolverines earned All-Region honors, the second-most in school history. Senior offensive tackle Brian Cranmer, who was also named an AFCA All-American, as well as Hardy, Morris and Kapepula, all received first team mention. Senior center Tim Putman earned second team honors while Sottilare, junior defensive tackle Terence Gavin, and Dan Tryon, the best placekicker in school history, took home third team accolades. Junior Sean Hopkins also received All-America honors after leading the nation with an 18.6-yard punt return average.

Despite the season coming to an end in Central, Texas, Wesley demonstrated why it is still one of the nation’s best and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

The Wolverines will open the 2013 season on Friday, Sept. 6, when they host Widener at 6 p.m., the first home football game to be held under the lights at Scott D. Miller Stadium.

Under the leadership of first-year head coach Stephen Kimes, both men’s and women’s cross country finished seventh at the Capital Athletic Conference Championships on an extremely hilly Frostburg State course. With several of their top performers from a year ago no longer on the roster, the men’s squad saw every runner set a personal record while Twila McCrea did the same on the women’s side. Tristin Burris was twice named the CAC Runner of the Week after recording a pair of top 10 finishes.

Field Hockey

Madison Leone

Five members of the Wesley College field hockey team earned All-Conference honors, and junior Madison Leone was named the Capital Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year, helping the Wolverines to a 12–10 record in the 2012 season. Wesley advanced to the CAC Championship Game for the third straight season and received the top seed in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament during head coach Tracey Short’s 16th straight season with at least 11 victories. Needing a strong finish to possibly earn an NCAA Tournament bid, the Wolverines closed out the regular season with victories over Moravian and Delaware Valley before blanking Frostburg in a CAC Tournament Game and going on the road to defeat No. 2 Salisbury in penalty strokes in the Conference Semifinals. Following the season, head coach Tracey Short, who is among the winningest coaches in all of NCAA Division III, was one of eight individuals recognized at the Delaware Diamond Extravaganza for their outstanding contributions to women in sports and education.

Men’s Soccer

An extremely young Wolverines squad finished 5–11-2 but saw a number of freshman record valuable minutes and experience against some of the nation’s best teams. Wesley opened the year with a date against No. 4 Rutgers-Camden before playing three other nationally ranked teams. The Wolverines held a one-goal lead against fifth-ranked Montclair State in Dover

Josh Chellah

before falling late in the second half, but an overtime goal by senior Josh Chelleh in his final collegiate game highlighted the season. Chelleh and fellow senior Pat Slinka earned All-Conference honors at the conclusion of the year.

Women’s Basketball

The Wolverines featured a very young roster mixed with seniors Jazmine Miller and Heather Fuller en route to a 3–22 mark in the 2012–13 season. Despite the record, Wesley had several individual accomplishments: Fuller led the CAC in rebounding at 12.4 per game and Miller became the 10th player in school history to record 1,000 career points. A native of Dover, Del., Miller leaves Wesley as its fourth leading scorer (1,283) and all-time leader in steals (295) while also ranking in the top 10 in both assists and rebounding.

Women’s Soccer

Wesley finished the season with an 8–8-2 record, its best year since 2007, when the Wolverines advanced to the CAC Semifinals. After starting the season at 3–0-1, Wesley suffered a pair of one-goal losses before shocking Marymount (Va.), 2–0, which nearly clinched a CAC Tournament berth, and blanking Cairn in back-to-back games. The consecutive shutouts helped senior goalkeeper Sydney Kahan earn Player of the Week honors. Advancing to the conference tournament, defender Chelsea Marriner made her collegiate debut in

Meghan Marshall

goal and made nine saves, holding York (Pa.) scoreless for 110 minutes. Wesley fell in penalty kicks, but both Kelly Edmunds and Chelsi Biener received All-League recognition. The Wolverines also received the NSCAA Gold Award for Team Ethics by finishing the entire season without being penalized with a yellow or red card.

Volleyball

Freshman Meghan Marshall set the Wesley single-season record for digs in a season, and classmate Danielle Gehr led the CAC in service aces as the Wolverines finished the year with a 6–23 mark. With over half of the roster being freshman, Wesley was expected to experience growing pains in 2012, but the Wolverines fought hard all season and even took No. 18 Salisbury to the wire in a second set loss.

Wesley Soccer Alumni gathered in record numbers on Saturday, March 23 at Fado Irish Pub & Restaurant in Philadelphia, Pa. Ed Muntz and Steve Clark, head coaches of the women’s and men’s soccer teams respectively, partnered with the Office of Alumni Relations to host the event. It allowed former players of both programs and their spouses or guests to come together and socialize, while recounting Wesley memories. Approximately 60 alumni attended the social, making this among the largest off-campus alumni event in recent years. For more pictures, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/wesleycollege.

Q: What is your vision for alumni relations?

A: I would like to see more alumni come back to campus for reunions and/or attend the regional events that we hold each year. Wesley alumni have great stories from their time as students. Last year the class of 1962 had their 50th
reunion, and the connection they all still had with each other was amazing even though most of them hadn’t seen each other for decades. The stories never ended—they laughed all weekend long! We all get busy with our lives but college memories are so special. My vision is to get more alumni to participate in events and to provide more opportunities for them to volunteer. I would like to continue the efforts that Amanda Downes and the Alumni Board have started to get more alumni involved as ambassadors with the Admissions Office, to have them return to campus for “Meet the Professionals Night” and to expand the Alumni Association Committee structure so that there are more volunteer opportunities available.

Q: What experience do you bring to the position?

A: My experience in higher education began in career services where I have worked in a number of different environments that include a liberal arts college as well as small to large state universities. After several years of working in student affairs, I migrated over to alumni and annual giving mostly due to the event planning experience I had gained over the years. I have also worked in the non-profit sector, which involved fundraising and community partnerships with other agencies. Prior to coming to Wesley, I was the associate director of alumni relations and annual giving at McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) for more than five years. Obviously, that position is most directly related to my new role at Wesley. However, the diversity of my experiences helps me to better understand that all departments are interrelated and each has an impact on the success of the College.

Q: Are there any advantages to being both the annual fund and alumni relations person?

A: I don’t know if I would term it an advantage but more that it is a logical merger of these two functions. In most cases, when alumni look back on their experience atcollege they remember relationships. Whether it is friendships, partnerships or faculty mentorships, alumni connect with people, not buildings. When making gifts, people consider their connection to the organization. Therefore, it makes sense that it is the common connection that drives giving. It is my hope to keep alumni connected to Wesley so that they take pride in their alma mater and want to help it succeed. We always hear alumni from all the decades comment that Wesley gave them a chance and was integral to their success after college. With almost 50 percent of our current students being the first in their family to attend college, financing their education is the prominent concern. We hope alumni will reflect on their experience and how Wesley helped them and then pay it forward to help students achieve their dream of attaining a college degree.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge?

A: To increase alumni awareness of what is going on at Wesley and to be considered a resource for our alumni. The online community and Facebook are both easy ways to keep up to date on news and events. Just by updating their email address with the online community, alumni receive the monthly newsletter. Whether online or at a Wesley event, alumni can find fellow alums who could help with a job search, relocation to another area, or get career advice from people who share their experiences. I encourage all alumni to update their profiles with the online community at www.weare.wesley.edu and to like Wesley College on Facebook—that would be a great start!

Wesley College Vice President for Institutional Advancement Chris Wood, Wesley student Marissa Richardson, Wesley Adjunct Faculty Britania Redington, Wesley student Wesley Dessesow, Joan Bennett ’60, Chris Mayka, Wesley Associate Professor of Music Dr. David Laganella and Wesley Assistant Professor of Music Dr. James Wilson.

A record number of people attended the fourth annual Arts in the Parlor event at the Schwartz Center for the Arts on April 20. The fundraiser was a celebration in support of Wesley College scholarships, raising more than $33,000 this year.

The 150 guests were treated to culinary delights and a plethora of musical acts including the Wesley College Symphonic Band, Contemporary Ensemble, Choir, and Gospel Choir. There were also performances by First State Brass, Wesley adjunct professor Britania Redington, and students DaShaunna Harris, Julianne Morris and Marissa Richardson.

The attendees enjoyed a poetry reading by Wesley Society member James Rogin and a variety of visual arts from Wesley students, faculty, alumni and local artists. The art mediums included handmade baskets, photography, oil paintings, and sculptures.

”Interest in Wesley College and support for the arts at Wesley was evident at Arts in the Parlor,” said Wesley College President Dr. William N. Johnston. “I am amazed with the talents of our students, faculty and staff and greatly appreciate the funds donated to provide scholarship assistance to deserving students.”

To see more photos of this event, visit Wesley’s flickr page.

My wife Debbie and I traveled to California in March where we met up with Wesley Hall of Fame Coach Dick Smith and his wife Nancy. We had a wonderful visit that also included former player Richard Brown ’64 and his wife Mary. We reminisced about the years from 1961 to 1966 when Coach Smith was the football coach at Wesley.

Back row, left to right: Richard Brown ’64 and wife Mary, Debbie Wentworth and Nancy Smith; seated, left to right: Coach Dick Smith and Coach Jim Wentworth.

I presented him with a signature football from the 1963 undefeated season to add to his Wesley memorabilia. Dick coached both the 1962 and 1963 teams to unbeaten seasons. The Wolverines were ranked 5th in the country in 1962 and 2nd in the country in 1963. These were the only years Wesley’s football team was undefeated and untied. Richard was a starting member of both perfect seasons, and he still values Coach Smith’s significant influence on his life today.

Coach Smith was always a mentor to me. He was a natural at turning individualism into a true team commitment. Those years spent with him had a profound effect on me as I was just starting the coaching profession. His method of motivating players to work diligently served as a foundation upon which my own coaching career was built.

Getting to see Coach Smith after 40 years was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Over the years I have had the pleasure of visiting with former players and always find it rewarding to see that the place I cherish also had a positive impact on their lives. I will treasure the memories from this reunion and hope that others will reach out to Coach Smith, myself and other players to continue our special bond.

I would also encourage former players, if they are ever in the San Diego area, to visit Coach Smith and Nancy and share the difference he made in your life. If you are not able to visit in person, I’m sure he would love to hear from you by email at coachis@cox.net.

I give thanks to God for my wonderful life at Wesley College where so many of my friendships began including Coach Smith. I am a strong believer in giving back and supporting education; your support is vital to the continued success of Wesley College.

Recipient of the Rogin-Knipe Scholarship is Melody Dimerson. Pictured (left to right) Jim and Marina Rogin and Dimerson

Wesley celebrated its 140 year history at Founders Day on March 20 at the Schwartz Center for the Arts in Dover. A tradition for the College, Founders Day celebrates scholarship and service in the Wesley Community. This year one of the speakers for the event was Dr. R. Jervis Cooke, Wesley College past president (1977–1983).

To see more photos of this event, visit Wesley’s flickr page.

Pictured (left to right): Dr. William N. Johnston, Susan Johnston, Larry Mercardante ’67 and Mary Jane and Bill Willis ’66

Wesley College showed its appreciation to its most generous contributors on January 12, with a reception and dinner held at the Sheraton Dover Hotel. Approximately 130 guests attended to celebrate the third year for the Wesley Society, which recognizes high-level donors. College officials announced that the Wesley Society membership has more than tripled since its inception in late 2009, with 210 current members.

To see more photos of this event, visit Wesley’s fickr page.