The Bobcat baseball team enjoyed a successful season as well, playing its way into the WVIAC post-season tournament. Wesleyan placed second in the conference’s South Division. Their regular season record was 22-11, with a 10-2 record in conference games. The Bobcats finished third in the conference tournament.

The track and field teams won both men’s and women’s titles at the WVIAC championships. This was the second consecutive year in which the Bobcats earned both titles. Following the track and field championships, Wesleyan coach, Jesse Skiles, was named the conference “Coach of the Year.”

The Wesleyan men’s tennis team concluded the regular season with a record of 9-5 overall and 8-1 in conference play. The Bobcats entered the conference tournament as the second seed, but lost to West Liberty State College in the semi-finals.

The WVIAC golf championship tournament was held at Cacapon State Park in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle. The Wesleyan golf team finished in eighth place among the 13 competing schools. The Bobcats recorded a three-round score of 949.

For additional information on Wesleyan’s athletic teams, please visit the Athletic's Homepage.

Wesleyan Students Recognized for Academic and Athletic Achievements

Sarah St. Clair ‘05 and Jacob Schwertfeger ’05, members of Wesleyan’s women’s and men’s soccer teams, were honored recently by BB&T Bank as senior scholar athlete award winners. The award goes to a female and male athlete from each member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) who has demonstrated proficiency in the classroom as well as in competition. All award winners must compile at least a 3.3 grade-point average.

St. Clair, a Morgantown, WV, native, received a bachelor of science in nursing, summa cum laude, at Wesleyan’s Commencement ceremonies on May 1. In addition to the BB&T award, she also was an All-WVIAC first team selection and was recognized by ESPN The Magazine as a first team National Academic All-American.

Schwertfeger, a native of Wellsburg, WV, completed his Wesleyan studies in three years. He graduated with a bachelor of arts in Christian Education, magna cum laude. He also was recognized with the Christian Education Senior Honor Award and was a recipient of the Wesleyan Senior Activity Key.

Both St. Clair and Schwertfeger were recipients of the Sam Ross Scholar Athlete Award for 2004-05.

Jared Surbaugh Wins 2004-05 Neal Baisi Award

West Virginia Wesleyan football player Jared Surbaugh ‘05 from Ronceverte, WV, was one of three West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) athletes honored with 2004-05 Neal Baisi Awards presented by Beckley Newspapers. The awards recognize the most outstanding state natives competing in West Virginia Conference football, women’s basketball, and men’s basketball.

A senior chemistry major, Surbaugh also earned first team All-WVIAC and All-Northeast Region (NCAA Div. II) football selections during his final collegiate season. He was a key part of Bobcat squads that claimed conference championships in 2002 and 2003. The 6’2”, 290 pound offensive tackle cleared the way as Wesleyan ranked among the national leaders in scoring offense, total offense, and passing offense. The former Greenbrier East Spartan did not allow a sack in 2004 and was graded as Wesleyan’s top offensive lineman in six of ten contests.

Surbaugh is the second consecutive Wesleyan football player to win the Baisi Award, following in the footsteps of teammate Luke Struble in 2003-04. The award is named for long-time West Virginia Tech athletic director and men’s basketball coach Neal Baisi.

Player Profiles

Paul Nelson Sport: Tennis Hometown: Bay Village, OH High School: Bay Major: English

What did you enjoy about playing tennis and participating on the tennis team? I enjoy playing competitive tennis and being part of the team. The guys on the tennis team are really special people. I always look forward to spring when the season begins. I was the team captain this year, and I enjoyed that leadership role. Why did you choose to attend Wesleyan? I was attracted to Wesleyan mostly because of tennis. It was one of three schools I visited during my junior year in high school, and I loved the campus and tennis program. Wesleyan tennis has a lot of connections with my home area in northeast Ohio, and I knew the coach and several team members. I thought my style of play would be a good fit. What did you like best about Wesleyan? The people and the small classes. Wesleyan is such a close-knit community. It’s easy to get to know people from all parts of the campus. Also, my membership in Theta Xi fraternity has helped build some close friendships. What are your plans after college? I will be traveling in Europe for a month. After that break from school, I would like to pursue something that will involve my interests in writing and music.