After a successful and record-setting 2023-24 season for the Violets, WSN has compiled the most memorable moments for NYU Athletics over the last two semesters. The Violets’ hard work paid off as they currently sit atop the Learfield Directors’ Cup winter standings, outranking more than 260 Division III programs across the country.
No. 5 — Men’s swimming fourth and women’s swimming third in NCAA Championship
Men’s swimming came in fourth at the NCAA Division III Championship — the program’s best finish to date — with the women’s swimming team walking away from the championships placing third in the program’s best-ever finish.
The Violets amassed a total of 56 All-American honors, 15 honorable mentions and 19 new program records.
Graduate student Derek Maas has been making headlines for men’s swimming all year. Maas finished the season with three national titles in the the 200 individual medley, 100 breastroke and 200 breaststroke.
Junior Connor Vincent was the national runner-up in the 1,650 freestyle, with a time of 15:17.55 and earned All-America honors in the 500 freestyle with his third-place finish at 4:24.58.
NCAA women’s swimmer of the year, sophomore Kaley McIntyre, won two national titles — one in the 50 freestyle and one in the 200 freestyle — and broke a new school record for the 100 freestyle.
Junior Caitlin Marshall won her second national title in the 200 butterfly and broke her own record with a time of 1:58.5. She broke two more of her own records, first with a second place finish in the 500 freestyle at 4:49.46 and a third place finish in the 1,650 freestyle at 16:41.99.
No. 4 — Women’s cross country places first in UAA championships
In October, NYU women’s cross country placed first in the UAA Championship for the first time in program history, beating No. 1 ranked University of Chicago by 12 points. Their success persisted, as the Violets finished in second place at the NCAA Division III Championship only three points shy of the title. Three individual runners — Grace Richardson, Morgan Uhlhorn and Viv Kane — earned All-American finishes for ranking in the top 40.
Richardson won the individual title at the UAA Championship as well, coming in with a 21:18.8 time in the 6K race. After placing fourth with a time of 21:50 at the UAA Championship, Uhlhorn was named UAA Rookie of the Year. She was the only first-year runner to place in the top 15.
NYU finished the season ranked No. 1 in the 2023 NCAA D-III Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll.
No. 3 — Grace Richardson breaks several records
Steinhardt graduate student Grace Richardson has popped up in WSN’s weekly athletics recaps throughout the semester, and for good reason. This 2023-24 season, Richardson broke eight individual program records on the track and in cross country.
In cross country, Richardson broke the 6K program record on Sept. 16 with a time of 21:05.3. She broke her own record and the 21-minute barrier at the Connecticut College Invitational on Oct. 14, running a 20:54.70.
In the spring semester, Richardson started her track and field season by breaking the indoor mile record at the Rutgers Scarlet Knight Open on Feb. 2. Her 4:49.24 time is the third-fastest in D-III this year and surpassed the previous NYU record by just under six seconds, which was set in 2011 by Maeve Evans.
Richardson also holds the indoor 3K record with a time of 9:27.12, beating the record set in 2014 by 13.99 seconds, and the indoor distance medley relay record with a 11:44.84 time along with first-years Beverly Okyere and Dominga River, and sophomore Viv Kane.
Richardson also broke the indoor 5K record twice this season, first at the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Dec. 2,where she set a time of 16:44.20. She broke it again with a 16:26.75 time at the NCAA D-III Indoor Track and Field Championships. She also holds the outdoor 5K record as well, breaking it in the Wake Forest Invitational on April 19 with a 16:38.39 time.
Richardson may continue to break more records at the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference on May 15-16 and the NCAA D-III Outdoor Track & Field Championships from May 23-25.
No. 2 — Men and women’s volleyball win conferences and reach Final Four
The women’s and men’s volleyball teams dominated their conferences this year. The women’s team won the UAA championship and ended the NCAA tournament with a record of 33-5, while the men’s team won a second United Volleyball Conference championship with a record of 20-8. Both teams fell short of the NCAA finals, with losses in the Final Four rounds of their respective championships.
On the women’s side of the court, junior Lindsey Hirano was selected for the 2023 All-Association Volleyball’s First Team, while UAA Rookie of the Year first-year Grace Nelson and senior Haley Holz made Second Team. Graduate student Elise Curtin was named as an honorable mention.
Junior Ry Kagan from the men’s team earned earned a spot on the Second Team All-America, chosen by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, while junior Zach Knudsen was named an All-America Honorable Mention.
No. 1 — Women’s basketball undefeated after D-III national championship
The women’s basketball team put NYU Athletics on the map this year with their first NCAA championship in 27 years. The Violets breezed through the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, defeating Hardin-Simmons University and the University of Scranton. In the Final Four, the program’s first semifinal appearance since 2007, NYU ended Transylvania University’s undefeated streak and advanced to the last round.
The Violets won 51-41 against Smith College, earning the national title and preserving a perfect record.
Several members of the team also received awards for their performances this year. Forward Natalie Bruns was awarded the D-III Academic All-America Team Member of the Year and First Team Academic All-America by College Sports Communicators. She also set a new single-season record with 98 blocks and is now the program’s all-time leading shot blocker.
Guard Belle Pellecchia was named the UAA Defensive Player of the Year, the first player to win three years in a row. She was also awarded First Team All-UAA and Region four First Team and has recorded 1,054 points in three years.
Contact Jonathan Mak, Krish Dev, Sidney Snider and Sydney Barragan at [email protected].
