Episode 22: Eli Smirin and Nelson Bellows

BONUS POD: Leila Epstein and Sarah Youngberg

Today we have a very special bonus episode of the Cardinal Chirp with your 2026 NCAA Division III National Champions Leila Epstein and Sarah Youngberg of the women’s tennis team. The Cardinals went 23-2 on the season under first-year head coach Steph Yanosov which concluded in the program’s second National Title!

Episode 22: Eli Smirin and Nelson Bellows

Today on the show we talked to All-Americans Eli Smirin and Nelson Bellows from the Men’s Crew team! The team won its first four races of the spring season and most-recently finished runner-up at the New England Championships. Eli is from Cali and Nelson is from Cambridge, Mass. Both have been on the V8 boat since their freshman year and achieved quite a bit in their four years including multiple Little Three titles, a NESCAC Championship, New England title, and the first National Championship in team history. In this episode we kick off with a Senior Assassins deep dive before getting into all things rowing, the different seats on the boat, different types of strokes, how they got into the sport, stories from out on the water, a weird but authentic respect and camaraderie among the NESCAC programs, and much more.

Episode 21: Mia Holbrook and Coach Wilson

This week on the show, we talked to Mia Holbrook and Head Coach Jon Wilson from the Women’s Golf team! Mia Holbrook, a junior from Pound Ridge, New York, is looking to continue her great Wesleyan career after being the NESCAC Tournament Runner-Up in her sophomore season! Coach Wilson is in his seventh season at Wes and is the first coach in Wesleyan women's golf history. In this episode we talk about all things Wes Golf, Coach Wilson beating Tiger Woods, the origin and history of the mini mic, befriending other NESCAC teams and coaches (shoutout Stu) and much more.

Episode 20 - Ali Amante and Ella DeCrescenzo

On the show this week, Cat spoke with teammates Ella DeCrescenzo and Ali Amante from the Softball team. Ella is a pitcher from Brooklyn, New York having a breakout junior year and Ali is a senior catcher from Massapequa, New York who is a steady defensive force for the Cardinals leading from behind the plate. We dive into all things Wesleyan softball, the annual Florida spring break trip, pitcher/catcher relationships, superstitions, an interesting approach to scrambled eggs, all things Neil’s Donuts, and much more.

Episode 19: Sam Hensinger and James Marsden

James Marsden and Sam Hensinger of the Wesleyan Baseball team join host Will on this week's episode. Baseball currently sits atop the NESCAC West Division and secured the 2026 Little Three Championship with a series win over Williams this past weekend. Both James and Sam hail from the great state of Connecticut and both have unique paths to Wes, with James first arriving on campus as a football player and Sam as a transfer from Ithaca. The two discuss all things Wes baseball, new head coach Matt Reynolds, random conversations amongst outfielders, spring break road trips, why NESCAC baseball has two divisions, and more.