WELLESLEY, Mass. -- In celebration of the spirit and achievement of Wellesley scholar-athletes and those who have inspired and supported them, Wellesley College Athletics has announced the 2016 Wellesley Crew Team, Laura Bender McGuinness '04 (Field Hockey/Lacrosse), Katherine Knudsen Bellon '99 (Soccer), and Colette Flesch '60 (Fencing - Pre Varsity) as the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Wellesley's Department of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics (PERA) will host its biennial induction ceremony and dinner on the evening of Saturday, October 24, 2026. The event will take place at Tishman Commons, on the lower level of the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center, as part of Friends and Family Weekend. Check-in will begin at 5:15 PM ET, with the program and dinner set to begin promptly at 6:00 PM ET.

Tickets for the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Dinner are now on sale. Tickets are $100 for adults and $25 for children (12 and under). Admission to the ceremony includes salad, dinner, dessert and drinks. Wellesley Athletics Hall of Famer and Chair of the Hall of Fame selection committee, Liza Janssen Petra '94 will emcee the event, which will also include remarks from Wellesley College President Paula A. Johnson and Director of Athletics Bethany Ellis.

2026 Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony & Dinner

• GET TICKETS
• Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
• Time: 6:00-9:00 PM ET (Check-in begins at 5:15 PM ET)
• Location: Tishman Commons, Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center at Wellesley College
• Cost: $100 for adults and $25 for children (12 and under)

The 2016 Blue Crew team, led by Coaches Tessa Spillane, Hannah Woodruff and Seth Hussey, earned the program's first National Championship and first NCAA team National Championship in school history. The NCAA team included Meg Babikian '18, Emilia Ball '19, Kathryn Barth '17, Lauren N. Bazley '18, Kelsey Campbell '18, Sydney Dollmeyer '16, Olivia Duggan '17, Audrey Ellis '18, Anna Hakes '17, Grace Howland '16, Molly Hoyer '18, Sahar Ibrahim '16, Stephanie S. Kim '18, Katie Livingston '19, Loren Lock '16, Jocelyn Reahl '19, Sloane Rice '18, Megan Roberts '16, Sydney Stento '18, Olivia Sukrieh née Thayer '16 and Alessandra Zaldivar-Giuffredi '16. The team finished with a gold medal in the Varsity Eight Grand Final and a silver medal in the Second Varsity Eight Grand Final at the NCAA Championship. The squad won a sixth straight NEWMAC title and the New England Rowing Championships (NERC) championship (won second varsity and novice titles to earn overall points championship for first time in program history). Loren Lock '16 and Sydney Dollmeyer '16 earned All-America recognition, with Lock becoming the second athlete in program history to earn All-America honors a second time. The Blue also swept the awards at the NEWMAC Championships, as Megan Roberts '16 was named Rower of the Year and Stephanie S. Kim '18 earned her second Coxswain of the Year award in as many seasons. The duo was joined on the All-Conference team by Lauren N. Bazley '18 and Grace Howland '16. In addition, head coach Tessa Spillane was recognized as the NEWMAC, National Invitational Rowing Championship (NIRC) and Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Coach of the Year.

Laura Bender McGuinness '04, a two-sport athlete in field hockey and lacrosse, earned the Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer '49 Scholar-Athlete award in 2004. Bender McGuinness excelled both on and off the field, earning academic and athletic distinction on the regional and national level. As a senior in 2003, Bender McGuinness earned National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) All-America second team honors and was named to the NEWMAC All-Conference team in field hockey and lacrosse, completing a career that included three-time NFHCA Field Hockey All-Region honors (2001-03), three-time NEWMAC Field Hockey All-Conference honors (2001-03) and two-time NEWMAC lacrosse All-Conference recognition (2002, 2004). The MVP of the Seven Sisters field hockey tournament in 2003, Bender McGuinness was a two-time NEWMAC Academic All-Conference selection (2002-03) and a three-time NFHCA DIII National Academic Squad honoree (2001-03). Bender McGuinness was also named to the 25-Year All-NEWMAC Field Hockey team. Field hockey finished with a four-year record of 55-23, winning the NEWMAC championship in 2002 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Lacrosse had a four-year mark of 32-28, winning the NEWMAC Championship in 2001.

Katherine Knudsen Bellon '99 was a United Soccer Coaches, formerly National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Regional All-American in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Knudsen Bellon was also a three-time NEW-8 All-Conference First Team member, and was the NEW-8 Player of the Year in 1996 and 1997. Knudsen Bellon later landed on the first NEWMAC All-Conference First Team for women's soccer. Knudsen Bellon was part of a Wellesley soccer team that was an NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament regional finalist in 1998. She is Wellesley's all-time leader in goals (44), assists (44) and points (130). In 1996, she recorded 18 goals and 48 points, still the Wellesley record for the most in a season. From 1995 to 1999, the soccer program had a record of 61-17-6, the most successful four-year run in program history. Knudsen Bellon was named to the 25-Year All-NEWMAC Soccer Team.

Flesch was a member of Luxembourg's Olympic Fencing Team in 1960, '64, and '68 in the individual foil competition. In 1967, she was named Sportswoman of the Year in Luxembourg. This was pre-varsity sports at Wellesley. There is not a lot of fencing information from Flesch's time at Wellesley. However, we know that she earned a bronze medal at the 1958 World Junior Championships, which would have overlapped with her time as a Wellesley student. Flesch earned a Bachelor's Degree at Wellesley before she received her M.A. in International Affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and she studied at The Hague Academy of International Law. In 1969 she became the first female mayor of Luxembourg City at the age of 32, which she remained until 1980. Besides her work in the Chamber of Deputies (1969–1980, 1984–1989, and 2004–2009), she was also a member of the European Parliament from 1969 to 1980, 1984 to 1985, 1989 to 1990, and 1999 to 2004. She also served there as minister of foreign affairs, foreign trade and development, economic affairs, and justice. At the Council of the European Communities, Flesch served as director general of the European Commission for Culture, Communication and Sport from 1990 to 1999. Flesch passed away in January, 2026 at age 88 and will be posthumously inducted.