A few things about Nebraska Wesleyan University
And 'Prairie Wolves'
What is a ‘Wesleyan’ University?
There are five institutions in Division III swimming with the word ‘Wesleyan’ in their name.1 You might know this already (we didn’t) but they share a common religious and cultural history, though they are not part of any central organization.
What they have in common is John Wesley.
John Wesley, born in 1703 in England, essentially created the Methodist Church. He grew up in the Church of England2 where he eventually became a priest. (Unlike most protestant denominations, Anglicans, also known as Episcopalians in the United States, have ‘priests’.)
John Wesley was unusual. He was super-smart, educated at Oxford, where his pedantic approach to religion earned the mocking nickname of ‘Methodist’ to suggest he was a bit hung-up on procedure.
He was also driven, the kind of person who traveled the countryside, button-holing strangers and talking to them about how good works on earth might bring them closer to the holy ideal. We don’t imagine John Wesley had a lot of conversations with people who saw him coming.
But there was something charming about his approach. John Wesley's commitment to social reform was evident in his outspoken stance against the slave trade, his advocacy for prison reform, and his curious belief that society might benefit from women attending college.
This legacy is reflected in Wesleyan universities (which are independent entities), and which honestly have an uneven record on these issues.3
However, Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska, stands out for consistently adhering to John Wesley's ideals, in a most practical way. Nebraska Wesleyan, when founded in 1887, let in women.
If you think that is not radical, remember that the University of Virginia, founded in 1819, did not enroll a co-ed full-time undergraduate class until 1970.4 Dartmouth and Notre Dame did not admit women until 1972.
What are ‘Prairie Wolves’?
Nebraska Wesleyan University’s athletic teams are known as The Prairie Wolves. What are ‘Prairie Wolves?’
Coyotes. 'Prairie Wolves' are coyotes. In fact, 'Coyotes' used to be the mascot name for NWU. I guess they changed the name because coyotes have damaged their brand by scavenging on urban perimeters and killing a lot of Pomeranians and Shih Tzus.
There’s no shame in being a coyote. They are a rugged, adaptable species known to adjust well to different environmental conditions, which is why they are widespread across North America, including Nebraska. Coyotes look tough, and are tougher than they look.
Side note: Nebraska Wesleyan does have a few remarkable swimmers from Italy - Mattia Rosatelli and Elena Lazzaretto. One wonders, when they talk to family back home and are asked about the meaning of ‘Prairie Wolves,’ what do they even say? There’s no way they have coyotes in Italy. Do they just say ‘I don’t know, some kind of dog’ and leave it at that?
The Phoenix Fall Classic
The next big event for NWU is the Phoenix Fall Classic, hosted by the University of Chicago. Though life is unpredictable, realistically NWU is not traveling to Chicago to take on D1 Arizona, D3 titans Chicago and NYU, or the 2 or 3 Division II programs that will also be at the meet.
The interesting competition for the Prairie Wolves will come from several other strong teams at about the same level of development as NWU: Ohio Northern, Depauw, UW-OshKosh, and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
If we make those teams the relevant competition group for subsequent discussion, then we are looking at a number of highly competitive events.
Nebraska Wesleyan University's women's team boasts an outstanding group of first-year swimmers, with Aubrey Horner (Eugene, OR) leading the conference in breaststroke events. Lydi O'Neil, a talented sprinter from Lethbridge, Alberta, has an excellent 100 Fly, and Elena Lazzaretto from Venezia, Italy, dominates conference backstroke events.
At the Phoenix Fall Classic, in the 400 Medley Relay, the combination of Ms. Lazzaretto, Ms. Horner and Ms. O’Neil might be enough for NWU to finish first among that group of teams. We also like Aubrey Horner in the 100 Breast and 200 Breast.
On the Men’s side, we think Cael Dice has a really strong chance in 100 Fly, and Alec Zurn has a shot to finish right behind him. Mattia Rosatelli looks like he will be the first of the bunch to finish in 100 Breast and 200 Breast. We also think 500 Free is in reach for Burke Lauseng if he posts a time close to what to what he reached last season.
The Phoenix Fall Classic is not the season's culmination for NWU. The Phoenix Fall Classic is more like a status report for NWU, a way to assess how the team is developing.
What looms largest is the conference championship, where an old nemesis - Luther, a team that is doing a similarly remarkable job bringing in talented young swimmers - awaits. Since back in the days when these teams were swimming in the Liberal Arts Conference (three years ago), Luther has prevailed in the conference championships. And Luther looks strong in ways we have already discussed. What is yet to be assessed is if this Prairie Wolves team is ready to displace them.
Wesleyan University (Connecticut), Ohio Wesleyan University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Virginia Wesleyan University, and of course Nebraska Wesleyan University.
The Church of England was established in the 16th century by King Henry VIII (we get the sense there is a lot of backstory on this one but British royal history makes us drowsy).
It doesn’t matter. The Church of England upholds a distinctive blend of Catholic and Reformed Protestant traditions. In the United States, we call it the Episcopal Church. They tend to do lovely things like run large soup-kitchens that feed homeless people.
Wesleyan University in Connecticut is one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the world. But. Wesleyan was founded in 1831, first admitted women in 1872, and then kicked all the women out in 1909. Women were again allowed to enroll at Wesleyan in 1970.
UVA emphasizes that by 1970 “over 30,000 women had already made their mark on UVA, pursuing –and earning –their diploma, certificate, or degree (bachelor’s, master’s, medical, law, and doctoral)”. No doubt true. UVA did allow women as part-time students, and nursing students, for many years. They were just not allowed to enroll as full-time undergraduates - what we like to call ‘going to college’ - at UVA until 1970.
Of course, I just whiffed. I've already been to one OWU swim meet this season. smh
Ohio Wesleyan University is also D3 and has both men’s and women’s swim teams that compete in NCAC.