MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Wesleyan track & field senior sprinter Grace Devanny '23 has been honored with the Sabasteanski Award, given to the NESCAC's Most Outstanding Performer from the championship meet. Devanny becomes the first-ever Cardinal to win the NESCAC's highest individual honor.
 
Devanny completed one of the single greatest individual showings in the 22-year history of the NESCAC Championships, having won four track events (two individual, two relays), something that has never been accomplished before by a single athlete in NESCAC history. She also became just the third athlete in NESCAC history Colleen Doddy of Williams in 2002 and Sarah Deeb of Tufts in 2001) to win both the 200m and 400m in the same year.
 
The senior opened Saturday's championship meet with a win in the 200m for the first time in her career at NESCAC's. She had to fight off Kiara Tan of Williams but Devanny's time of 24.83 seconds won the event.
 
She then defended her 400m title from last season, winning the event handily with a time of 56.45 seconds that bested the runner-up (Casie Eifrig of Amherst) by more than two seconds.
 
Facing stiff competition from Middlebury in both sprint relay events, Wesleyan set the tone early with a meet and school record time of 47.73 seconds in the 4x100m, defeating the Panthers (48.32) by less than a second. Devanny combined with Gabby Harris '23, Kenzie Kelly '25, and Augusta Burhans '23 for the win, marking just the second time in program history that Wesleyan has won the 4x100m NESCAC title and first since 2002.
 
Looking to defend their title in the 4x400m relay, Wesleyan put together a sensational performance as the team of Devanny, Sophia Mack '26, Maeve Hoffman '23, and Kelly posted a time of 3:55.96 that won the event by nearly three seconds.
 
Devanny looks to continue an already incredible season, bookending one of the best careers by an athlete in the history of Wesleyan Athletics, this weekend at the New England Division III Championships.