At the Apex of Wheeler Athletics: Announcing This Year’s Hall of Fame Class

We are proud to announce the latest inductees into the Wheeler Athletics Hall of Fame! We’ll come together as a community to celebrate these distinguished Warriors during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend in October.

A three-sport varsity athlete from 1991 to 1995, Marya (McAndrew) Baldwin ’95 was a leader on the field hockey field, basketball court, and lacrosse field at Wheeler who earned All-State honors in each sport. She was Rhode Island’s top scorer in field hockey during her junior and senior seasons, and she was also recognized as an Honorable Mention All-American for lacrosse in her senior year. After graduation, Marya continued her academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut, where she was a two-time All Big East selection, as well as a Regional All-American. Her UConn teams during her junior and senior years made back-to-back Final Four appearances. Currently, she is the Girls Lacrosse coach at Wheeler.

Alex Howard ’95 was the best boys tennis player in Rhode Island throughout his varsity career, winning the Singles State Championship three years in a row. He captured the title in 1993, 1994, and 1995, becoming one of only a handful of scholar-athletes to win the RIIL championship three times, and he was also selected three times to the All Division and All State teams. Alex went on to play collegiately at the University of Richmond, where he was an All Conference honoree, and he continued to play competitively after college.

Jean Carlson will enter the Wheeler Athletics Hall of Fame following her celebrated tenure as both a championship coach and faculty member. She led the Field Hockey team to a Rhode Island state title in 2000 and a Division II state championship in 2009. She also coached tennis, field hockey, and lacrosse for multiple years at Wheeler and was a longtime basketball official honored by the RIIL as a member of its Legends Club. In addition to her achievements in competitive athletics, she also served as physical education teacher at Wheeler for three decades, including several years as the department chair.

Coach Carlson’s championship field hockey squad from 2000 will enter the hall as a team. In what was a dominating season from start to finish, the Warriors went 17-1-3 en route to the title. The team members include captains Molly Bodell ’01 and Lily Gillett ’01, and fellow players Adria Karlsson ’01, Kennon Kay ’01, Joanna (Jenny) McCann ’01, Amy Phelan ’01, Lauren Balukjian ’02, Lisa Bruce ’02, Millicent Budlong-Springer ’02, Ethel Flynn Brown ’02, Madeline (Maxie) Kitzes ’02, Kate Lyons Mailloux ’02, Katherine Austin Bundy ’03, Sarah Bender ’03, and Amelie Granito Tartaglione ’03. In addition to Jean Carlson, the team was also coached by Sue Clegg and Ruth Rainey.

“This fourth Hall of Fame Class represents the best of our Wheeler athletic tradition – talent, leadership, and a legacy of impact in the athletic arena,” says Director of Athletics Sean Kelly ’02, P’35, P’37. ”We are proud to celebrate their successes and the inspiration they provide to current and future Wheeler Warriors.”

Please join us when we honor our 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees at the Alumni Awards Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 18. You can register for the awards ceremony on the Wheeler alumni community website, The Wheel.