The crack of a metal bat reverberates around Pomona College this time every year, that unmistakable ping emanating from Alumni and Wig Beach fields the sweetest spring symphony.
With February and March come new seasons for baseball and softball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and women’s water polo.
Three Sagehens playing spring sports reflect on their time in blue and orange.
Rachel LeMay ’27, women’s golf
At her size, with her swing, Rachel LeMay ’27 has never been the longest hitter off the tee.
“Accuracy has always been my strong suit,” she says. “I just try to hit it straight—fairways in regulation, greens in regulation. Keep things simple and make easy pars.”
LeMay, a native of nearby Monrovia, California, is a two-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American who considers herself more of a feel golfer than a technician.
Playing 18 holes is a marathon, and as easy as it is to let a poor drive or approach shot sink a round, LeMay knows her scorecard isn’t complete until the final putt.
“I try not to be too hard on myself,” she says. “There’s always going to be more opportunities to get the feeling back.”
As her high school valedictorian and a two-time qualifier for the state championship, LeMay chose Pomona to be close to home and strike a balance between academics and athletics.
In her first collegiate season, she notched a program-best third place individual finish at the NCAA Division III Women’s Championship, her 5-over-par 293 pacing a Sagehens troupe that finished a program-high third overall as a team.
LeMay remembers that 2024 tournament fondly. Inclement weather in Kentucky delayed a round in progress, meaning in one day she and her teammates had to complete their previous rounds before playing their scheduled 18.
“I surprised myself with how I behaved on the course,” she says. “That was a good memory of being consistent when the team needed it.”
LeMay repeated as an All-American last year as the Sagehens followed their record-setting 2024 season with a ninth-place team finish at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Division III Championship.
A neuroscience major on the pre-med track who plans to pursue a career in medicine, LeMay studied abroad in Taiwan this past fall and practiced with the National Taiwan University golf team to stay sharp.
“The golf culture is a bit more formal [in Taiwan], and the weather definitely made me miss playing in California,” she recalls, “but it was really fun getting to experience golf somewhere outside the U.S.”
Back at Pomona after a semester away, LeMay’s refamiliarizing herself with the fairways and greens she lived on before her time overseas. In Coach John Wurzer’s eight seasons at Pomona, she’s the only women’s golfer to earn All-American honors her first two years in Sagehen blue.
Pomona’s golf program “makes it really easy to succeed,” LeMay says, and with the season in full swing, she’s upped her practice regimen and responsibility to keep her team atop the sport.
“For me, mentality on the course is important,” she says. “Just focus on the shot and don’t get too ahead of yourself, good or bad. I’ve noticed that even when I’m playing well, I try not to get too excited because I can just as quickly hit a poor shot.”
“I like to stay within myself and trust my game as best I can.”
William Marquart ’26, men’s track and field
The symptoms started appearing early last fall, each more ominous than the last.
A burly lineman and thrower his first three years at Pomona, William Marquart ’26 lost 45 pounds between September and October. He’d convinced himself a stomach bug was to blame. Surely his muscle mass would return once he recovered.
But why was he having trouble concentrating?
And why couldn’t he sleep?
And why was his vision deteriorating?
“This will all go by,” he thought.
Only when the symptoms became unbearable did Marquart go to the hospital. He was admitted to the ICU immediately. Told it was a miracle he could still walk.
“You should be in a coma right now,” he recalls a doctor saying.
Marquart, a biology major from Woodway, Washington, was diagnosed with severe diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening medical emergency requiring immediate and monitored care. Having dealt with autoimmune conditions his entire life—vitiligo, hypothyroidism—he’d gotten used to downplaying warning signs.
“But last semester everything finally caught up with me,” he says.
Once diagnosed and on the proper medication, Marquart returned to the weight room to regain his strength. Doctors recommended he limit himself to 1,300 calories a day, an impossible charge for a 280-pound athlete who needs north of 5,500 calories a day to throw competitively.
Fully healthy this spring, Marquart says he’s stronger than he was last May, when he became the first Sagehens thrower in 40 years to put the shot farther than 50 feet.
“A big part of throws is body awareness,” he says. “It’s making sure your body is at its peak, and you’re not just strong, but also athletic. You see plenty of strong people try and fail in these events because they don’t know how to use that strength properly.”
While throwing the shot, discus, javelin and hammer can get repetitive, Marquart uses each practice to hone the quirks of his implement and avoid falling into any bad habits.
After becoming the first men’s thrower since 2017 to etch his name in the Sagehens record book last season, Marquart’s newest personal records are replacing program marks previously held for decades.
He reached 55’10.5” in the shot put on March 20, a distance second only to Pomona-Pitzer Hall of Famer Ray Fogg ’75, whose record toss of 58’10.5” in 1974 remains the oldest track and field mark in Sagehens history.
Elsewhere on the field, Marquart’s top distances in the javelin (187’10”) and discus (151’7”) this spring rank eighth and ninth all-time, respectively.
“Will brings deep thoughtfulness and explosive quickness to his throwing,” Throws Coach Kirk Reynolds says. “To have success in all four throws is remarkable.”
When Marquart’s not refining his throwing technique, he’s studying for the MCAT, which he plans to take during his upcoming gap year before applying for medical school.
At Pomona, he’s had the chance to do research “I would never have gotten access to until I was post-grad or a professional,” he says. “I’ve been doing research since my sophomore year, and I’m really glad I’ve been able to build connections and get out there so soon.”
“Pomona was exactly what I was looking for,” he adds. “Small school, phenomenal academics and pre-med program, amazing professors who have a personal investment in their students.”
“This was the perfect fit.”
Lauren Rha ’26, women’s tennis
Lauren Rha ’26 suffered a partially torn bicep last spring, but with the Sagehens women’s tennis team on a long winning streak, the Las Vegas native continued competing, driven by her determination to finish what had the makings of a magical season.
The Sagehens went undefeated in conference play in 2025 before repeating as conference tournament champions. Despite her injury, Rha helped lead Pomona-Pitzer to its first NCAA Division III National Championship match since 1992.
After an outstanding postseason at No. 2 singles and No. 3 doubles, Rha captured two points in a thrilling championship contest the Sagehens lost, 3-4.
“Last season I could feel how much we wanted to win,” says Rha, whom the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) named a Singles All-American after the season. “We had so much faith in each other, and even though we lost, we held our heads high. It was a tough loss, but we all tried our hardest, and that’s what really matters.”
Rha’s long had a competitive spirit. She was 10 when she started showing flashes of brilliance in tennis—only her instrument of choice wasn’t a racket.
It was a Nintendo Wii controller.
Rha played Mario Tennis for hours growing up, and after proving to be a natural on the virtual tennis court, she tried her hand at the real thing. Though not without her share of losses, Rha became the 49th-ranked prep prospect nationally, her aggressive, powerful play a reason Sagehens Coach Mike Morgan recruited her to Claremont.
After playing as an individual for so long, Rha quickly adapted to team play in college.
“In junior tennis, it was always just me,” she says. “But here, I’m working with 10 other people and our goal is the same. Teamwork has been such a big part in my development as a person. I learned how to put others before myself while also taking care of myself.”
Now playing at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles, Rha remains focused on doing all she can to lead the Sagehens back to the NCAA National Championship match.
As physical and humbling a sport as tennis is, “The mental aspect has strengthened my mental toughness,” she says. “I wouldn’t be as mentally strong as I am today without it.”
Rha brings that same focus to her studies.
As a neuroscience major who plans to enter dentistry, Rha is researching the brain’s connection to the mouth, hoping to integrate more neuroscience into dentistry in the future.
In the fall, she’ll attend UNLV School of Dental Medicine on scholarship, following in the footsteps of her father, who is both a dentist and her role model.
“I know dental school will be really rigorous academically,” she says, “so right now I’m trying to enjoy my time here.”