Free of their “final” final exams, the Class of 2026 has Denison all to themselves for much of the week leading up to their Saturday Commencement.
It’s a time of cheers and tears, of closed chapters and new beginnings. Over the next few days, we’re chronicling their last few days as students on The Hill. Follow along as we update through the week!
Monday, May 11
Senior varsity athletes receive their pins
The winningest class in Denison sports history was honored as approximately 125 seniors were welcomed into the Varsity D Association. The Class of 2026 won four consecutive NCAC All-Sports trophies, and some members were part of five national championships: women’s swimming and diving (2023), men’s swimming and diving (2025-26), men’s tennis (2025), and women’s basketball (2026). The prolific class might still add a few more NCAA titles in the coming weeks. “In high school, the big focus was on the individual person,” says Drue Thielking ’26, a four-time NCAA qualifier in women’s swimming. “At Denison, the focus has been on the team, and also supporting other teams here. The camaraderie has been special to be a part of.”
Fire up the saw
Helen Breen ’26 is not the only senior to give a coach or professor a gift of gratitude this week. However, she may be the only one who made hers in Denison’s woodshop. Breen crafted a piece of wood — “the cheapest I could find at Lowe’s” — into a lovely field hockey stick. She and her five senior field hockey teammates signed it before presenting it to coach P.J. Soteriades. It’s not Breen’s first gift to her coach. The visual arts minor also made a lifesize cardboard cutout of Soteriades, which stands watch over the coach’s office.
Fueling up for late-night fun
Alex Carlton ’26 and Talya Dersu ’26 refuel at Slayter after shopping in Granville for gifts for their favorite professors. Soon they’ll be joining Kate Tull and Andrew McNutt for a small “Former First-Year Fellow Soirée” before going back down The Hill to The Cidery with Marla Krak for a Vail Intern celebration.
Smoothie break
Self-avowed “fruit-a-holic” Grant Hunter ’26 enjoys his favorite smoothie — strawberry banana — and one of his last on The Hill before heading to Boston to pursue video production.
Never enough Denison gear
Rachel Gilio ’26 and Ava Wood ’26 just loaded up on lots of goodies from the Denison Bookstore. After graduation Gilio will move to NYC to work in fashion, and Wood will start nursing school this fall.
What to do? What to do?
Denison students aren’t accustomed to so much free time on campus. So how will they spend it over the next five days — beyond hoisting a few celebratory beverages? Lindsay Warwick ’26 and her friends plan to enjoy time outdoors, walk through Granville, and buy Denison T-shirts to be signed by classmates. Jack Ortmann ’26 wants to revisit East Quad. “I want to go back to places where I had some of my best memories,” he says. Constence Vasquez ’26 is interested in seeing the Bio Reserve and the planetarium, while friend Ariadna Cruz ’26 might check out Denison’s cemetery.
