Around the Herd: April 2 to April 8 in Athletics

Men’s Tennis

This week, the men’s tennis team hosted Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Bates at home.

On Friday, the team started strong against the Engineers, winning the doubles points with performances from pairs Edred Opie ’25 and Andreas Sillaste ’27, as well as Sujit Chepuri ’25 and Albert Hu ’28. Opie produced another win for the team at the second spot. Also winning in two sets, George Chaidemenos ’26 won his match in the sixth singles spot. Despite these efforts, the Mammoths fell 4-3 to RPI.

The next day, Amherst returned with more success against the Bobcats. The Mammoths claimed the doubles points, winning all three doubles matches. Amherst went on to win the remaining six singles matches, all in two sets. This included Rex Harrison ’27’s performance at the fourth spot, in which he only dropped two games in the entire match. At the sixth spot, Chaidemenos extended his win streak to 10-0 on the season. The Mammoths swept Bates 7-0.

The team will continue their homestand with matches against Colby next Saturday, April 12.

Women’s Tennis

The women’s tennis team faced Bates and Tufts over the weekend.

On Saturday on home court, the Mammoths had a dominant start against the Bobcats. Amherst claimed the doubles point with wins in all three matches, including 6-1 performances from pairs Lily Dounchis ’27 and Deliala Friedman ’25 as well as Mia Kintiroglou ’25 and Greta Stechschulte ’27. The Mammoths swept the remaining singles matches in straight sets. Amy Cui ’25 and Tina She ’28 played dominantly, dropping no games at the second and fifth spots, respectively. The team finished 7-0 over Bates, marking their third sweep of the season.

The next day, the team continued their momentum against the Jumbos. With wins from pairs Dounchis and Friedman as well as Cui and Katie Hart ’25, the Mammoths claimed the doubles point. In the singles matches, Cui and Friedman both won their matches in the second and third spots, respectively, before Sophie Diop ’26 clinched a crucial win in the fourth spot. In the end, Amherst bested Tufts 4-3.

Next Saturday, April 12, the team will travel to face Colby.

Women’s Lacrosse

This week, the team faced two Little Three foes in Wesleyan and Williams.

On Wednesday in Middletown, Sydney Kang ’25 scored first for the Mammoths, catching up to the Cardinals, who had an early lead. Wesleyan would go on to score three more times in the period. Mia Raven ’27 lessened this deficit for Amherst, netting a goal in the last second of the first period. The Cardinals regained their three-point lead going into halftime despite key saves from goalkeeper Lily Samoska ’28 and an eight-meter goal from Bridget Finley ’26. In the third quarter, shots from Emma Crotty ’27, Emily Petersen ’26, and Raven got the Mammoths within one goal. Despite another goal from Wesleyan at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Finley and Petersen both scored their second goals to tie the game; Finley scored with just one second remaining on the shot clock under the three-minute mark, and Petersen’s buzzer-beating goal came in the last second of play to send the match into overtime. After two scoreless six-minute overtime periods, Kate Becker ’26 — who posted three assists in regulation — found the game-winner off the pass from Raven to give Amherst the 9-8 victory.

At home on Saturday, the Mammoths hosted the rival Williams Ephs. The Ephs got out to a fast start — despite two early goals from Clara Sosa ’26, Williams found a 5-2 lead in the first 12 minutes of the first quarter. Petersen and Bridget Darcy ’27 both netted goals in the last 20 seconds of the period to keep the Mammoths within one point. In the next two quarters, the game stayed close as Amherst and the Ephs continued to trade goals. Raven, Petersen, and Morgan Lebek ’26 all scored to keep the Mammoths tied at seven apiece. In the fourth quarter, the team found its offensive stride. Sosa and Petersen both scored early in the period to complete their hat tricks, and Finley added one more to the score as well. Despite a late goal from Williams, Petersen netted her fourth goal in the last minute of play to solidify Amherst’s 11-8 win, their sixth consecutive victory.

With the two wins this week, the Mammoths claimed the Little 3 Crown for the first time since 2018. Petersen’s banner performance also earned her NESCAC Player of the Week honors. The team will look to continue their win streak against Connecticut College today before hosting Bates on Saturday, April 12, for Senior Day.

Men’s Lacrosse

The men’s lacrosse team played two conference opponents in Wesleyan and Williams this week.

At home on Wednesday, the Cardinals set the tone of the first quarter, scoring three times despite an early goal from Alex Giacobbe ’25. The Mammoths responded with an offensive surge in the second, however, with goals from Alex Vlacich ’26, Dylan Hsu ’25, Giacobbe, and Bennett Chow ’26 to give the team their first lead of the game at 5-4. After halftime, Wesleyan regained their stride, scoring three times and muting Amherst throughout the third quarter. Despite two late goals from Hsu and Willie Doyle ’28 — who tallied three assists during the match — the Cardinals claimed the win in a heartbreakingly close 8-7 contest.

In Williamstown on Saturday, the Mammoths faced a close game against the Ephs. After Williams was first on the scoreboard midway through the first stanza, Brendan Reilly ’27 responded quickly with a goal assist by Doyle. In the second quarter, the two teams continued to trade goals; Giacobbe gave Amherst their first lead of the game, and then Hsu and Chow both netted goals to maintain the edge after the Ephs continued to find the back of the net. After halftime, Chow scored again to make the score 5-3. However, Williams would go on to score four consecutive goals. Doyle would score with a man-advantage, but the Ephs still had a 7-6 lead. The Mammoths struggled to find the back of the net in the final quarter while Williams scored twice more to win 9-6.

The team will return to its home field to host Connecticut College today.

Softball

The softball team traveled to Middletown, CT, on Friday to face Wesleyan.

In Amherst’s first match against Wesleyan, the Cardinals got off to a fiery start. Wesleyan, despite not scoring in the first inning, led Amherst 5-0  heading into the fourth. A pitching change prevented the Cardinals from scoring further, but Wesleyan got back on the scoreboard in the fifth inning, scoring two more runs. After that, a home run in the sixth inning gave Wesleyan a nine-run lead, triggering the mercy rule and giving the Cardinals the win.

In the Mammoths’ second match, Wesleyan’s hot streak continued. The Cardinals earned two runs in the first inning, taking an early lead. For Amherst, Torres-Werra opened the second inning with a triple to left field and, moments later, was driven home by Anna Primozic ’27. Nonetheless, Wesleyan extended their lead by two runs in the bottom of the second inning, taking a 4-1 lead. Still, Amherst fought back. Amherst loaded the bases in the fourth inning, and May Mishima ’28 doubled, sending Abby Kong ’26, Torres-Werra, and Primozic home to level the score at 4-4. Unfortunately, their battle ended on a sour note, as Wesleyan scored four unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings, allowing the Cardinals to win the match 8-4 and the series 2-0.

The team plays Smith College today, a series against Bates College on April 12, and a series against Bowdoin College on April 13.

Baseball

The Mammoths played Tufts this weekend, playing one game on Friday and a doubleheader on Sunday.

Tufts quickly took a 1-0 lead in the second, but the Mammoths responded in the third as singles from Tyler McCord ’26 and Jack Boyle ’25 drove home a pair of runs, giving Amherst a 2-1 lead. In the fifth, the pair stayed hot, as McCord drove home Boyle with a single to center field. Piling on in the sixth inning, Justin Orridge ’28 singled to left field and scored Charlie LaFreniere ’27. LaFreniere got involved once more in the seventh inning after doubling to right field, which drove home McCord. In the end, the Mammoths took the win against the Jumbos, dominating 5-1. Orridge, Sampedro, and McCord led the way with three hits in the contest, while Boyle and LaFreniere followed closely with two knocks.

On Sunday, the Mammoths got off to a great start. Leo Foust ’28, the second at-bat for Amherst, homered to open the first inning. Tufts responded with a run of their own in the second inning, forcing a mammoth response. Sampedro and LaFreniere each earned a run in the fourth inning to push Amherst ahead 3-1. Their efforts weren’t enough, however, as Tufts took the lead in the seventh inning. The game ended 4-3 in the Jumbos’ favor.

In the second Sunday game, Amherst once again took an early lead. In the top of the second inning, McCord earned a run against Tufts after Orridge reached on a fielder’s choice. Amherst struggled to produce offensively after this run, as Tufts took the lead back in the bottom of the second inning. LaFreniere had the Mammoths’ only hit in the game, which was a single in the second inning to help set up McCord. Tufts took the win against Amherst, scoring 4-1.

The team hosts Williams College this Friday before traveling to Williamstown, MA, on Saturday to play twice more against Williams. The Mammoths then return home on Sunday, April 13, to compete against Middlebury College.

Women’s Track & Field

This week, women’s track and field hosted the Amherst Spring Fling meet.

In the 4x100 meter relay, Rachel Hubley ’27, Camilla Lash ’27, Eliza Cardwell ’25, and Ellie Jolly ’28 placed first in the event with a time of 48:20. Meanwhile, Sylvan Wold ’25 placed first in the 1500 meter with a personal best time of 4:37. The success continued in the 400 meter dash as Casie Eifrig ’25 crossed the finish line in 57.82 seconds, finishing first. At that, Héloïse Hughes ’27 took the top spot in the 100-meter with a mark of 12.47, and, winning by over two seconds, Piper Lentz ’26 finished the 800-meter in a blazing fast 2:12. Finally, In the 5000 meter, Flora Biro ’28 placed first with a personal best time of 17:16. Overall, nine Mammoths topped the podium in individual events at the meet.

On Friday, April 11, the team will compete at both the Carla Coffey Invitational and the Silfen Invitational

Men’s Track & Field

The men’s track and field team competed at home this weekend at the Amherst Spring Fling.

On Saturday, Alec Kuzyk ’27 set a new program record in the pole vault with a mark of 4.6 meters; this feat surpasses the previous record by Richard Minicus ’78 in 1977 of 4.57 meters. Gavin Schmidt ’28 won the shot put and discus events with distances of 14.65 meters and 42.13 meters, respectively. On the track side, Nick Edwards-Levin ’25 took first place in the 5000 meter with a finishing time of 14:53. Taking second place, Harrison Talcott ’27 finished the 3000 meter steeplechase in 9:27, a personal best. Also earning second, Kean Tanyi-Tang ’28, Cody Pierce ’26, Alexander Nichols ’26, and Jordan Harrison ’26 combined to finish the 4x100 meter relay in 41.49 seconds. 11 different Mammoths earned new qualifying marks.

Splitting competition between the Carla Coffey Invitational and the Silfen Invitational, the team will return to the track on Friday, April 11.