Around the Herd: Feb. 11 to Feb. 17 in Athletics

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team played two NESCAC rivals this weekend, defeating Middlebury 49-33 and falling to Williams 59-44.

On Friday, the Mammoths hosted the Panthers and delivered a dominant performance in LeFrak Gymnasium. Amherst opened the game with a 6-0 run, closing out the first quarter with a 12-7 lead. In the second quarter, the team extended its lead to a strong 14 points with two minutes remaining in the half. The Mammoths maintained their momentum by making many defensive stops, which they turned into offensive opportunities, ending the half with a 27-17 lead. The third quarter was low scoring for both teams, with Amherst totaling six points and Middlebury totaling only five. As they headed into the final quarter, Amherst sat at an 11-point advantage. With impressive steals and a high tempo of play in the fourth quarter, the Mammoths pulled out a 49-33 win. Chase Anderson ’29 was the leading scorer of the game with 13 points, followed by Reagan Pahl ’27 and Annie McCarthy ’26 with 9 points each. The Mammoths out-rebounded the Panthers 44-32 and completed 15 steals compared to Middlebury’s eight. 

On Saturday afternoon, Amherst celebrated its five seniors — Brooke Ingemi '26, Anna Tranum ’26, Laura Mendell ‘26, Annie McCarthy ‘26, and Sylvia Liddle ‘26 — in the senior day game against Williams. The score fluctuated during the first possessions before Williams built a 12-4 lead to close out the first quarter. The Ephs maintained their advantage throughout the second and third quarters and entered the fourth with a 44-25 lead. In the final quarter, Mendell, Brielle Renwick ’27, and Pahl teamed up, making key steals and baskets to help the Mammoths cut the deficit to only 10 points with two minutes on the clock. Even with this last gasp of pressure, Amherst could not equalize in time for the final buzzer, ultimately falling 59-44. Anderson had another impressive game, leading the scoring once again with 11 points, followed by McCarthy with nine. The Mammoths also made 11 out of 14 free throws throughout the game. 

The Mammoths hold a 17-7 overall record and are ranked third in the NESCAC. They will face Connecticut College in the NESCAC Tournament Quarterfinal on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in LeFrak Gymnasium. 

Men’s Basketball

This weekend, the men’s basketball team faced two NESCAC opponents, besting Middlebury 79-64 and falling to Williams 70-56. 

On Friday, the team traveled to face Middlebury and returned home with another conference win. Nate Pabis ’27 and Chris Hammond ’26 led the scoring with 19 and 17 points, respectively. This game marked Amherst’s seventh-straight win, moving their record to 18-5 overall and 7-2 in NESCAC play. The Mammoths kicked off the game with a 5-0 run as Drew Martin ’26 scored a layup during Amherst’s first possession, followed by Sherron Woodberry ’29 netting a 3-pointer. In the final 10 minutes of the half, both teams fought hard for the lead, equalizing the score four times. With two jumpers from Pabis and another 3-pointer from Woodberry, Amherst regained the lead and closed out the half with a 33-26 lead. Entering the second half with momentum, Amherst mounted a 17-1 run that solidified its advantage. In the final moments of the game, layups from Elias Chin ’28 and K.J. Neville ’29 cemented the 79-64 win for the Mammoths. Hammond was the only player to earn double-double figures with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Amherst overall held the offensive advantage, converting 49.1% of field goals compared to Middlebury’s 35.7%, and 34.4% of three-pointers compared to the Panthers’ 29.6%. 

On Saturday, the team traveled to face Williams and ultimately lost 70-56 despite a strong late-game push. After Williams opened the scoring, Elias Chin ’28 equalized with two jumpers that brought the score to 4-4. Later in the quarter, Drew Martin ended Amherst’s scoring drought with a 3-pointer that brought the score to 18-12. Hammond netted a layup that kicked off an 8-0 scoring streak featuring points from Marc Garraud ’27 and Brandon Margolin ’29. Pabis made a layup that put Amherst in the lead for the first time with a score of 25-24. Ultimately, the Ephs outperformed the Mammoths, and the team went home sour. Neville led the game’s scoring with 13 points. 

The Mammoths now hold an 18-6 overall record and a 7-3 NESCAC record, concluding their regular season. They will face Bates College in the NESCAC Tournament Quarterfinal on Saturday at 2 p.m. in LeFrak Gymnasium. 

Women’s Hockey

The women’s ice hockey team swept its two-game series against ninth-ranked Trinity over the weekend. Both contests were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, but the Mammoths ultimately prevailed in both shootouts — winning 2-0 in Friday’s “Pink In The Rink” matchup and 1-0 on Saturday.

On Friday, the visiting Bantams opened the scoring only six seconds into the game. They held the 1-0 lead for most of the game. It was not until the beginning of the final period that Maeve Reynolds ’26 evened the score 1-1 off an assist from Clare O’Connor ’27. The score remained 1-1 until the end of regulation, despite the fact that the Mammoths outshot Trinity, more than doubling the Bantams’ 22 shots with 47 of their own. The game remained scoreless in the overtime period, resulting in a shootout, which Amherst dominated, getting a pair of goals from Reyolds and Cara Mancini ’27, in addition to a shutout from goalkeeper Natalie Stott ’26. 

The Mammoths dominated early on the following day, making the most of multiple power-play opportunities. Trinity’s goalkeeper, Madeline Carter, had a number of saves, but ultimately could not hold off the Mammoth’s momentum. Late in the second period, Gretchen Dann ’26 opened the scoring off an assist from Mancini, putting the Mammoths on top 1-0. Undeterred, the Bantams soon responded with a goal of their own in the third period, sending the two teams into their second overtime of the weekend, which ended scoreless. Eventually, the Mammoths emerged victorious again, after another shootout goal by Mancini and yet another Stott shutout. 

The two narrow victories from the Mammoths improve their record to 14-2-6, as they head into their final NESCAC matchup against Hamilton.  

Men’s Hockey

The men’s ice hockey team fell short in both their NESCAC competitions this weekend, losing to Connecticut College on Friday, 4-7, and to Tufts on Saturday, 1-6. 

The Mammoths opened the scoring Friday night against Conn. The goal came halfway through the first period from Magnus Gadowsky ’28 and was assisted by Vincent Velocci ’27. The Camels responded quickly, though, evening the score at 1-1 four minutes later to conclude the first period. Shortly thereafter, Connecticut capitalized again just 16 seconds into the second period, giving them a 2-1 lead. This lead was short-lived, however, as, 90 seconds later, Amherst’s Andrew Carmody ’26 answered for the Mammoths, scoring during a power play. Velocci notched his second assist on the day off the Carmody goal. The teams exchanged another pair of goals later in the period, when  Oliver Flynn ’27 knocked in a rebound off Velocci’s shot.  Conn then gained fast momentum to start the final period, scoring two goals which remained unanswered until 1:58 left in the game when Ben Ritter ‘26 found the net off an assist from Quinton Gove ’27. The Camels were able to score two more after the Mammoths opted to pull goalkeeper Vincent Lamberti ’29 for the extra-man advantage. The Mammoths fell 7-4 despite a career-high assist tally from Velocci. 

The Saturday match in Medford, MA, against Tufts belonged to the Jumbos on their home ice. Tufts opened the scoring almost immediately, scoring four unanswered goals within the first 7:30 of play after a slew of defensive struggles by the Mammoths. Later, after a strong defensive effort by Gove and Oscar Smink ’26, Carson Baylis ’28 converted a blocked shot from Romulus Riego de Dios ’29, improving the score to 4-1 heading into the second period. In the end, despite the Mammoths leading in shot attempts 28-27 over the Jumbos and a stronger defensive effort after Lamberti came off the bench, Amherst was unable to generate enough of an offensive spark to overcome the early deficit. With the Jumbos tacking on an additional goal each period, Amherst fell 6-1 despite Lamberti’s 22 saves. 

Following this difficult weekend, the Mammoths head into their final weekend of play at home, where they will face Middlebury on Feb. 20 and longtime NESCAC rival Williams on Feb. 21. 

Women’s Track and Field

The women’s indoor track and field team competed in two meets this weekend, the Valentine Invitational at Boston University and the Cupid Challenge hosted by Tufts. 

At the Valentine Invitational, Piper Lentz ’26 delivered a standout performance in the 800-meter, breaking a school record with a time of 2:11. Lentz’s finish ranks top-10 nationally. Zoë Marcus ’27 finished not far behind in 2:13. In the mile, Flora Biro ’28 recorded a personal-best finish of 5:02. Also registering a personal record, Myeh Medina ’26 finished the 60-meter hurdles in 9.10. Lentz, Marcus, Biro, and Medina all auto-qualified for the New England Division III Indoor Championships (NED3) in their respective events.

At the Tufts Cupid Challenge, Ava Thomas ’28 placed second overall in the 5,000-meter with a time of 17:49, auto-qualifying for NED3. In the 60-meter hurdles, Anastasia Ioppolo ’26 placed third overall, and Arissa Grace McGowan ’26 placed fifth overall with times of 9.11 and 9.37, respectively. In the long jump, Alayah Campbell ’29 recorded a personal best mark of 5.73 meters, a performance that earned her second overall and a top-10 rank nationally. Anna Kramarchuk ’29’s mark of 5.32 meters earned her sixth overall. Campbell also took fifth overall in the high jump with a mark of 1.58 meters. In the weight throw, Lily Meadows ’28 also claimed fifth overall, recording a mark of 14.77 meters. These performances earned Thomas, Ioppolo, McGowan, Campbell, Kramarchuk, and Meadows automatic qualifying marks for the NED3 Championships in their respective events.

On Saturday, Feb. 21, the team will compete again in the Triangle Classic hosted by Springfield College.

Men’s Track and Field

This week, the men’s indoor track and field team also split competition between the Boston University Valentine Invitational and Tufts Cupid Challenge meets on Friday and Saturday.

In the Valentine Invitational, Ben Davis ’26 finished the 800-meter in 1:52, a performance that ranks among the top-25 times for the event nationally. In the 1,000-meter, Parker Boyle ’27 set a personal record with a 2:26 finish. The distance runners continued to perform for the Mammoths as well; in the 5,000-meter, Stan Craig ’27 set a school record, finishing the event in 14:16. Harrison Dow ’27 and Carter Bengtson ’29 also finished close behind with times of 14:33 and 14:36, respectively. Craig, Dow, and Bengtson all ran personal bests. On the sprint side, Cody Pierce ’26 finished the 200-meter dash in 21.81 and the 400-meter dash in 48.21. David, Boyle, Craig, Dow, Bengtson, and Pierce all auto-qualified for the NED3 Championships in their respective events.

Across town at Tufts, Ian Irwin ’28 finished the 60-meter dash in 6.96, taking fourth place in the final. In the same event, Jordan Harrison ’26 finished as the fastest runner in the preliminary run with a time of 6.93. Craig took first place overall in the 3,000-meter, finishing in 8:30. On the field side, Christoph Osselmann-Chai ’28 placed eighth overall in the pole vault, hitting a mark of 4.46 meters. Kaleb Barrett ’27 took third overall in the long jump with a mark of 6.75 meters. In the triple jump, Michael Abbey Jr. ’27 claimed first place with a mark of 14.2 meters; Matt Kasper ’28 finished behind him in sixth overall with a mark of 13.61 meters. These performances earned Irwin, Harrison, Craig, Osselmann-Chai, Barrett, Abbey Jr., and Kasper auto-qualifying marks for the NED3 Championships in their respective events.

The team will return to the track on Saturday, Feb. 21, for the Triangle Classic in Springfield. 

Women’s Swim – NESCAC tournament 

The women’s swim and dive team competed at the NESCAC tournament at Wesleyan this past week, finishing fourth overall.

Highlights included standout relay performances, with the A-Relay of Ava Insteness ’29, Maeve Kelley ’27, Penny Lazar ’29, and Paige Arnold ’27 cutting 10 seconds off their seeded time to take second in the 800-yard freestyle, and the women’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Arnold, Kelly, Lucy Smith ’27, and Sydney Thompson ’28 closing the meet with a win, finishing with a time of 3:22.11. Arnold led with multiple top finishes and NCAA “B-cut” qualifying times, including first place in the 100-yard butterfly (54.66) and a runner-up finish in the 200-yard IM (2:03.08). Lazar posted top-eight finishes in multiple distance events, while Smith and Thompson also hit NCAA “B-cut” marks in individual sprints. On the diving board, Brooke Ronan ’29 and Donna Zhang ’26 swept first and second in the 1-meter event, scoring 446 and 437.25, respectively. In the 3-meter diving final, Zhang took second place with a score of 449.80, and Ronan placed fourth with 434.75, with both divers achieving NCAA “B-cut” standards. Strong swims and dives throughout the four-day meet earned the Mammoths fourth place among the conference’s best.

Women’s swim heads back to the pool this Sunday, Feb. 22, for the NCAA Last Chance Invite in Middletown, CT. 

Head of the Herd: Donna Zhang 

Amherst’s divers have been competitive all season, contributing key points to the team’s score. Over the weekend at NESCACs, senior diver Donna Zhang ’26 placed second in the championship final of the 3-meter, in addition to her second-place finish in the one-meter. The captain’s scores qualified her for the NCAA B meet, where she will compete at the national level. For her strong showing on the diving board, Zhang earns this week’s head of the herd.