Around the Herd: Feb. 26 to March 5 in Athletics
Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team faced Skidmore College in their first match of the season.
On Saturday, the Mammoths displayed domination against the Thoroughbreds. Andreas Sillaste ’27 set the tone for the day at the first singles spot, winning with two 6-2 sets. In the third spot, Aldiyar Abzhan ’28 responded to a closely contested 7-5 first set with a perfect 6-0 second. Also winning in straight sets, Cal Wider ’28 played an efficient match, only conceding three total games. With six more wins in doubles and singles matches, Amherst bested Skidmore 7-0.
The team will hope to continue their momentum against rival Williams on Saturday, March 8.
Women’s Tennis
This week, the women’s tennis team traveled to compete against Skidmore College for their spring debut.
In Saratoga Springs, on Saturday, the No. 9-ranked Mammoths rolled past the Thoroughbreds. Amherst won all three doubles matches, including a victory from Mia Kintiroglou ’25 and Greta Stechschulte ’27 in which the duo only lost two games. In the first singles match, Amy Cui ’25 displayed strong perseverance after losing the second set and then winning with a closely contested 10-7 third. The remaining five singles matches were won in five sets to give the Mammoths a perfect 7-0 victory.
On Saturday, March 8, the team will host their home opener against foe Williams.
Women’s Hockey
This week, the women’s hockey team competed in the NESCAC quarterfinals against Connecticut College.
On Orr Rink on Saturday, the Mammoths demonstrated why they are the No. 1-seeded team in the conference against the No. 8-seeded Camels. After a scoreless first period, the Mammoths broke through, halfway into the second. On the powerplay, Ayla Abban ’28 intercepted a clearance and passed the puck to Bea Flynn ’28; Marie-Eve Marleau ’26 buried the puck after Flynn’s shot rebounded. 13 minutes into the third period, Gretchen Dann ’26 extended Amherst’s lead with a perfectly placed shot, assisted by Anna Baxter ’25. Minutes later, after Connecticut’s goaltender blocked a shot by Abban, Flynn slipped the puck into the back of the net for the Mammoths’ third goal. Scoring again off a rebound, Cara Mancini ’27 backhanded another goal after Dann’s initial attempt. Stopping all 20 shots faced, goaltender Natalie Stott ’26 posted her 33rd career shutout to propel the Mammoths to a 4-0 victory.
The team will host Hamilton next Saturday in the tournament semifinals.
Men’s Hockey
This Saturday, the men’s hockey team traveled to Waterville, Maine, to face Colby in the conference quarterfinals.
The Mammoths came out strong against the Mules, posting 14 shots in the first period. All of their attempts, however, were stifled by Colby’s goaltender. The game remained scoreless until late into the second period when the Mules slipped one into the goal. Amherst tied the game minutes into the third when Bobby Luca ’25 collected the puck behind the net and passed it to Oliver Flynn ’27, who fired the puck into the net. Minutes later, a strong forecheck from Zachary Murray ’26 gave possession to Jacob Pohl ’27, allowing him to bury a slap shot and give the Mammoths their first lead. Colby ultimately found the equalizer sending the game into overtime. Both teams battled but neither team found the back of the goal in the first extra period. Capitalizing off a three-on-one rush, the Mules were able to find the game-winner in the first minutes of the second overtime (the 83rd minute of play). Amherst posted 95 to Colby’s 50 shots on goal in the heartbreaking loss. The Mammoths ended their season with an 11-12-2 record.
Women’s Lacrosse
In their first game of the season, the women’s lacrosse team traveled to challenge NESCAC rival Middlebury.
In Middlebury, Vermont, on Saturday the Mammoths got off to a rough start against the defending national champion Panthers. Halfway through the second quarter, Middlebury had already scored six times. Amherst’s closest chances came after a shot from Bridget Darcy ’27 hit the post; Emma Crotty ’27 collected the rebound, but her attempt was blocked. The Mammoths first got on the board after a pass from Bridget Finley ’26 set up Ella Shay ’27, whose bounce shot beat the Panthers’ goalkeeper. By the start of the third quarter, the score was 9-1 in favor of Middlebury. Amherst responded with an offensive stride, scoring four back-to-back goals. Three of these goals came from Emily Petersen ’26, her first goals in two years after recovering from a knee injury. Petersen scored once while the Mammoths had the player advantage and twice more with assists from Mia Raven ’27 and Morgan Lebek ’26. In the game’s last quarter, Raven ripped a high shot into the netting to lessen the Panthers’ lead. Lily Samoska ’28 notched 15 saves in her career debut, showing incredible promise for the upcoming season. Ultimately, Middlebury’s offense was unrelenting as they continued to find the back of the net. Amherst fell 15-6 to the No.1-ranked Panthers.
The team will host Hamilton next Saturday in their home opener on Pratt Field.
Men’s Lacrosse
The men’s lacrosse team hosted Middlebury at home this week in their season debut.
On Saturday, the No. 16-ranked Mammoths faced the No. 9-ranked Panthers at Pratt Field. Alex Giacobbe ’25 opened the scoring in the first three minutes, scoring an unassisted goal. Middlebury responded quickly, scoring back-to-back goals in under two minutes. With only 1:15 left in the first quarter, a feed from Brendan Reilly ’27 allowed Ben Wick ’28 to notch his first collegiate goal and even the score. The game remained closely contested in the second quarter; Thompson Lau ’26, Bob Gross ’26, and Giacobbe all scored early in the period but the Panthers kept the game tied at 5-5. Then, in the last minutes of the second, Reilly, Bennett Chow ’26, and Gross all tallied a goal in a span of a minute and 17 seconds. Amherst would retain the lead for the remainder of the game. In the last two quarters of the game, the Mammoths would score eight more goals while only letting in one Middlebury goal. Chow found the back of the net three more times while Gross and Giacobbe each completed their hat tricks. Amherst also capitalized on two-man advantages to secure a 16-7 final score in an upset victory against the Panthers.
On Saturday, March 8, the team will face another NESCAC opponent in Hamilton.
Men’s Squash
This week, the men’s squash team finished their season with matches against Franklin and Marshall College and the University of Rochester at the College Squash Association Divisional Team Championships.
On Friday, Feb. 28, the team faced a tough opponent in the Diplomats in their first CSA matchup. Fares Khairy ’28, Grady Herbert ’26, and Graeme Herbert ’28 were all able to extend their matches to four sets but still ultimately lost. Amherst’s only wins came from Matthew Granovsky ’25 and William Okurowski ’26 who both won in straight sets in the eighth and ninth spots, respectively. The final score was 7-2 in favor of Franklin and Marshall.
The next day, Amherst faced the Yellowjackets in the tournament’s Consolation Semifinal round. The Mammoths found success at the third spot with Joseph Toth ’27’s four-set win, his 14th victory of the season. Graeme Herbert battled in the seventh spot, winning the match after losing the second and fourth sets. After losing the first, Granovsky responded by winning three consecutive sets to give Amherst their third victory. With a 6-3 loss against Rochester, the Mammoths end their season with a team record of 11-10 and an individual record of 86-103.
Women’s Squash
Last Friday, Feb. 28, the women’s squash team delivered an impressive performance in Philadelphia, as they continued their success at the CSA Divisional Team Championships. Ranked No. 13, the Mammoths secured a decisive 9-0 victory over 20th-ranked Bates, marking their third sweep in as many games. Tanmai Pathak ‘25 opened the match in style, overwhelming her opponent in the one spot with a straight-set win. Their success continued as Quincy Cline ‘26 followed Pathak with a crucial first-game tiebreaker victory. Alex Brown ‘27 continued the momentum, clinching a series of close sets at the three spot, while Kristen Daniel ‘26 displayed consistent play to win at the four.
The train kept rolling the following Saturday as the Mammoths secured an impressive 7-2 victory over Middlebury College. The win extended the Mammoths’ winning streak to five matches and booked them a trip to the CSA championship match. Once again, Pathak delivered an impressive performance at the top spot, wrapping up her match in just 11 minutes, culminating in a flawless 11-0 score in her final game. In the meantime, Brown battled back from a two-set deficit to claim a thrilling five-set victory. Despite not sweeping, the Mammoths still won in remarkable fashion, winning six of their eight matchups in straight sets.
The following Sunday, the Mammoths faced off against Georgetown in the Kurtz Cup final. Despite their efforts, they fell short, losing 7-2 to the Hoyas. The runner-up finish concluded a remarkable season for Amherst, which notched an overall record of 17-6 and a finals appearance. Ten players secured at least 10 individual wins, while Amherst posted 150 individual match victories this season.
In the finals, Isabelle Tilney-Sandberg ‘25 capped off her Amherst career with a commanding four-set win at the eighth spot, including an 11-0 finish in the final game. Meanwhile, Clara Dawn ‘28 rallied from a first-game loss to claim a four-set victory at the nine position. Finally, indicative of the outing, although Brigid Brandon ‘28 pushed her opponent to five sets at the five spot, she narrowly missed victory in a gripping 48-minute match. If anything is for sure, the Mammoths have nothing to hang their heads about.
Women’s Track and Field
This week, the women’s track team competed in the New England Division III Indoor Championships.
On Saturday, the Mammoths headed to Boston to participate in the New England Indoor Championships. In the 600m, Piper Lentz ’26 placed first overall with a time of 1:33. Also taking the gold, Audrey Seeger ’28, Casie Eifrig ’25, Ava Zielinski ’25, and Flora Biro’ 28 combined for a time of 12:06 in the distance medley relay. Héloïse Hughes ’27 also set a school record in the 200m dash with a finishing time of 24.73 to earn fourth place. With 73 points, the Mammoths placed fourth overall out of 28 teams.
Next Saturday, March 8, the team will run in the Tufts National Qualifying Meet.
Men’s Track and Field
The men’s track team traveled to take part in the New England Division III Indoor Championships this week.
The Mammoths had an extremely successful Saturday at the Indoor Championships. In the shot put, Gavin Schmidt ’28 placed first overall, throwing a distance of 16.09m. On the track, a time of 1:18.91 earned Ben Davis ’26 the gold in the 600m. Nick Edwards-Levin ’25 crossed the finish line first in the 1000m after 2:27. Also taking first place, Cody Pierce ’26 ran the 200m in 21.57, setting an Amherst record. The Mammoths earned first place overall with 109 points, becoming New England DIII Champions for the first time in program history.
The team will look to continue their success next Saturday, March 8, at the Tufts National Qualifying Meet.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball team battled against Bowdoin College in the semi-final match of the NESCAC Tournament this past Saturday.
The match was a back-and-forth affair, with both sides quickly responding to each bucket made. Points from Macie Nugent ‘’27, Maya Cwalina ‘’25, and Sylvia Liddle ‘’26 contributed to the one-point lead by the first quarter’s end. That lead, however, was short-lived as the Mammoths had an unproductive second quarter, shooting 30% from the field. Bowdoin led by four points going into the second half, and they extended their lead to nine points with a 16-point team performance in the third quarter. Amherst attempted an incredible comeback, but the team couldn’t outscore the Polar Bears. The game’s highlight player was Cwalina, who scored 14 points and shot 50% from the field and 67% from the 3. The Bowdoin team was too much for Amherst, overwhelming the Mammoths and winning 58-49.
The team hosts Vassar College in the first round of the DIII NCAA Tournament this Friday, March 7.
Baseball
On March 1, the baseball team competed against Brandeis University.
Going down one run in the second inning, Amherst went on the offensive in the third quarter. Jack Boyle ’25 started the score fest with a triple, finally scoring off a single from Justin Orridge ’28. Orridge scored the second run for Amherst after Jack McDermott ’25 doubled to left field. The Judges immediately responded in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring four combined runs. Brandeis scored again in the seventh inning, now 6-2 in the Judges’ favor. Amherst got back onto the scoreboard in the eighth inning, as McDermott walked to first, a Jack Sampedro ’25 double moved McDermott to third, and a sacrifice fly from Ryan McIntyre ’25 finally scored McDermott. Charlie LaFreniere ’27 doubled to right field, scoring Sampedro for Amherst’s final run. Amherst was shut out for the rest of the eighth and ninth innings, narrowly losing the match. The final score was 6-4 in Brandeis’ favor.
The team goes on the road and plays a series against Ramapo College on March 8 and 9.