Around the Herd: Feb. 4 to Feb. 10 in Athletics

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team faced two NESCAC rivals this past weekend, falling to Tufts 49-44 and besting Connecticut College 65-38. The Mammoths now have an overall record of 20-8 and are tied for third in NESCAC rankings at 6-4. 

On Friday, Amherst traveled to Medford to face Tufts. The Mammoths started off strong with a 10-0 lead and ended the first quarter up 12-4. They extended the lead to 10 points in the second quarter, though Tufts responded quickly, narrowing the lead to just one point, heading into halftime at 19-18. The Jumbos took control in the third quarter and held on, extending their lead to 12 in the fourth quarter. Amherst did not go down without a fight, with many fast breaks and a 3-pointer from Reagan Pahl ’26. The Mammoths brought the deficit down to only two with 41 seconds left on the clock, though the Jumbos ultimately closed out the game with a lead of 49-44. Laura Mendell ’26 was the leading scorer of the game with 11 points, followed by Chase Anderson ’29 with 10. Elizabeth Cain ’28 had an impressive nine rebounds. It was a tight battle from start to finish, and although the game ended in a loss, the Mammoths regained their footing against Connecticut College the following day. 

The Mammoths beat the Camels 65-38 with a dominant performance. Amherst had a run in the first quarter that gave them an 11-5 lead. In the second quarter, the Mammoths built on this energy with aggressive steals and a strong offensive presence. Brielle Renwick ’27 led the offense by netting a 3-pointer and making a handful of important blocks. Heading into halftime, Amherst sat at a comfortable 35-13 lead. Maintaining a great momentum in the third quarter, they extended their lead to 24 points with 3-pointers from Pahl and Annie McCarthy ’26. Renwick played with consistency and drive, helping Amherst close the fourth quarter with a significant 27-point lead and a final score of 65-38. Two Mammoths earned double-double numbers: Renwick (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Anderson (15 points, 10 rebounds). Amherst shot with 47.2% accuracy from the field, 28.6% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line. 

The Mammoths face Middlebury for their next game at home on Friday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. 

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team bested Tufts and Connecticut College this past weekend, moving their record to 17-5 overall and putting them at third in the NESCAC lineup, tied with Trinity. 

On Friday, the Mammoths beat the Jumbos 65-62 in a thrilling game. Chris Hammond ’26 and K.J. Neville ’29 opened the game with a jumper and a 3-pointer, respectively. The first quarter was full of advances that were then followed by equalizers from both sides. Drew Martin ’26 and Hammond hit two consecutive threes, pushing Amherst into the lead, though Tufts pushed out in front just in time for the halftime buzzer, bringing the score to 32-31. The Mammoths entered the second half with renewed offensive energy, led by two jumpers from Zane Adnan ’27 and Marc Garraud ’27, quickly followed by a three from Martin. Although Tufts threatened to get out in front, Amherst brought the strength on defense and made two final free throws to secure a 65-62 victory. The Mammoths were overall more consistent on offense, converting 41.5% of field goals compared to the Jumbo’s 37.3%. Additionally, Amherst netted roughly 20% more 3-pointers and around 14% more free throws. Garraud led the scoring with 17 points. Martin earned double-double numbers with 10 points and 12 rebounds. 

On Saturday, the team handily beat Connecticut College 73-54 in their final home game of the regular season. Next, they will travel to Middlebury College to face the Panthers on Friday, Feb. 13. 

Women’s Hockey

This weekend, the No. 2-ranked women’s hockey team played Colby twice, losing 2-0 on Friday and tying 1-1 on Saturday. 

The Mules came out strong Friday night, scoring just 57 seconds into the first period. The Mammoths combatted Colby’s early momentum by staying calm and generating some shots on goal, including a shot off the post from Gretchen Dann ’26. Yet, Ally Martiniello stayed strong in goal for Colby, not letting anything through. At the beginning of the second frame, Amherst came close to scoring when Annabel Raffin ’28’s shot hit the post once again. Amherst had many power-play opportunities throughout the second frame, yet Colby’s penalty kill persisted. At 12:20, the Mules doubled the score, carrying their 2-0 lead. Eventually, Amherst pulled their goalie for the last three minutes to try to gain momentum. Despite the Mammoths’ control over faceoffs — winning a total of 29 throughout the entire game — in the third, Colby’s defence remained strong, shutting out the Mammoths 2-0. 

In an exciting senior day, Amherst played a strong, composed game on Saturday, ending in a tie. The Mammoths started by honoring their seven senior players, Natalie Stott ’26, Dann, Marie-Eve Marleau ’26, Alejandra Ubarri ’26, Maeve Reynolds ’29, Emily Hohmann ’26, and Maleigh Tittel ’26. Colby scored five minutes into the game, followed by Amherst’s Reynolds tying the score up seven minutes later with her eighth goal of the season. The rest of the game featured strong defensive efforts from both teams, leading to an extended overtime period. The extra time continued the relentless defensive display from both sides, eventually pushing the game into a shootout, where Colby pulled through to end it. 

On Friday, Feb. 13, the Mammoths are back on the ice for their Pink in the Rink game against Trinity College. 

Men’s Hockey

The men’s hockey team also had an exciting weekend, spending it in Maine. They beat Colby 4-2 on Friday but fell short the next day, losing to Bowdoin 3-0. 

After losing a shootout to the Mules earlier this season, the Mammoths bounced back on Friday with the win. Scoring first, Carson Baylis ’28 put the puck in the back of the net, assisted by a rebound from Oscar Smink ’26. Yet less than two minutes later, the Mules tied up the score. The score remained even till the end of the second period with an impressive wrist shot from Magnus Gadowski ’28. The Mules were able to tie up the game once again, nine minutes into the third. Finally, the game was put out of reach for the Mules as Amherst scored two goals at the end of the game. Josh Burke ’26’s initial shot was blocked, but he regained the puck and passed to Oliver Flynn ’27. The forward slapped the puck past the Mules’ goaltender, gaining the Mammoths’ third advantage of the game. Lastly, Cristobal Tola ’28 scored an empty net goal in the last five seconds of the game. Flynn’s two goals marked his third multipoint game of the season, while Vincent Lamberti ’29 had 27 stops in goal. 

The following day, the Mammoths lost out 3-0 to Bowdoin. While the Polar Bears held possession early in the first period, Amherst gained ground through strong defensive efforts and recorded nine shots on goal, none of which were successful. Strong defensive blocks came from both Tola and Caden Olenczak ’29, with Andrew Palena ’27 recording two saves. The second frame began with the score still even, with shots eight minutes in by Gadowsky, Ryan Corcoran ’26, and Tola that were all saved on a delayed penalty. Bowdoin goaltender Jacob Osborne held strong through the rest of the second period despite a strong showing from the Mammoth offense, including Flynn and Andrew Carmody ’26. The Polar Bears finally came out with power in the last eight minutes of the game with three goals. Despite Amherst outshooting Bowdoin 29-26 in shots on goal, the game ended with a disappointing loss, 3-0. 

The Mammoths are on the road again next weekend, playing Connecticut College on Friday, Feb. 13. 

Women’s Squash

The No. 7 women’s squash team played one match this week, hosting No. 13 Middlebury on Sunday Feb. 8. 

They honored their four seniors: Alex Brown ’26, Frances Burton ’26, Morgan Chaudhary ’26, and Lily Thomas ’26 ahead of the match. Brigid Brandon ’28 registered the fastest win of the match at the eighth spot, besting her Panther opponent 3-0 in just 16 minutes. She also conceded the fewest points, allowing only 13. Quincy Cline ’27, Kristen Daniel ’28, and Ella Miller ’28 then also swept their Middlebury opponents in straight sets. Kanzy Elkaliuoby ’29 and Fionnoula Brandon ’29 both dropped a set, but rallied to win their matches in four sets, contributing vital points for Amherst. With these individual wins, the Mammoths overpowered the visitors, defeating Middlebury 6-3 in their final regular-season NESCAC match. The team improved to 9-0 in the conference and 14-1 overall. 

They have the week off from competition before their final regular-season match on Saturday, Feb. 21, against No. 12 Drexel.

Men’s Squash

The No. 14 men’s squash team hosted two matches this week, dropping the first one to No. 12 M.I.T. on Friday, Feb. 6, before coming back to beat No. 17 Middlebury on Sunday, Feb. 8. 

In the 7-2 loss for the Mammoths, the pair of wins belonged to Devon Osborne ’29 and Joseph Toth ’27, winning at the two and three spots, respectively. Both Mammoth players won in four sets, with Toth upsetting his Engineer opponent, who was ranked higher than him.

Bouncing back on Sunday, Amherst edged out Middlebury 5-4, while honoring their seniors: William Atkinson ’26, Robert Avram ’26, Jesse Brew '26, Grady Herbert ’26, and William Okurowski ’26. Osborne and Toth went undefeated on the weekend, winning their matches against the Panthers 3-0. Osborne dispatched his opponent in just 19 minutes. Roman Parisi ’29 and Graeme Herbert ’28 both outlasted their Panther counterparts, winning in five sets, with their matches lasting over an hour. Despite close losses at other spots, it ultimately came down to Fares Khairy ’28 at the six spot. Khairy alternated victories with his opponent, winning the first set, third set, and then the fifth set 11-7. With the win, he solidified the 5-4 tally in favor of the Mammoths. 

The latter victory was certainly one to remember, and the men have the week off from official matches before travelling for their final regular season match at No. 6 Drexel on Saturday, Feb. 21. With the split record from this week, the Mammoths sit at 10-5 overall.

Women’s Track and Field 

This weekend, the women’s track and field team captured multiple individual wins at the Tufts Invitational meet.

In the 1,000-meter event, Piper Lentz ’26 took first place, finishing in 2:57. Lentz — who has a national-tier ranking in the event — earned another automatic qualification for the New England Division III (NED3) Championship. Also with a first-place finish, Leila Davani ’28 ran the 600-meter in 1:37, securing a provision qualifying standard for NED3. Maya Levine ’28 also earned provision qualifying marks, finishing the 800-meter in 2:21 as the runner-up. In the sprint races, Rachel Hubley ’27 recorded season-best runs in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes, finishing in 8.06 and 26.30, respectively. Hubley placed third in both events. On the field side, Tess Adams ’29 took second place in the shot put. She earned another provisional qualifying mark with a throw of 11.56 meters.

The team will return to the track on Friday, Feb. 13, to compete in the Boston University Valentine and Tufts Cupid & Multi meets. 

Men’s Track and Field 

At the Tufts Invitational meet on Saturday, the men’s track and field team delivered a series of standout performances.

Parker Boyle ’27 rewrote history for the Mammoths on Saturday, winning the 3,000-meter event in 8:15, setting an Amherst indoor record. Boyle’s performance ranks 10th in NCAA Division III and has earned him an automatic berth to the New England Division III (NED3) Championship. In the 600-meter, Ben Davis ’26 also earned an automatic qualification after finishing second in 1:21. Will Reeves ’29 finished the 800-meter in 1:57, winning the event and hitting a provisional qualifying mark. In the 1,000-meter, Tim Churchill ’29 and Will Nagy ’26 recorded provisional qualifying standards of their own. Churchill finished in 2:32.40, and Nagy finished in 2:32.87 to earn third and fourth place finishes, respectively. 

On Friday, Feb. 13, the team will split competition between the Boston University Valentine Invitational and the Tufts Cupid & Multi meets.

Head of the Herd: Parker Boyle

This week’s head of the herd belongs to Parker Boyle ’27. The junior left all other runners in his wake in the 3000-meter run, finishing in 8:15.28. The time set a new Amherst indoor school record, and is currently ranked 10th nationally in NCAA Division III. He has been consistently notching fast times all season, but for this particular record-breaking race, he earns this week’s head of the herd.