Around the Herd: Feb. 5 to Feb. 12 in Athletics

Men’s Squash

The No. 15 men’s squash team faced a tough lineup of matches this past week, starting off with a midweek meeting on Feb. 4 against Colby. After dropping the first two sets, Joseph Toth ’27 at the three spot delivered for the Mammoths, beating his Mule opponent in three sets with ease. However, after this, the Mules regained their momentum, winning at spots four through seven. The Mammoths refused to give up, though, clinching the final two spots of the match. Graeme Herbert ’28 and William Okurowski ’26 both overwhelmed their opponents with final scores of 3-1, making the final tally 6-3 in favor of the Mules. This loss solidified the men’s NESCAC regular season record, 5-4, and determined their NESCAC quarterfinal opponent: Tufts.

With their regular season finished, the team traveled to Hartford, CT on Saturday to take on the Tufts Jumbos in the first round of the NESCAC championship. Despite strong individual efforts from the Mammoths, the Jumbos came out hot and never looked back. Tufts performed a clean sweep in their first five spots, giving them an immediate 5-0 lead. Captain Matthew Granovsky ’25 played his opponent for five sets, before ultimately losing in the fifth, while Herbert also was victorious in one of his sets. The loss brings the men’s record to 9-8, as they prepare to host St. Lawrence University and Chatham University later this month in the Amherst Round Robin.

Women’s Squash

The No. 13 women’s squash team continued their impressive season over the last week, first downing No. 22 Colby on Feb. 4. The visiting Mules secured the number one spot, but after this it was all Mammoths. They won the remaining eight matches, for a final score of 8-1. Brigid Brandon ’28, Kristen Daniel ’28, Morgan Chaudhary ’26, Yana Sharma ’27, and Clara Dawn ’28 all swept their opponents with straight-set victories, while Quincy Cline ’27, Ella Miller ’28, and Frances Burton ’26 contributed wins of their own to the final tally. The win solidified the women’s team’s rank as the No. 3 team in the NESCAC.

With this No. 3 ranking, the women took on Bowdoin this past Saturday in the NESCAC quarterfinal round. Having downed the Polar Bears earlier in the season with an outstanding score of 8-1, they came out even stronger. Captain Tanmai Pathak ’25 set the tone early for the Mammoths, downing her opponent in straight sets. The following eight spots followed her lead, delivering a 9-0 sweep against the Polar Bears. Eight of the women beat their opponents in straight sets, with Brandon’s opponent only registering a total of 13 points compared to her 33. With the win, the women look ahead to future NESCAC tournament play, in addition to other games. Their season is far from over, so make sure to follow along.

Men’s Hockey

The men’s team hosted two tough NESCAC opponents this weekend, first taking on the Colby Mules on Friday. The Mammoths started out on a hot streak — just five minutes into the game, Oliver Flynn ’28 sped up the ice before delivering a trailing pass back to his fellow teammate Ben Kuzma ’25. Kuzma handled the puck with ease, and shot it past the Mules keeper for the score. Less than 40 seconds after the Kuzma score, Colby found the equalizer. Early in the second period, it was the Mammoth’s time once again. The men displayed their grit with the short-handed score, with a Mammoth in the penalty box. Zack Jesse ’27 came up with a huge defensive stop to send the puck into the Mammoth’s offensive end. Bobby Luca ’25 and Flynn had a little give and go, with Luca receiving the last touch before faking out the goalie for the easy tally. Again though, Colby provided the answer, tying the game 2-2 just three minutes later. From there, it was all Colby. The Mules scored twice more in regulation to end the game with a final tally of 4-2. Despite the loss, the Amherst offense had the upper hand in shooting, registering 46 shots compared to Colby’s 29, and Amherst goalie Connor Leslie ’25 had an impressive 44 saves in the match.

Just the next day, the team returned to Orr Rink for their game against Bowdoin. The Polar Bears scored early, just two minutes into play. This was the only score of the first period, as the Mammoths reloaded and prepared for the second, where a Polar Bear penalty resulted in a power play for the Mammoths. Josh Burke ’26 got the offense started, playing a two-man with Flynn. Burke took the shot, and although the Bowdoin keeper made the initial stop, Luca collected the rebound and continued the offensive attack, pushing his shot past the goalie to knot the score 1-1. This score would stand for the remainder of regulation. In overtime, there were good opportunities for the Mammoths from the likes of Andrew Carmody ’28 among others, but none of them ultimately cashed in. On the other end, Mammoth goalie Andrew Palena ’27 kept the men in the game, stopping a point-blank shot to conclude the overtime period. With the score still knotted 1-1, the Mammoths began the next round: the shootout. Burke led the Mammoths off strongly, netting the first shot for them. Both teams second and third shooters were unable to capitalize, but at the four spot, the Polar Bears were able to slip one past Palena, whereas the Mammoths could not get the score. The shootout ended 2-1 in favor of the Polar Bears, despite a technical 1-1 score for the game. The men return on Friday at home versus Connecticut College.

Women’s Hockey

The No. 3 women’s hockey team trekked up north this past weekend for their series against the Colby Mules. The Mules, despite being 5-4-2 in the NESCAC, proved a formidable opponent. They registered the first score of the game in the first period, taking a lead into the second quarter. The Mammoths, however, would not be counted out. Nine minutes into the second period, Clare O'Connor ’27 sent an initial shot towards the Colby goalkeeper. Maeve Reynolds ’26 corralled the loose puck by the right post, and sent it back towards the net. On the goal line, it was Bea Flynn ’28 who finally slipped the puck over the goal line in the scrum, to equalize for the Mammoths. However, four minutes later, Colby found a way to slip another shot past keeper Natalie Stott ’26, to help the Mules regain the lead 2-1. In the third period, they added another score, resulting in a final of 3-1 in favor of the Mules. Stott finished the day with 26 saves.

Determined to start fresh, the Mammoths geared up for a rematch with the Mules the following day. Although Colby did strike first for the second consecutive game, the Mammoths found the equalizer early. Just five minutes after the Colby score, Gretchen Dann ’26 delivered the point for the Mammoths when she lifted the puck past the goalkeeper. The assists belonged to Reynolds and Emily Hohmann ’26. The women carried this momentum into the second period, where they were the first to strike. Amherst’s Natalie Fu ’27 sent the puck up the ice, where it was corralled by Sami Lester ’28 who slipped her shot past the goaltender, giving the Mammoths their first lead of the series. Stellar Mammoth defense kept the lead for the team, who entered the third period on top. The Mules came out hot, though. Scoring unanswered goals in the 11th and 15th minutes of the third period, they solidified the win with a score of 3-2. The weekend losses leave the Mammoths with a 14-5-1 overall record. They return to play on Friday at Trinity College, continuing NESCAC play as they enter their final stretch of the regular season.

Men’s Basketball

This past week, the men’s basketball team faced off against Tufts University and Connecticut College.

On Friday, Amherst traveled to Medford for their match against Tufts. It was a rough start for the Mammoths, as the Jumbos held a 10-point lead five minutes into the game. By the middle of the first half, the score was 26-9 in Tufts’ favor. The scoreline didn’t get any better for the team, and the Jumbos maintained their lead confidently through the rest of the game. Key points to Tufts’ success were their fastbreak points, scoring 19 to Amherst’s three, and field goal efficiency, yielding a 59.3 field goal percentage to Amherst’s 30.6%. Ryker Vance ’25 was Amherst’s only highlight, as the only player to score double-digit points, 10, and shoot above 50% from the field. Tufts walked away with the win, scoring 90 points to Amherst’s 51.

The team traveled to New London, Conn., the day after, hoping to compete against Connecticut College. The Mammoths greatly improved their effort against the Camels, keeping the game competitive throughout the first half. Efficiency issues, however, persisted throughout the game for Amherst. The team had a 28.6 field goal percentage and 22.2 three-point percentage, significantly below Conn College’s averages of 34.5% and 35.7%. Vance built on his performance against Tufts and scored 11 points in the first half alone, shooting 80% from the field. Regardless, the Camels began to run away with the game in the second half and outscored the Mammoths by 11 points. The game ended 62-47 in Conn College’s favor.

The team’s last games of the season are on Friday, Feb. 14 and Saturday, Feb. 15 against Middlebury College and Williams College, respectively.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team faced a similar slate — at home against Tufts University and Connecticut College this past Friday and Saturday.

In their game against Tufts, the team set the tone early. In the first quarter alone, Laura Mendell ’26 made two three-pointers and garnered one steal, scoring nine points total. Amherst led by eight points by the end of the first quarter, and the intensity increased for both teams entering the second. Tufts and Amherst scored 20 points each in the second quarter, and Kori Barach ’25 led the charge for the Mammoths. Barach recorded six points, two rebounds, one steal, and one block while shooting 100% from the field. The third and fourth quarters remained heavily contested by both sides, coming down to the match’s final minutes. Clutch free throws by Reagan Pahl ’27 and Mendell, however, guaranteed Amherst victory against Tufts, 66-59.

On Saturday, the team made quick work of Conn College. In the first quarter, the Mammoths held the Camels to a mere four points. Amherst’s dominance didn’t stop there either, as they outscored Conn College in each quarter. Some players that took the spotlight in this game were Mendell, Pahl, and Sylvia Liddle ’26. Mendell had a team-leading 19 points, as well as five rebounds and four assists. Pahl led the Mammoths with nine rebounds, while Liddle led with an impressive five steals. Their dominance was reflected in the score, as the game ended 66-43 in Amherst’s favor.

The team will play Middlebury College and Williams away on Friday Feb. 14 and Saturday Feb. 15 for their final regular season games.

Men’s Track and Field

The men’s track and field team went to Medford this past weekend for the Tufts Cupid Challenge.

The team put on an excellent performance, with strong performances across all events. Twelve team members qualified for the New England DIII Championships. This includes Jordan Harrison ’26 and Alexander Nichols ’26 for the 60m, Kean Tanyi-Tang ’28 for the 200m, Ben Davis ’26 and Will Nagy ’26 for the 600m, Gent Malushaga ’25 for the 800m, Nick Edwards-Levin ’25 and Josh Thomas ’27 for the 1000m, Harrison Dow ’27 and George Cahill ’26 for the 3000m, Noah Kanahele Harris ’26 for the 60m hurdles, and Michael Abbey Jr. ’27 for the long jump. Moreover, Alec Kuzyk ’27 and Gavin Schmidt ’28 broke school records in their events. Kuzyk recorded 4.71m on the pole vault, surpassing the previous record of 4.60m set in 2022. Schmidt broke his own school record in the shot put, throwing 16.33m to beat his previous 15.27m.

The team travels to Boston on Friday Feb. 14 and Saturday Feb. 15 to compete in the Hemery Valentine Invitational and Tufts Invitational.

Women’s Track and Field

The women’s track and field team also saw strong results at the Tufts Cupid Challenge this past weekend.

The team’s dominance was on full display this past Saturday, with 18 members qualifying for the New England DIII Championships. Rachel Hubley ’27 and Camilla Lash ’27 qualified for the 60m, and Hubley qualified for the 200m as well. Casie Eifrig ’25 is now eligible for the 400m. Piper Lentz ’26, Zoe Marcus ’27, Hannah Adhikari ’28, and Ava Zielinski ’25 all qualified for the 600m. For the 800m, Julia Schor ’25 and Audrey Seeger ’28 made the cut. Other qualifiers include Isabella Lozier ’26 and Maya Levine ’28 for the 1000m, Hannah Stephenson ’28 for the mile, Katie Oliver ’28 for the long jump, and Sylvan Wold ’25, Addison McGoey ’28, Nikki Chopra ’27, and Nora Hart ’28 for the 3000m. In their qualifying performance, Lentz set a new program record for the 600m with a time of 1:35.46. This time beat the previous record of 1:36.19, set back in 2005.

The team will split their efforts this weekend, competing in the Hemery Valentine Invitational and Tufts Invitational.