Around the Herd: J-Term Edition

While most students stayed home over break, steering clear of an awfully chilly New England winter, a dedicated group of student-athletes stayed on campus to compete. In this special edition of Around the Herd, we’ll recap what you need to know from their winter competitions as we head into the spring semester.

Women’s Hockey 

During J-Term, the women’s ice hockey team beat two non-conference teams to win the Mustang Cup Tournament at SUNY-Morrisville before facing another five teams at home — including two NESCAC opponents. Over the stretch, the team posted an impressive 6-1-1 record. 

On Sunday, Jan. 18, the No. 2-ranked Mammoths faced off against Middlebury. Amherst fell to the Panthers the following Saturday in a heartbreaking 1-1 shootout loss, marked officially as a tie, but returned to the ice with new momentum. The first period ended scoreless, partly due to goaltender Natalie Stott ’26’s key stop early on, where she denied a wrister from a Middlebury forward. The Mammoths’ offense also recorded chances of their own, but despite attempts from Annabel Raffin ’28 and Tammy Zhu ’27, nothing solidified. 

Less than three minutes into the second frame, Sami Lester ’28 gained possession and sent a pass to Malaya Anaba ’29. The forward’s subsequent shot attempt was saved, but the puck found Gretchen Dann ’26, whose rebound shot sailed into the net. Halfway through the period, Stott preserved Amherst’s lead by stonewalling the Panthers’ two-on-one chance. Minutes later, Stott came up big again, stopping a dangerous breakaway chance from a Middlebury forward. 

Five minutes into the third stanza, the Mammoths doubled their lead after Natalie Fu ’27 skated the puck into the zone and rifled a shot toward the goal; the puck ricocheted off a Middlebury defender and ended up on the stick of Carlisle Brush ’27, who buried Amherst’s second of the night. With just 1:20 left in regulation, the Panthers capitalized on a power play chance, scoring a rebound goal of their own. On the ensuing face-off, Maeve Reynolds ’26 collected a pass from Marie-Eve Marleau ’26. Reynolds then deked her defender and skated the puck into the net during the last minute of play. These goals and a total of 27 saves from Stott made the final score 3-1. 

The team will face another conference opponent in Bowdoin on Friday, Jan. 30, in Maine.

Men’s Hockey 

Over break, the men’s ice hockey team beat hosts Plattsburgh State University to win the Plattsburgh Tournament before facing off against five NESCAC opponents at home and winning against Westfield State University in an away game. The Mammoths finished 5-2-1 over J-Term.

On Saturday, Jan. 10, Amherst faced off against Bowdoin at home in a nail-biting win over the Polar Bears. Halfway through the first period, Ryan Corcoran ’26 shot the puck toward the net after Amherst’s prolonged zone possession. The forward’s attempt was blocked and scooped up by a Polar Bear defender, but Cristobal Tola ’28 picked off the puck and sent it to Caden Olenczak ’29, who then ripped a shot of his own toward the goal to give the Mammoths an early lead. Just five minutes later, Matt Vander Vort ’27 rifled a shot toward the net and then collected his own rebound. Vander Vort kept possession and skated the puck to the blue line before making a cross-ice pass to the stick of Quinton Gove ’27. From the left circle, Gove fired the puck to the top corner of the net, extending Amherst’s lead to 2-0. 

After that, the second period ended scoreless. Andrew Palena ’27 made six key saves for the Mammoths in the stanza while Bowdoin’s netminder stifled all of Amherst’s offensive chances, including two power play opportunities. 

Both teams traded possession throughout the final period of the game. Ten minutes into the stanza, the Polar Bears scored their first of the game off a well-timed one-timer. Bowdoin tried to find momentum to tie the score in the final minutes of regulation, but a penalty from a Polar Bear player hindered the comeback effort. Taking advantage of the power play, Amherst killed off two of the last three minutes in the contest and won the game 2-1.

The team will return to Orr Rink on Friday, Jan. 30, to face Trinity in another conference matchup.

Women’s Basketball 

The women’s basketball team had a busy J-Term, facing off against two opponents in Las Vegas, one in California, and finally nine back in Amherst and the surrounding areas. Of the nine games back on the East Coast, four were against NESCAC opponents, and the team walked away victorious in three of these four games. The Mammoths finished this win-tery era with an impressive 8-4-0 record. 

On Saturday, Jan. 17, the Mammoths faced off against NESCAC opponent Wesleyan on their home court. The Mammoths came in hot after besting Trinity the day before, ready to show the Cardinals the same ferocity. Having already defeated Wesleyan in their first matchup earlier in the season, the Mammoths were prepared for another win. Laura Mendell ’27 scored the game’s opening points with a 3-pointer, setting the tone for the team’s dominant performance. Throughout the first quarter, the score remained fairly close, though Amherst held onto the lead as the quarter ended with a score of 18-15. In the second quarter, the Mammoths hit their stride, with four players, Reagan Pahl ’28, Chase Anderson ’29, Annie McCarthy ’26, and Anna Tranum ’28, making 3-pointers to extend the lead. In this high-scoring quarter, the Mammoths extended their lead to an impressive 17 points, though the score at halftime was 38-29. 

The Mammoths maintained strong offensive pressure in the third quarter with steals and fast-breaks, entering the fourth quarter with a 19-point lead. Amherst kept up the intensity through the fourth quarter, bringing the game to a close with a decisive 68-46 victory. Overall, McCarthy was the leading scorer with 20 points, followed by Mendell with 18. The Mammoths also dominated in the paint, putting up 42 rebounds compared to the Cardinals’ 33. With even more defensive aggression, Amherst finished the game with nine steals compared to Wesleyan’s six. With this 68-46 win, the Mammoths closed the week with two NESCAC victories.

The team will travel to Colby on Friday, Jan. 30, for their next game. 

Men’s Basketball 

The men’s basketball team began its J-Term on the West Coast, playing two games in Las Vegas and two in California. The Mammoths then returned to their home base on the East Coast with six games against NESCAC opponents, four of which ended in victory for Amherst. The team finished with a 6-4-0 record by the end of its J-Term matchups. 

In their final J-Term matchup against Hamilton, the Mammoths went out with a bang, besting their opponents 65-37. Though the Continentals got the game rolling with a 5-0 lead, the Mammoths answered heartily as Sherron Woodberry ’29 and Chris Hammond ’26 partnered to quickly regain an advantage, bringing the score to 6-5 for Amherst. Maintaining their offensive momentum, Amherst brought the score to an impressive 20-2. Woodberry and K.J. Neville ’29 each made a three-pointer, and Drew Martin ’26 bucketed three layups to bring the score to 28-9 by the end of the half. In the third quarter, the competition intensified as both teams worked to respond to one another’s shots. Elias Chin ’28 led a 7-0 drive for Amherst with five minutes left in the quarter with two consecutive layups. Marc Garraud ’27 joined in with a three-pointer from the left wing to bring the score to 57-31 for the Mammoths. Amherst maintained a strong offensive advantage, converting 40% of field goals compared to Hamilton’s 30%, 35.7% of three-pointers compared to 13.6%, and 65.2% of free throws compared to 40%. Chin and Gaurraud led the scoring with 13 points each, and Woodberry followed with nine points. The Mammoths extended their lead in the fourth quarter for a final score of 65-37.  

The team will host Colby on Friday, Jan. 30 for their next matchup. 

Women’s Swim & Dive

The women’s swim team had an action-packed J-Term, beating out-of-conference teams Union College and Springfield College a combined 419-108 while losing to NESCAC rival Williams 213-85. They also competed in the unscored Menck Invitational, swimming against both WPI and Roger Williams, while registering personal bests in an unscored event versus Babson College.

The women’s team’s dominant win over Springfield College came on Jan. 23, as the team honored its seniors: Joline Fong ’26, Diane Koo ’26, Emory Tudor ’26, Donna Zhang ’26, and Alexandra Zorn ’26. Competing in their honor, the Mammoths dispatched the Lions by a final tally of 181-54. Paige Arnold ’27 started off contributing points, setting a new school and pool record in the 100-yard IM with a time of 57.85 seconds. Arnold followed up this record performance by setting another pool record and taking first place in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing in 51.31 seconds. In the relay section, the combination of Sydney Thompson ’28, Arnold, Lucy Smith ’27, and Koo set a pool record in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:35.89. Dominating in individual freestyle events the entire meet, Penny Lazar ’29, Ava Insteness ’29, and Thomspon each won a different freestyle event to contribute significant points for the Mammoths. In other strokes, the seniors showed out on their day. Koo won the 100-yard butterfly, Tudor took first place in the 100-yard backstroke, and Fong was victorious in the 100-yard breaststroke. In the diving arena, Zhang placed first in the 1-meter, while Brooke Ronan ’29 won the 3-meter. Additional performers added points all across the board, helping the Mammoths register the large point differential and beat Springfield. 

The Mammoths look to close out their regular season this week, travelling to Cambridge on Saturday, Jan. 31, to face M.I.T. After that, their postseason will begin with the NESCAC Championships, hosted by Wesleyan.

Men’s Swim & Dive

Over the break, the men’s swim team also stayed busy. They beat Union College and Springfield College  228-64 and 166-75, respectively, raced both WPI and Roger Williams in the unscored Menck Invitational, and fell to NESCAC rival Williams 110.5-178.5.

For their senior day on Jan. 23, the team paid homage to the careers of their seniors as well, and also handily defeated Springfield College 166-75. Starting off hot, the 200-yard medley relay team of Jonah Luetke ’26, Fyn Nadel ’26, Cameron Aryanpour ’28, and Roan Haney ’29 finished first. Then, in the individual events, the points started to flow. Michael Jang ’26 notched a victory in the 500-yard freestyle, and JP Giglio ’29 won the following 200-yard freestyle event to add more tallies. The individual performance of the meet belonged to first-year Owen Vale ’29, who placed a NESCAC and pool record in the 100 IM with the speedy time of 50.61. He followed up this record-breaking race with another Amherst pool record in the 200 IM. The men continued to dominate throughout the meet, with Tom Conaty ’27 and Jack Goepfrich ’28 taking first place in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle, respectively. Henry LeCates ’26 then won the 100-yard butterfly, Luetke finished first in the 100-yard backstroke, and Nadel’s 100-yard breaststroke race earned him a top finish as well. To round out the already impressive performance, the relay team of Goepfrich, Aryanpour, Haney, and Ethan Van De Water ’26 won the 200-yard freestyle relay to end the day with more points in the win column.

Following this strong victory, the Mammoths return to the pool for one final regular-season dual meet, travelling to Cambridge on Jan. 31 to face the M.I.T. Beavers.

Women’s Squash

The No. 10 women’s squash team dominated over winter break, winning eight of their nine total matches. Among the teams they beat were then No. 10 Tufts, No. 13 Dartmouth, and No. 14 Georgetown. Their only loss came to No. 4 Princeton. The team also swept Franklin & Marshall and Bates. Individually, Brigid Brandon ’28 and Kanzy Elkaliuoby ’29 each dropped just one match over the entire term, helping power the Mammoths to their highest standing all season. 

The match of the break came on Jan. 13, when the Mammoths travelled to Medford, MA, and handed NESCAC foe Tufts a 5-4 defeat. The Mammoths gained victories at the two and nine spots, thanks to Anastasiia Krykun ’29 and Brandon, jumping to an early lead. However, the higher-ranked Jumbos battled back, and the two teams found themselves knotted 2-2. Fionnoula Brandon ’29 continued a strong inaugural season, winning at the seven spot in three sets. However, after claiming the eight and four victories, Tufts gained a narrow lead. Undeterred, Elkaliuoby outlasted her Jumbo opponent when it mattered most, forcing the 4-4 tie after winning her individual match. Impressively, in the fifth and final set, she crushed the Tufts player 11-2 to win. With everything on the line, all eyes fell to the battle at the six spot between Yana Sharma ’27 and Tufts’ Chloe Bergam. Up 2-1, Sharma clinched the team and individual win in her fourth set, edging Bergam out 13-11. Cheers erupted as the Mammoths claimed their first victory over a Top 10 opponent this season.

Rounding out J-Term, three individual members competed in the 2026 CSA Individual Championships in New York. Despite bowing out in the first round, Elkaliuoby, Quincy Cline ’27, and Krykun each garnered the honor of qualifying. The Mammoths as a whole improved to 10-1 over break, and look to crack the top 10 in the national polls. Their next match takes place today at home, as NESCAC Rival Williams makes the drive to Amherst to battle the women’s squash team.

Men’s Squash

The No. 16 men’s squash team also saw great success over J-Term, going 5-3. Highlights over the break include a clean 9-0 sweep of Bates, in addition to closer victories against teams including Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, and Bowdoin. In the Bowdoin match just last week, the team battled until the final set, edging out the No. 21 Polar Bears 5-4 for a key conference win. The final two victories from Roman Parisi ’29 and Gabe Yu ’27 sealed the win over the NESCAC opponent. With these wins, the Mammoths are currently 4-2 in NESCAC play.

In addition to the nailbiter win over Bowdoin, the Mammoths scored an equally close margin of victory in early January when they hosted and beat the No. 15 Naval Academy 5-4. The fastest individual tally in the win column belonged to Grady Herbert ’26, beating his Midshipmen opponent 3-0 in a mere 28 minutes. Herbert’s opponent only scored 19 points compared to his 33 in the convincing win. Despite the Mammoths dropping the match at the top spot, Parisi and Joseph Toth ’27 playing at the second and third spots respectively, both won their matches in four sets. The two Amherst players conceded the second set before winning the final two sets for the victory. Fares Khairy ’28 and Aiden Shap ’29 swept their opponents at lower spots, contributing critical points to the team. With these integral wins, the Mammoths edged out Navy by a slim 5-4 tally. 

Two individuals qualified on the men’s side for the 2026 CSA Individual Championships. Parisi and Devon Osborne ’29 were both bested by their opponents but again finished with high individual rankings. After statement victories during J-Term, the Mammoth’s record sits at 7-3 overall. The men’s squash team continues its season today, battling Williams at 5 p.m. at home.

Women’s Indoor Track and Field

Over J-Term, the women’s indoor track and field team competed in the Middlebury Winter Classic and the Massasoit Classic hosted by Springfield College.

Over the weekend of Jan. 16 and 17, the Mammoths won three different events at the Middlebury Winter Classic in Vermont. In the distance medley relay, Piper Lentz ’26, Leila Davani ’28, and Zoë Marcus ’27 combined to finish in 12:29. This time was a minute faster than the runner-up and is the second-best time of any Division-III team this season thus far. In her collegiate debut, Anna Kramarchuk ’29 won the long jump event with a mark of 5.12 meters, earning a provisional qualifying mark for the New England Championships. In the triple jump, Sophia Ford ’28 recorded a mark of 5.12 meters. This performance earned Ford her first collegiate win and was also a provisional qualifying mark for the New England Championships. In the 600-meter race, Lentz and Marcus took second and third place with times of 1:35 and 1:36, respectively. With this, both automatically qualified for the regional championship. Maya Levine ’28 also finished the 1000-meter in 3:03 to automatically qualify for the regional Championships and claim third place in the event. Also earning an automatic qualification, Alayah Campbell ’29 finished fourth in the high jump in her collegiate debut, clearing 1.58 meters.

On Sunday, Feb. 1, the team will compete in Middlebury’s New England Small College Invitational in Boston.

Men’s Indoor Track and Field

The men’s indoor track and field team competed in the Middlebury Winter Classic and Massasoit Classic at Springfield College over the break. 

At the Middlebury Winter Classic in Vermont on Jan. 16 and 17, the Mammoths finished first in two events. Henry Dennen ’26, Jack Stahl ’28, Ben Davis ’26, and Stan Craig ’27 worked together to place first in the distance medley relay ahead of two Division-I teams from the University of Vermont. Their time of 10:26 is the third-fastest finish from any Division-III team so far this season. In his collegiate debut in the weight throw event, Gavin Schmidt ’28 took first place, throwing a mark of 15.53 meters. In the pole vault, Christoph Osselmann-Chai ’28 took second place after clearing 4.45 meters and automatically qualified for the New England Championships. Matt Kasper ’28 also earned an automatic qualification with an indoor personal-best mark of 13.50 meters, placing third overall.

The team will return to the track on Sunday, Feb. 1, in Boston for Middlebury’s New England Small College Invitational.