Around the Herd: March 27 to April 1 in Athletics

Women’s Lacrosse

The No. 12 women’s lacrosse team travelled to Hoboken, New Jersey, on Saturday, to take on the No. 20 Stevens Ducks. The Mammoths got on the board first. Clara Sosa ’26 capitalized on an early foul, taking the eight-meter shot straight to the cage. Four minutes later, Bridget Finley ’26 found another score for Amherst, giving the team a 2-0 lead. And she was just getting started. After Stevens’ first tally of the game, Finley tacked on two more for a first-quarter hat trick. In the second quarter, the Mammoths scored four straight, getting goals from Emily Petersen ’26, Finley, Sosa, and Ella Shay ’27. With less than one minute left in the first half, Sofia Guttman ’26 added yet another, giving the team a 9-2 lead going into the half. Although Stevens got on the board first in the second half, Petersen and Finley continued to respond. Four second-half goals from Petersen slowed a comeback from Stevens, with the Amherst defense stepping up huge with 11 caused turnovers. Finley ended the day with an astounding season-high six goals, while Petersen was right behind her with five. Kate Becker ’26, Sydney Kang ’25, and Sosa all recorded helpers in the 16-11 team victory. The team’s upcoming schedule is jam-packed with Little Three action, battling Wesleyan on Wednesday, April 2, before hosting Williams on Saturday, April 5.

Men’s Lacrosse

The No. 6 men’s team continued their undefeated streak, hosting Roanoke College on Saturday, for their faculty appreciation day. Just over a minute into play, Amherst struck first. Bob Gross ’26 — man up — found the back of the net. Two more goals followed from Amherst’s Alex Giacobbe ’25 and Bennett Chow ’26, tripling the lead. Rounding out the first quarter, Brayden Stroh ’27 added another for the team — his first of the season. The Mammoths outscored the Maroons 6-2 in the second, getting goals courtesy of Brendan Reilly ’27, Nico Berger ’27, Nicholas Kopp ’25, Chow, Alex Vlacich ’26, and Pat Arnold ’28. The offensive onslaught continued into the third — Willie Doyle ’28 added his first of the game before Giacobbe found the next back-to-back times for a hat trick. In the fourth, the defenders joined in on the scoring action; Lawson Laverty ’25 and Luciano Chadha ’27 both got on the board, in addition to a goal from Dylan Hsu ’25. Chadha’s goal came from the opposite end of the field when he took advantage of an open net and rocketed the ball full field to bounce it into the net. Giacobbe had the team high in goals on the day with 3, while Chow added 5 points. The team’s 13 different scorers showcased their offensive versatility, and they picked up 38 ground balls in the decisive 17-9 win. The team also begins their Little Three Battle, playing Wesleyan on Wednesday, April 2, and Williams on Saturday, April 5.

Baseball

The baseball team traveled to Springfield on Wednesday, to play Western New England University. In the top of the first, Jack Sampedro ’25 singled to center field, allowing Tyler McCord ’26 to reach home base and giving Sampedro the RBI. Western New England took control after the initial score, though, registering a 7-1 lead heading into the sixth. With the Mammoths back on offense, WNEU walked Jack Boyle ’25 with bases loaded. The chain reaction allowed Justin Orridge ’28, who had been waiting on third base, to walk home for the score. Right after this, McCord singled, which gave Ben Smith ’26 the time to score another for the team. One more RBI from McCord and a score from Boyle in the eighth would narrow the lead, and the bullpen kept Amherst in the game, only allowing one run in the last five innings of play. However, the Mammoths were unable to ever match the eight runs from Western New England.

After their midweek clash, the team prepared for their first NESCAC series of the season: hosting Middlebury on Friday and Saturday. The Panthers showed up early, scoring three runs in the first two innings. In the bottom of the second, an Orridge single sent Ryan McIntyre ’25 home, scoring Amherst’s first run of the day. Two unearned runs in the fourth widened the Panthers’ lead, but Aiden Dubetsky ’28 singled in the bottom of the fourth, allowing Charlie LaFreniere ’27 to get home. Phenomenal pitching from Yoon Chae ’27 held 15 Panther batters scoreless for the entirety of the fifth through ninth innings, but the Mammoths only scored one final run in the ninth for a 5-3 loss.

Undeterred after dropping their first series game, the Mammoths came out strong the following day against the Panthers. Middlebury tallied first, but two runs each in the second, third, and fourth innings put the Mammoths up 6-1. Scores came from LaFrenier, Orridge, McCord, Sampedro, and J.J. Grimes ’28, with Grimes, Dubetsky, and Sampedro all registering RBIs during the three-inning span. Middlebury added three runs in the fifth, but Sampedro sent home all the batters he faced in the final two innings for the Mammoths. Boyle and Sampedro both singled in the sixth to help add two more scores, putting any sort of late comeback out of reach for the Panthers. The score was 8-4 in the seven-inning game, with the final tiebreaking game of the series postponed due to weather. With the 1-1 split, the Mammoths shift their focus to a midweek clash with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Wednesday, before their NESCAC series versus Tufts on Friday and Saturday — April 4 and 5.

Softball

The softball team had a jam-packed week, with two NESCAC series. They travelled to Middlebury on Friday before taking one day’s rest and going to Tufts on Sunday. The Mammoths found themselves at an early deficit in the first game, going down 5-0 after two innings. However, in the top of the third, Olivia Aitkin ’26 hit an RBI, helping May Mishima ’28 reach home base for the team’s first score. They held the Panthers scoreless in the bottom before putting two more on the board in the top of the fourth. The RBIs belonged to Dylan Briggs ’26 and Laura Daniels ’28. The Mammoths continued their fight in the sixth inning of the game, adding two more scores to narrow the lead to 6-5 in favor of the Panthers. However, a scoreless seventh inning from both teams allowed Middlebury to walk away with a win. Dani Torres Werra ’25 kept the Mammoths in the game, allowing only one run in her three final innings pitched.

The second game against Middlebury proved to be the Mammoths’ time. In the second inning, Emma Nordstrom ’27 doubled, with Abby Rebhan ’28 tallying the score. Next, Briggs doubled, sending Anna Primozic ’27 and Nordstrom home. Rounding out the scoring in the second inning, Lauren Ro ’28 converted on her at bat, with Primozic reaching home base for the 3-0 lead. Middlebury would add two of their own in the bottom of the same inning, but a Lulu Leppard ’28 score in the third kept the score differential at two runs. A Middlebury homer in the fifth tightened the gap, but the Mammoths got one run apiece in the sixth and seventh innings. Rebhan’s RBI sent Ro home, and Nordtsrom sealed the win with a homer in the seventh. Rehban pitched the first five innings, while Abby Moravek ’26 — the reigning NESCAC Player of the Week — held the Panthers scoreless in her final two innings. The 6-3 game tied the series 1-1, as Amherst looked ahead to their Sunday series at Tufts.

In the Tufts series, the Jumbos controlled the first game. They scored in the bottom of the first, fourth, and fifth innings to take a 3-0 lead over the Mammoths. The Mammoths were unable to find an offensive groove, despite hits from Rebhan, Briggs, and Nordstrom. Torres only allowed four hits despite facing 24 batters, and Briggs closed the game out without allowing the Jumbos to score. Tufts walked away with the 3-0 win. In their second game, the Mammoths again found themselves in an early 4-0 deficit. However, the fourth inning was a banner one for the Mammoths. Briggs, Daniels, Moravek, and Jenna Holmes ’27 all had RBIs to convert for five total runs to give the Mammoths their first lead of the game. Then, in the fifth, Torres Werra scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead. However, in the bottom of the fifth, the Jumbos pulled out three more runs, allowing them to overcome the Mammoths’ lead with a score of 7-6. The last two innings were scoreless for both teams. The Jumbos were victorious in both games, and Amherst now focuses on its upcoming game against Wesleyan on Saturday, April 5.

Women’s Track & Field

Over the weekend, the women’s track and field team competed in the Black & Gold Invitational hosted by Bryant University in Rhode Island. Flora Biro ’28 placed third and Piper Lentz ’26 placed ninth overall with respective times of 4:39 and 4:47 in the 1500-meter. Running the 5000 meter, Nikki Chopra ’27 placed fourth with a time of 17:36, and Nora Hart ’28 placed fifth with a time of 17:37; both were personal bests for the runners. Arissa Grace McGowan ’26’s time of 16.15 seconds earned her eighth overall in the 100-meter hurdles. With a score of 40, the Mammoths placed eighth overall at the meet and as the best Division III team. The team will return to the track to host the Amherst Spring Fling on Saturday, April 5.

Men’s Track & Field

The men’s track and field team also traveled to the Black & Gold Invitational this weekend. On the first day of the two-day meet, Gavin Schmidt ’28 placed third overall in the discus with a distance of 48.02 meters. In the hammer, Charlie Spurrell ’26’s mark of 52.53 meters earned ninth overall. The next day, Parker Boyle ’27 finished the 800 meter in 1:53, earning first place. In the 5000 meter, Stan Craig ’27 recorded a time of 14:33 to win the event. Also taking first place, Matt Kasper ’28 produced a distance of 13.07 meters in the triple jump. Finishing as the top Division III school, the Mammoths placed third overall at the meet with a total of 86 points. Next Saturday, April 5, the team will host the Amherst Spring Fling.

Women’s Tennis

This week, the women’s tennis team faced two NESCAC opponents in Trinity and Wesleyan. On Saturday, the No. 12 Mammoths put on a dominant performance against the Bantams. Amherst secured the doubles point, winning all three doubles matches. The team also won each singles match in straight sets, including Tina She ’28’s performance at the fifth spot, where she dropped only a single game. The Mammoths finished with a 7-0 victory.

The next day, the team traveled to face the Cardinals. Wesleyan claimed the doubles point despite a hard-fought win from Amy Cui ’25 and Kaite Hart ’25 at the second doubles spot. Amherst’s only singles wins came from Lily Dounchis ’27 at the first spot and She at the fifth spot; both wins were in straight sets. Ultimately, the Mammoths were bested by the Cardinals 5-2. The team will return to the courts at home on Saturday, April 5, against Bates.

Men’s Tennis

Over the weekend, the men’s tennis team played conference rivals Trinity and Wesleyan. On Saturday, the No. 9 Mammoths started strong, taking the doubles point with wins in all three doubles matches. This momentum continued into the singles matches. At the one and two spots, Andreas Sillaste ’27 and Edred Opie ’25 each only dropped three games to win in straight sets. Despite losing the first set, Sujit Chepuri ’25 managed a comeback victory at the fourth spot. The Mammoths finished 6-1 over the Bantams.

The next day, against the Cardinals, Amherst found success once again. With doubles wins from pairs Chepuri and Albert Hu ’28 as well as Opie and Rex Harrison ’27, the Mammoths claimed the doubles point. At the fourth spot, Harrison won in straight sets, only conceding two games. George Chaidemenos ’26 also won in straight sets in the eighth spot. With a final score of 6-1, Amherst bested its Little Three rival Wesleyan.

Women’s Hockey

This week, the women’s hockey team competed in the NCAA Division III national championship tournament, facing NESCAC foe Middlebury.

After defeating the Panthers in the NESCAC finals, the Mammoths faced a rematch against Middlebury in the national championship semifinals. Despite opportunities from both teams, the first two periods remained scoreless. The closest attempt came from the Panthers’ offense as they tried to capitalize on a scramble in front of the net; goaltender Natalie Stott ’26 made a great rebound save and trapped the puck to deny Middlebury. In the first minutes of the third period, Amherst made it onto the board on a powerplay; after gaining possession of the puck, Alyssa Xu ’25 backhanded a goal after the puck came loose in front of the net. Halfway through the third, the Panthers found an equalizer. Minutes later, Maeve Reynolds ’26 stole possession for the Mammoths, dodged her defender, and passed the puck to Xu; the forward then beat the goaltender to bury her second of the game. With Middlebury’s goaltender pulled for the final minutes, Amherst extended their lead. Anna Baxter ’25 intercepted a clear attempt, passing the puck to Ayla Abban ’28, whose shot attempt was blocked. Bea Flynn ’28 then collected the rebound and scored. The final score of 3-1 sent the Mammoths to the final championship against the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

The Mammoths would go on to lose that game 3-1.