Around the Herd: March 4 to March 10 in Athletics

Women’s Hockey 

This week, the women’s hockey team faced Williams in the NESCAC semi-final on Saturday, shutting out the third-seeded Ephs 3-0. They then faced Colby — seeded fourth —  in the NESCAC final, defeating the Mules 1-0 to secure the NESCAC title. 

The first period against Colby was scoreless, but Marie-Eve Marleau ’26, Bea Flynn ’28, Ayla Abban ’26, and Cara Mancini ’27 still got the offense going, testing the Ephs’ goalie on multiple occasions. The second period is when the Mammoths finally broke the scoring open. Natalie Fu ’27 slipped in a backhanded shot off a loose puck opportunity generated by Annabel Raffin ’28 and Sami Lester ’28. Despite this being the only score of the second period, the Mammoths continued to dominate offensively and defensively, with great scoring looks from Calleigh Brown ’29 and Gretchen Dann ’26. 

The next goal came midway through the final period at 8:26, when Maeve Reynolds ’26 and Mancini worked the puck into Williams’ zone to find an open Emily Hohmann ’26, who buried it to advance the Mammoths to a 2-0 lead. The rest of the period and the game belonged to Amherst’s defense. With netminder Natalie Stott ’26 at the helm, the Mammoths held strong even as Williams surged late, pulling their goalkeeper for an extra-woman advantage. With no keeper in Williams’ net, Flynn was able to capitalize on a loose puck and sink one more to seal the deal for a Mammoths win. The game ended with Amherst having outshot Williams 42-26, marking 26 saves for Stott and her 44th career shut-out. 

The next day, the Mammoths returned to the ice to face the Mules in the championship final. Both teams came out with energy, each registering shots in the first minute of the game. Off the opening faceoff, just 27 seconds into the first period, Colby fired a shot just wide of the net. Not to be outdone, Mancini tested the Mules’ goaltender seconds later. The Mammoths’ defense was called to action repeatedly over the next five minutes, as Colby controlled possession for much of the early period. Reynolds and Fu made key blocks, and Stott notched five saves to keep the Mules off the board. Amherst responded with an offensive stride of their own that saw Abban and Brown each register shots on net. In the ensuing play, Flynn controlled possession after receiving the puck from Abban and then slid a quick pass to Dann. The defender skated into the left circle, evaded two Colby skaters, and launched the puck into the far right corner to make it 1-0. The Mammoths’ offensive momentum continued when Raffin and Hohmann each recorded shot attempts on the next shift. The Mules continued to push for the rest of the stanza, but six more saves from Stott kept Amherst ahead.

In the second period, the teams continued to trade possession. Reynolds, Lester, and Flynn all sent pucks to the net, forcing Colby’s goaltender into action while, at the other end of the ice, Stott staved off early attempts from the Mules’s offense. The Mammoths’ best chance of the period came on a power play opportunity halfway through the frame; Fu, Reynolds, and Dann all found good looks, but nothing solidified. Colby was awarded a power play of their own in the last minutes of the period, but Amherst’s penalty kill unit preserved the 1-0 lead going into the second intermission. 

Colby urgently sought to even the score in the final period, riffling constant shots at the net. Stott continued to be impenetrable, though, making 16 saves throughout the stanza. She was aided by Amherst defenders who repeatedly stepped into Colby’s shooting lanes to block pucks and clear rebounds. With 2:37 to go in the match, the Mules pulled their goaltender in favor of an extra skater. Colby found close chances with the six-on-five opportunity, but Dann, Hohmann, and Lester all made key blocks in the last seconds to solidify the 1-0 victory and NESCAC Championship title. This marks the Mammoths’ second consecutive and seventh overall conference championship. Stott was named the women’s ice hockey NESCAC Player of the Week after saving an incredible 65 combined shots over the course of the two games. 

The team will return to Orr Rink to face the College of Saint Benedict in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, March 14. 

Women’s Tennis

This week, the No. 14-ranked women’s tennis team faced two NESCAC opponents in Bowdoin and Colby, falling 6-1 to the Polar Bears on Saturday and sweeping the Mules 7-0 on Sunday.

Against Bowdoin, duo Tina She ’28 and Karolina Dobiecka ’26 won the only doubles match for the Mammoths, claiming the contest 6-4. She continued to dominate in singles play, winning 6-4, 6-1 to take the match in straight sets from the second spot, Amherst’s only win in the individual matches. 

The next day, Amherst bounced back, controlling the match against Colby from start to finish. She and Dobiecka again combined to win their doubles match in a clean 6-0 set. Pairs Katjä Jules Viberg ’26 and Cody Huang ’28, as well as Greta Stechschulte ’27 and Diop, also won their matches 7-6 (2) and 6-3, respectively, to give the Mammoths the doubles point. In singles play, She stayed perfect, winning her match at the two spot 6-0, 6-0. Diop only dropped one game to win the one spot, 6-1, 6-0. Amherst’s 7-0 win against the Mules is their second sweep of the season.

The team will travel to face Chapman University on Sunday, March 16. 

Men’s Tennis 

Like the women, the No. 11 men’s tennis team was busy this weekend, also facing both Bowdoin and Colby. After a loss of 6-1 against the Polar Bears on Saturday, the Mammoths bounced back on Sunday, beating the Mules 5-2 for their first conference win.

On Saturday, Bowdoin gained momentum early, winning all three doubles matches and securing the doubles point. With impressive straight-set wins from the fifth and sixth spots, Bowdoin continued to increase their lead. Despite strong performances by the Mammoths in the third set, the Polar Bears bested courts two, three, and four. A standout performance from Andreas Sillaste ’27 was Amherst’s sole point against Bowdoin. Although he dropped the first set, Sillaste had an impressive comeback, winning with a final score of 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. 

The next day against Colby, the Mammoths again lost the doubles point but came out strong in singles. They rolled through the Mules, winning five out of six singles matches. Rex Harrison ’27, Albert Hu ’28, and Lukas Frangenberg ’29 dominated their matches, all winning in straight sets. Ronald Gualario ’29 fought hard after losing his first set and came back to win his last two, scoring Amherst’s third point. Finally, Sillaste locked in a Mammoth win with his clinching point at the one sport. 

Next, the team heads to South Carolina to face Wesleyan, North Carolina Wesleyan University, and Denison University over Spring break. 

Women’s Squash

The No. 10-ranked women’s squash team concluded its season this past weekend in Philadelphia, PA, at the Howe Cup and CSA National Tournament. They faced No. 7 Cornell, No. 11 Dartmouth, and No. 12 Tufts. They lost the matches 9-0, 6-3, and 7-2, respectively. 

Despite dropping both of their first two matches over the weekend, the Mammoths continued to battle in their final consolation match against Tufts on Saturday, March 7. Their third time facing the Jumbos, both teams entered the weekend with one victory apiece. For Amherst, Kanzy Elkaliouby ’29 and Brigid Brandon ’28 both bested their Tufts opponents. At the nine spot, Morgan Chaudhary ’26 forced her opponent to a fifth set before narrowly losing it. The Mammoths were not able to secure victories at any other spot, and Tufts walked away with the win to go up 2-1 in the season series

Despite the three losses, the team concludes its season 15-6, capping off a largely successful 2025-26 campaign. 

Men’s Lacrosse

Last Saturday, the No.18-ranked men’s lacrosse team travelled to Medford, MA, to face No. 1 Tufts, where they fell 15-8 after a hard-fought battle. 

Amherst opened the scoring with an unassisted drive from Bob Gross ’26 three minutes into the contest. Tufts then responded with two goals of their own, giving them a 2-1 lead with 8:16 to go in the quarter. Still, Amherst rallied back offensively after a few back-and-forth possessions, giving way to Bennet Chow ’26, who scored off an assist from Willie Doyle ’28, followed by a Brayden Stroh ’28 face-off ground ball turned goal. The unrelenting Jumbos, however, were able to sneak eight more in before halftime as the Mammoths remained scoreless. 

In the third, after Tufts notched one more, Stroh successfully cleared the ball after a caused turnover by Thompson Lau ’26 and found the back of the net for the second time of the game and the season, with 8:13 remaining in the quarter. From there, Amherst was able to regain its offensive footing; after a big save by goalkeeper Brooks Catlin ’26, sophomore Patrick Arnold ’28 fired and scored to narrow the gap to 11-5. 

After tallying another goal at the end of the third, Tufts again opened the scoring for the final quarter, notching two goals — once off a faceoff and another following an Amherst violation, which gave them a man-up advantage. Facing adversity, Amherst was able to score three more times before the end of the contest. However, it wasn’t enough, as Tufts also put in two more in the final frame, winning 15-8. Despite the loss, Catlin made 12 saves on the day, Arnold recorded his first career hat trick, and the Mammoths edged the Jumbos 15-12 on face-offs, with first-year Dylan Kelleher ’29 going 65% with nine wins of his 14 attempts. 

The Mammoths are set to face No. 7 Babson at home on Wednesday, March 11, before their next NESCAC contest against No. 20 Bates on Saturday, March 14. 

Women’s Lacrosse

The No. 8 women’s lacrosse team kicked things off at home this past week, hosting then No. 2 Tufts on Saturday and Smith College on Tuesday. In an absolute thriller vs. the Jumbos, the Mammoths battled back in the fourth quarter to force the game into overtime, where they defeated Tufts 14-13.

The Mammoths got on the board first, thanks to an early draw control by Emily Petersen ’26 and an unassisted goal from Kate Becker ’26 in the first minute of play. Tufts found the equalizer shortly thereafter, but the Mammoths persisted. A goal by Sofia Guttmann ’26 and a pair from Bridget Finley ’26 forced a Tufts timeout before the Jumbos were able to adjust and put a few more scores on the board. Tufts maintained control throughout the second quarter, stepping up on defense and holding Amherst to only one goal: a diving dodge and finish by Mia Raven ’27, which narrowed the Jumbos’ lead to 8-5 heading into halftime.

In the third quarter, it was Finley again who got the scoring started coming out of the break with her third goal of the day. Bridget Darcy ’27 sent a perfectly timed pass into the middle, where Finley corralled it for the finish past the Tufts’ keeper. Then, a few plays later, Becker found a cutting Petersen who buried the ball. Late in the third, the momentum again swung the way of the Jumbos, who rattled off three goals to claim their largest lead of the game: 12-7. However, Amherst refused to give up. Guttmann returned to the scene, slicing through defenders to bury two consecutive goals. Then, Finley took a hard foul and, on her 8-meter free position shot, sent it past the Tufts keeper to bring the game within two goals. Tufts got one more on the board, but it would be their final score of the game. 

While for Amherst, Becker found a cutting Darcy, who collected the ball in the air and one-timed it into the back of the net. Petersen, at the four-minute mark, then took one to the cage to bring the game within one. And just when it looked like the momentum would swing back in favor of the visitors, following an Amherst penalty, Lily Samoska ’28 stepped up and made her biggest save of the game, turning away a Jumbos player on the doorstep. Safely clearing the ball into the Amherst offensive end, with under 30 seconds to play. As the time ticked down, Becker sent the ball to Finley, who, in front of Tufts’ goal, spun past and evaded three defenders before sending an absolute laser to the top right corner, scoring with just four seconds left in regulation.

With the game tied, the teams headed to overtime. Right off the ensuing draw, Amherst won possession, and Tufts received a one-minute penalty for a foul. A player-up, the Mammoths wasted no time. One minute into the overtime period, after moving the ball around the perimeter, Becker found a cutting Petersen in front of the goal, who caught the ball and quick-sticked it before the Tufts keeper could even react. Petersen’s goal was good, and the team and crowd erupted. The Mammoths, for the first time since 2022, beat Tufts. Finley led all goal scorers on the day with five, garnering NESCAC Player of the Week honors, while Samoska finished with nine saves in net.

Just three days later, the team beat Smith College 22-3. Next week, the Mammoths travel to Lewiston, ME, to play Bates on Saturday, and then head to California over spring break for some West Coast action.

Men’s Basketball

After besting Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) 63-46 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Amherst advanced to face the University of Mary Washington in the round of 32, ultimately falling 81-64. 

After falling behind 6-3 early, the Mammoths bounced back, going on a 12-2 run. For the rest of the first period, both teams continued to battle for the lead as Amherst and WPI each re-tied the score twice. After the score was even, at 18 apiece, the Mammoths found another big lead, going up 27-18 thanks in part to free throws from Elias Chin ’28, K.J. Neville ’29, and Drew Martin ’26. In the final moments of the first half, however, the Engineers put together a 5-0 run, cutting the deficit to 27-24 at the break. 

After halftime, WPI’s offense sputtered as they shot only 21.7% from the field and went 2-12 on 3-pointers while Amherst’s shooting improved to 48%. After some back-and-forth, the Engineers closed the gap to just one point — 37-36. But the Mammoths didn’t let WPI gain hope as they responded by scoring eight unanswered points thanks to a jump shot from Chin, two free throws, and a layup from Neville. This brought the score to 45-36, midway through the second half. The Engineers found their offensive stride again, though, narrowing the deficit to 48-42, but an 11-0 run pushed Amherst back into a comfortable 17-point lead — their largest of the game — with just two minutes remaining. The game ended with the Mammoths winning 63-46. In the win, Chin scored 20 points, Martin tallied 14 rebounds, and Neville notched 16 points with three assists.

The next day, the Mammoths secured their first basket of the game against Mary Washington at the 16:34 mark, with a layup from Chris Hammond ’26. Neville then followed with a layup of his own, giving Amherst its first lead of the game at 4-3. Later, Neville scored another shot, this time a 3-pointer from the wing to bring the score to 7-6. Marc Garraud ’27 maintained the team’s momentum, netting another 3-pointer to secure the Mammoths’ lead at 10-9. Seeking to regain the advantage when the score equalized at 14-14, Nate Pabis ’27 scored a 3-pointer from beyond the arc and put Amherst back in the lead. With 6:04 left in the first half, the Mammoths extended their lead to 24-18 with two consecutive threes from Zane Adnan ’27 and Garraud. In the closing five minutes of the half, the contest tightened up. Two free throws from Chin put Amherst one point in the lead at 34-33. 

Afterward, opening the second half strong, Neville nailed a 3-pointer on the team’s first possession. The Eagles began to pick up momentum, however, and Amherst faced a six-minute scoring drought. Garraud worked hard to close the gap, bringing the score to 54-44 with a 3-pointer, but the Eagles remained dominant, going on a 17-0 run. With the score at 71-44, Amherst brought the heat on offense with Martin, Neville, and Sherron Woodberry ’29 racking up nine points in a row. Nonetheless, the Eagles ultimately retained their advantage and closed out the game with an 81-64 victory over the Mammoths. 

Ultimately, the men’s basketball team finishes its season with a 19-8 overall record — a noted improvement from last year’s 13-12 — and a 7-3 mark in NESCAC play. 

Baseball

In the baseball team’s Sunday doubleheader against Ramapo College, the Mammoths went 1-1 against the Roadrunners, falling in the first game 4-3 but winning the second 5-4.

Amherst opened the day, and the scoring, in the bottom of the first inning, as Leo Foust ’28 singled to center field. Tyler McCord ’26 followed with a double, putting runners on second and third, which allowed Justin Orridge ’28 to score the runner from third on a groundball to short. Immediately after, Charlie LaFreniere ’27 got on base with a center field single, and earned an RBI himself, as McCord scored off his drive. The Mammoths closed out the first inning with a 2-0 lead, but it did not take long for the Roadrunners to go back on the offensive and earn a pair of runs themselves to close out the second inning, leveling the score to 2-2. The next score again was Ramapo’s, where they were able to capitalize on two singles and a double, despite Nick Fassert ’28 striking out two batters in the inning. The Roadrunners held onto their 3-2 lead until the bottom of the 4th, when LaFreniere hit a single followed by a base hit from Jack Darcy ’29. Both runners advanced two bases on a Ramapo error, evening the score at 3-3. The last score came in the top of the final inning after Matt Tabet ’27 relieved Fassert. Ramapo earned a series of singles, which ultimately led to one final score for the Roadrunners, earning them the 4-3 win. 

Not long after, though, the second game began. Ramapo opened the scoring this time off an RBI-double, giving them a 1-0 lead. The scoreline remained unchanged until the top of the sixth, when the Roadrunners managed to add another run. Still, the Mammoths entered the bottom of the sixth inning in need of an offensive spark, which came from Aiden Dubetsky ’28, who lined a double down the right field line. The next batter, Foust, singled to left field, driving in Dubetsky to put the Mammoths on the board. McCord followed with a single, advancing Foust to third. With runners on the corners, LaFreniere hit a deep fly ball, allowing Foust to score and tying the game at 2-2.

Despite this, Ramapo scored again at the top of the seventh, putting the Mammoths down 3-2 heading into the final innings. However, Amherst answered in the bottom of the seventh with a Ben Smith ’26 single. Dubetsky and Foust followed with singles of their own to load the bases, and a walk by McCord forced in Smith, tying the score at 3-3.

Immediately following this, in the top of the eighth, the Roadrunners scored again, putting the Mammoths behind heading into the final two innings. Amherst was unable to score in the eighth, but a strong defensive performance in the top of the ninth — with Adrian Caron ’27 on the mound, earning his first strikeout of the season — set up the offense with a chance to walk away with the win. The bottom of the ninth began with two groundouts from Smith and Carson Ames ’29, and the comeback ending began with yet another single from Dubetsky, who was able to advance to second after a wild Ramapo pitch. With Dubetsky on second, Foust stepped up to the plate and hit a line drive single to advance his teammate to third base and get himself to first. Next came McCord, who notched his first RBI of the evening by hitting a single along the left side, sending Dubetsky home to tie the score at 4-4. Finally came Orridge, who, after an unusually quiet day at the plate, stepped up to bat and put an end to the thriller by drilling a single up the middle and sending Foust home to score, officially topping the Roadrunners 5-4. 

The Mammoths head to Worcester, MA, to face Clark University on Thursday, March 12, before traveling to Florida for spring break to take on a slate of northeastern opponents ahead of their opening NESCAC competition against Wesleyan on Friday, March 27.

Head of the Herd: Gretchen Dann

This weekend, the women’s hockey team continued its strong run of form, taking home the NESCAC Championship title. After defeating Williams 3-0 in the semifinal round, they bested Colby 1-0 in the championship. Defensive player Gretchen Dann ’26 recorded the lone goal of the latter and was a key difference maker for the Mammoths. Dann sits second on the team in points, even as a defensive player. She was recently honored with NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, and for her tally in the championship game, she earns this week’s Head of the Herd.