Around the Herd: Sept. 18 to Sept. 24 in Athletics

Women’s Volleyball

With their first NESCAC match-ups of the season, the volleyball team faced Bates College and Tufts University.

In Lewiston, Maine, the Mammoths started with a close first set against Bates. The Bobcats were able to win the set 25-22 in spite of Amherst’s initial 15-12 lead. In the second set, the Mammoths were able to keep the score close with key blocks from Tiana Richardson ’27 and Sofia Camilo ’28 but the Bobcats were still able to advance to 25-23. Kinsey Cronin ’25 and Allie McLaughlin ’27 put up kills to keep the score close in the third, but the Bobcats took the match with a score of 25-23 in the last set. The Mammoths had the only aces of the match with Renee Liou ’26 scoring two of the four.

Against the Jumbos, the Mammoths started the first set with a lead of 14-9 from kills made by Cronin, Charlotte Rasmussen ’26, and Ellie Myers ’28. Tufts responded with kills to narrow the lead and eventually take the set 25-22. After an initial 8-8 tie, the Jumbos capitalized off key kills and blocks to win 25-16 in the second set. Despite a determined fight from the Mammoths — including kills from Rasmussen and Camilo — the Jumbos’ momentum continued in the third set as they won the match, taking a final set of 25-14.

On Friday, the Mammoths will face another NESCAC school in Hamilton College.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team hosted the No. 2 ranked Middlebury College this weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, the Mammoths were the first on the scoreboard after Fynn Hayton-Ruffner ’25 scored a goal following a free kick taken by Mohammed Nuhu ’27. The goal was assisted by Simon Kalinauskas ’25 after a flick from Aidan Curtis ’25. Amherst held onto their lead until the 83rd minute when Middlebury forced a late goal. Despite the Mammoths’ 12 shots over the course of 90 minutes — three of which were on goal — the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

The team will face Colby College next Saturday.

Women’s Field Hockey

This Saturday, the field hockey team faced the No. 1 ranked Middlebury Panthers on Hill Field.

The first quarter started quickly when a Middlebury forward had a shot on goal resulting in an impressive save from goaltender Grace Puchalski ’27. Soon after, Chloe Agopian ’27 just missed the net after a set up from Sam Maynard ’25. The Panthers then responded with two goals after finding ways into the shooting circle. Puchalski and the Mammoths’ defense still successfully blocked a goal and a corner attempt. Anna Aiello ’26 had close goal opportunities with a wide shot off a penalty corner in the first, and a blocked attempt in the second — the Mammoths’ only shot of the quarter. In the third and fourth quarters, the Mammoths’ defense made seven saves, most of which were from Puchalski. The Panthers were able to score again in the fourth. The final score was 3-0.

On Wednesday, the team will travel to Cambridge to play MIT.

Football

The football team faced off against the Hamilton College Continentals this past Saturday.

After an early touchdown by Hamilton in the first quarter, the Mammoths would inspire a second half-comeback. Starting with a seven-play series in the third quarter, a 12-yard pass from Mason Morrow ’26 to Owen Gaydos ’25 ended in a touchdown and evened the score to 7-7. A tremendous 28-yard rushing touchdown from Demitrius Smith ’27 later in the quarter gave Amherst the lead over Hamilton. The Mammoths solidified their lead with another passing touchdown from Mason Morrow, connecting with Sam Gerber ’26 for a 24-yard reception. Mason, named the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week, ended the game with 206 passing yards and completed 22 of 33 passes. Highlights on the defensive side include three collective sacks by Jeb Allen ’27, Ethan Burdo ’25, and Ty Kazanowsky ’27 and a forced fumble by Anthony Leneghan ’25. The final score was 21-7 in Amherst’s favor.

The Mammoths will look to build on their two-game winning streak with a competitive away game matchup against Tufts on Sept. 28.

Women’s Soccer

On Saturday afternoon, the women’s soccer team competed in a tough matchup against Middlebury College.

Despite keeping most of the possession in the first half, Amherst could not capitalize on it due to superb saves from Middlebury’s goalkeeper Popinga. Jessica Lomo ’27 tested the goalie early with a powerful shot in the eighth minute. The keeper also managed to save an impressive header from Halle Hanna ’26 in the 38th minute. The second half doubled the number of shots in the first, going from six to twelve. Patience Kum ’25 took three shots in the second half, including a marvelous dribble past two defenders. The tight contest between Amherst and Middlebury was foul-ridden, with 12 fouls committed by Amherst and 14 committed by Middlebury. The 0-0 tie against Middlebury College leaves the Mammoths with a 4-0-1 record.

The team will face Bates College away this Saturday.

Women’s Cross Country

The women’s cross country team ran the 6K in the Cardinal Invitational this past weekend.

Flora Biro ’28 built upon her stellar performance from two weeks ago, leading the team in third place with an incredible time of 21:30.3. The rest of the team followed closely behind her. Julia Schor ’25 recorded a personal best 22:01.4 for a seventh place finish while Addison McGoey ’25, Audrey Seegar ’25, and Rowan Bixler ’25 each finished in ninth, 12th, and 15th, respectively. With five runners in the top 15, the Mammoths easily took home the victory.

The team will head to Pennsylvania on Oct. 5 to compete in the Paul Short Run.

Men’s Cross Country

On Saturday, the men’s cross country team participated in the Cardinal Invitational 8K.

Harrison Dow ’27 and Nick Edwards-Levin ’25 led the charge in Middletown, finishing in second and third place, respectively. Dow recorded a time of 24:58.1 while Edwards-Levin closed only three seconds behind him at 25:01.9, and, only 1.1 seconds after, Stan Craig ’27 earned himself a personal best time of 25:03.0 and a fourth place finish. Thomas Stephens ’26 and Ben Kasen ’28 took home 12th and 16th which was good enough to secure a second straight invitational win for the Mammoths.

On Oct. 5, the team will compete in the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.