Around the Herd: Sept. 4 to Sept. 10 in Athletics

Men’s Cross Country

This past Saturday, the men’s cross country team competed in their first meet of the season, the Little Three Championship, at Mount Greylock Regional High School.

With the best finish of his college career, Harrison Dow ’27 finished the 6k course in 18.46.8, taking home second place for Amherst. Stan Craig ’27, Henry Dennen ’26, and Ben Kasen ’28 also ran in under 19 minutes, earning four out of the top six spots to create an insurmountable Amherst lead against Williams and Wesleyan. The Mammoths finished with a total of 28 points to take home their first Little Three Championship since 2018.

The men’s cross country team will participate in the Cardinal Invitational hosted by Wesleyan University on Sept. 21.

Women’s Cross Country

For their first meet of the season, the women’s cross country team ran against Williams and Wesleyan in the Little Three Championship, over the weekend.

In an incredible start to her college career, first-year Flora Biro ’28 won the 4k in a remarkable 15:06.7. Her classmates, Addison McGoey ’28, Audrey Seegar ’28, Rowan Bixler ’28, followed closely, taking fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively, to secure the championship for Amherst. Only Julia Schor ’25 both scored in this meet and was part of last year’s top 20 nationals placement, ushering high hopes for this season’s team.

On Sept. 21, the women’s cross country team will compete in the Wesleyan-hosted Cardinal Invitational.

Field Hockey

In their first games of the season, the field hockey team played against Springfield College and Connecticut College over the past week.

Wednesday’s match versus Springfield was a one-sided affair with the Mammoths scoring in every quarter of the game, completely shutting out their opponents in the process. Amherst recorded six shots in the first quarter, with two of them finding the back of the net, both of which were assisted by Anna Aiello ’26. The team only continued their assault with another seven shots in the second quarter, including another goal. The ball barely found its way onto Amherst’s side of the field. By the end of the match, Springfield only had two shots while Sam Maynard ’25 alone recorded 10 shots along with a goal and assist. The Mammoths won 5-0.

Over the weekend, the team took on the Connecticut College Mules, carrying the momentum from the last game with them. The offensive pace of this match, however, did not start off as intensely. In the first three quarters of the game, the Mammoths were only able to squeak by a single goal after earning a penalty corner, yet were still able to shut out the Camels in the process. A few minutes into the final quarter, Amherst’s shots started finding the back of the net with ease, scoring four goals in the period to take home another 5-0 win. Caroline Busler ’28 earned the first goal of her college career.

Next, the field hockey team plays tonight against Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team faced both Suffolk University and Connecticut College last week at Gooding Field.

It did not take long for the Mammoths to break down the Suffolk backline as Fynn Hayton-Ruffner ’25 found the back of the net off of a Mohammed Nuhu ’27 corner in the ninth minute of the game. Nuhu recorded another assist only five minutes later finding Aidan Curtis ’25 for the first goal of last season at Amherst. The team did not struggle to hold onto the lead, ending the game with a 4-0 score.

For their first NESCAC match of the season, Amherst played a tough match against the Connecticut College Camels. Although the Mammoths displayed a beautiful offensive game plan in the first half, recording four shots in the first ten minutes alone, they were unable to find a breakthrough. Both defenses were playing exceptionally well, and although the score was 0-0 by the end of the first half, the Mammoths were happy not to concede a single shot to their NESCAC opponents. Coming out of the break, Amherst’s offensive pressure did not skip a beat. Ten minutes into the period, Curtis found himself behind the Camel’s backline with an open Nuhu on the other side of the box. A simple cross led to Nuhu’s first goal of the season and the first NESCAC victory for the Mammoths.

The men’s soccer team will face the Ephs this Saturday in Williamstown.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer team played in three matches over the past week.

To start off their season, the team headed to Worcester to face Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). The Mammoths immediately dominated the possession which allowed them to orchestrate simple attacks through the WPI backline. Though none of these directly led to a goal in the first half, the attacks earned them five corners in the period, one of which led to a chaotic ball in the box that Carter Hollingsworth ’25 slammed into the goal. Likely the highlight of the match, however, was Caroline Colleti ’28 flying through two defenders and nutmegging the goalkeeper for a beautiful unassisted goal — the first of her college career. With a few minutes left, another chaotic ball in the box off of a corner led to the team’s final goal of the match, securing a 3-0 victory over WPI.

On Saturday, Amherst hosted Connecticut College at Hitchcock Field for their first NESCAC matchup. Immediately dominating the possession again, the Mammoths were easily able to deconstruct the Camels’ high line, leading to another five corners in the first half. Their first goal, however, came off of Patience Kum ’25’s beautiful volley lobbed over the defense and into the feet of Abby Schwartz ’25 who finished it for the first goal of her final season. With a 1-0 lead heading into the second half, the Mammoths slightly let go of the possession and instead opted to play an extremely aggressive press which allowed for quick chaotic attacks. Only a dozen minutes into the half, Hollingsworth found Kum down the sideline who was able to immediately cross it in for Precious Novidzro ’27 to take one touch and score the clinching goal.

The following afternoon, Amherst’s soccer team went to Northampton to face Smith College. In the 15th minute, Sophia Haynes ’26 found Jessica Lomo ’27 who dribbled through a few defenders and sent a cannon into the side netting. Although this was the only goal the team scored in the match, it was likely the highest level the team played so far this season. Their opponents recorded zero shots and zero corners while Amherst recorded 33 shots and 12 corners. Nevertheless, the 1-0 scoreline secured the victory.

With a 3-0 record, the Mammoths will face the Ephs this Saturday in Williamstown.

Volleyball

The volleyball team played three matches to begin its new season.

Their first one, against the University of Hartford, proved to be simple for the Mammoths. The Mammoths didn’t let their opponents take a single set and only allowed them to surpass 20 points in the third set. Charlotte Ramussen ’26 earned herself nine kills and two aces throughout the match.

On Saturday, the Mammoths went to Providence to face the Coast Guard Academy and then Johnson & Wales. The Coast Guard Academy won the first two sets, after the first point of the third set, however, the Mammoths were never behind for the rest of the match. They dominated the next three sets off the back of Rasmussen’s 18 kills, and Sofia Camilo ’28’s 16 kills and seven blocks. The Johnson & Wales match was much shorter as the Mammoths didn’t let them win a single set. Even in the second one, where the Wildcats took a 6-1 lead, Amherst immediately fought back through kills by Allie McLaughlin ’27 and Camilo to tie the set score at 9-9. One of Zosia Teraszkiewicz ’28’s four total aces clinched the set 25-23. A block by Abby Nichols ’28 in the third set clinched the match.

The Amherst volleyball team will face Suny Brockport on Friday.