Women’s Basketball

The No. 15 women’s basketball team dominated its only game of the week, beating Albertus Magnus College 72-31 on Dec. 3. 

The team wasted no time, jumping to a dominant first-quarter lead 17-8. Chase Anderson ’29 made the first basket of the game, before Laura Mendell ’26, Annie McCarthy ’26, Brielle Renwick ’27, Olivia Soenens ’29, and Sylvia Liddle ’26 followed up with points of their own to close out the first. The second quarter saw huge defensive plays, with Mendell, Renwick, and Avery Myerberg ’29 all registering steals. The Mammoths also got it done at the rim, doubling up on the visiting Falcons 28-14 heading to the half.

In the third quarter, Amherst continued the intensity and relentless play. Amherst scored on its first four possessions of the game, while again holding Albertus Magnus scoreless. Again, it was Mendell, McCarthy, and Anderson putting points on the board. In a true team effort, the Mammoths showcased their depth in the fourth quarter, with contributions coming from some younger faces on the court. Never making it easy, the Mammoths closed out the game, outscoring the Falcons 18-12 in the final quarter, bringing their margin of victory to 41 points.

In the win, Soenens, Anderson, and Liddle all registered double-digit points. Liddle also had a team-high five blocks, while Anderson and Renwick led the team in rebounds with nine and six, respectively. Mendell and Myerberg each dished out three assists as well. As of Dec. 8, the team is 4-0, and after battling Wesleyan on Tuesday, the team is returning home to play Colby-Sawyer College tonight at 7 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team picked up a pair of wins at home this week, beating Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) 82-62 on Dec. 3 and Westfield State University 69-65 on Saturday.

The Mammoths got on the board first, thanks to a rebound turned basket from Zane Adnan ’27. MCLA then went on a little run of its own, but Amherst got back in its groove. K.J. Neville ’29 and Nate Pabis ’27 drained back-to-back threes before Neville went to the line for the equalizer. From there, the final five minutes of the first half belong to the Mammoths. Baskets from Marc Garraud ’27, Pabis, Neville, and Johnny McCain ’27 put Amherst up 44-29 heading to the half.

In the second half, the two teams traded points back and forth. Ultimately, however, Pabis’s 16 points in the second half alone overpowered any chance of a comeback from MCLA. Chris Hammond ’26’s two steals to close out the game kept the ball in Amherst’s possession, with Neville and Pabis repeatedly going to the line in the final minutes to keep the Mammoth lead. As time expired, Amherst walked away victorious with a score of 82-62. In the win, Pabis led the way with a career-high 26 points, while Brandon Margolin ’29 snatched up eight rebounds.

On Saturday, the Mammoths clinched their second victory of the week in a nailbiter against Westfield State. Adnan and Hammond were the stars of this show, racking up 35 points together. Along with Elias Chin ’28, the Mammoths built up a narrow 16-13 lead over the visiting owls. The team continued to slowly build up its lead, thanks to points from Hammond, Pabis, Margolin, Neville, and others. Heading into the half, the Mammoths had a commanding 39-28 lead. However, the Owls would not go away easily. A little over six minutes into the second, Westfield State went on a 7-0 lead. The teams were 60-60, tied for the first time in the second half. However, shots from Pabis and Hammond were good, and two successful free throws from Adnan gave Amherst the critical 66-60 lead. The Owls battled back to make it 66-65, but fouled and sent Hammond to the line, who went 2/2 to solidify the Amherst victory 69-65. With the two wins, the team improves to 7-1.

Women’s Swim & Dive

The women’s swim and dive team traveled to Connecticut College this past weekend, beating the Camels 251-106 and Coast Guard 262-99.

The Mammoths showcased their depth, winning the 400-yard Medley Relay, 200-yard Freestyle Relay, 200-yard Medley Relay, and 400-yard Medley Relay. Individually, Penny Lazar ’29 won two events: the 1650-yard Freestyle and 500-yard Freestyle. Her time in the 1650 was 17:16.85, nearly 30 seconds ahead of the next finisher. Ava Insteness ’29 also earned two first-place finishes, in the 200-yard Individual Medley and the 200-yard Freestyle. In the 200-yard IM, fellow Mammoth Hope Taylor ’29 finished right behind Insteness for second place. In the 100-yard Breaststroke, the Mammoths swept the top three spots, thanks to impressive races from Joline Fong ’26, Ava Liu ’28, and Kaya Tray ’28. Fong also recorded her second first-place finish of the day, winning the 200-yard Breaststroke as well. The team went 1-2 in the 100-yard Fly, with Paige Arnold ’27 winning it and Maeve Kelley ’27 touching the wall right after her. In the diving arena, Amherst diver Brooke Ronan ’29 won the 1-meter, while Donna Zhang ’26 took first in the three-meter.

The team takes the rest of the month off from competition, training in preparation to start the new year at Babson College on Jan. 2.

Women’s Hockey

The No. 3-ranked women’s ice hockey team shut out two non-conference teams this week, winning 3-0 against Curry College on Friday and 6-0 against UMass, Boston on Saturday.

In Canton, Massachusetts, the first period between the Mammoths and the Colonels was evenly matched. Curry registered shots early in the frame, calling goaltender Natalie Stott ’26 to action. Amherst created offense of its own with Emily Hohmann ’26, Gretchen Dann ’26, Ayla Abban ’28, and Clare O’Connor ’27 all firing shots on goal, but nothing crossed the goal line. The Mammoths’ defense excelled in the period, preventing the Colonels from generating shot attempts while having the player advantage. Halfway through the second period, Amherst capitalized on the power play after an interference call. Marie-Eve Marleau ’26 broke the deadlock with a goal assisted by Maeve Reynolds ’26 and Bea Flynn ’28. The Mammoths continued to put on pressure in the final minutes of the stanza. Just five minutes into the final period, Sami Lester ’28 controlled the puck and sent a well-timed feed to Calleigh Brown ’29. The forward rifled the puck into the net to double Amherst’s lead. Minutes later, a pass from Malaya Anaba ’29 found Natalie Fu ’27, who netted the third goal for the Mammoths. In the final minutes, Amherst continued to generate changes — even hitting a post — while keeping Curry scoreless, making the final score 3-0.

In the team’s home opener the next day, the first period was once again scoreless against the Beacons. The Mammoths found chances, but nothing found the back of the net. Amherst ended the first stanza with a 15-3 edge in shots on goal. Seven minutes into the second period, Dann broke through the standstill, scoring off assists from Reynolds and Brown. Only 46 seconds later, a pass from Abban found Flynn, who then doubled the lead for the Mammoths. In the final stanza, Amherst’s offense continued to thrive. Three minutes into the frame, Brown shot the puck from the low slot that sailed past UMass Boston’s goalkeeper. Five minutes later, Annabel Raffin ’28 tipped the puck into the net after the initial shot taken by Abban from the crease was blocked, making the score 4-0. Halfway into the period, Carlisle Brush ’27 converted a breakaway opportunity, launching the puck to the top left corner of the net. With the player advantage in the last 14 seconds of the game, Alejandra Ubarri ’26 scored the last goal of the contest off a shot from the high slot, sealing the final victory of 6-0. The Mammoths’ defense stayed strong throughout the game, keeping the Beacons to only 10 shots on goal. Stott saved all 10 to earn her 36th career shutout, which set a new NCAA Division III record.

The team will return to the ice on Jan. 3, facing SUNY Morrisville in the first game of the Mustang Cup Tournament. 

Men’s Hockey

This week, the men’s ice hockey team returned to the ice to face two NESCAC rivals. On Friday, a late goal resulted in a 3-2 loss for the team against Middlebury. The next day, Williams handed the team a 5-2 loss.

On Friday night in Vermont, the Panthers were the first on the board. In the first minutes, Middlebury collected a loose puck behind the Mammoths’ goal and fired a pass to an open Panthers forward in the slot. The one-timer slipped past Amherst goaltender Vincent Lamberti ’29 to make it 1-0. The Mammoths responded quickly, however. Four minutes later, Ray Hou ’28 controlled the puck after a blocked shot and sent it along the boards to Oliver Flynn ’27. The forward skated a pass to the left slot for Romulus Riego de Dios ’29, who rifled a one-timer into the net to tie the game. With less than three minutes left in the first period, Amherst’s offense continued to work even while shorthanded. The sequence started when a long breakout pass from Middlebury was intercepted by Zack Jesse ’27, who made a cross-ice pass to Josh Burke ’25, who was wide-open thanks to an ill-timed change for the Panthers. Burke raced to the goal and netted a wrist shot to the far post to give the Mammoths a 2-1 edge headed into the first intermission. In the second period, both teams continued to play a physical game, recording big hits and racking up penalties. Halfway through the frame, Middlebury broke through the standstill, poking a loose puck past the goalline to even the score. With only 13 seconds into the final stanza, the Panthers capitalized after winning the face-off. Middlebury split Amherst’s forecheck to create an odd-man rush and successfully found the open player who regained the lead for the Panthers. The Mammoths continued to push offensively in the last minutes but could not find the equalizer, falling 3-2.

The next day in Williamstown, Amherst found itself with an early deficit after the Ephs converted on a quick rush off a face-off win and scored off a stick-side shot. Both teams continued to trade shots throughout the rest of the period, but nothing solidified. Early in the second half, the Williams’ power play unit broke through, doubling their lead to 2-0. Only two minutes later, however, the Mammoths fired back. With the puck in their offensive zone, Burke, Flynn, and Jesse wove through the Ephs’ defense, allowing Burke to send a cross-ice pass to Flynn, who buried a goal past the Williams goaltender. Only two minutes into the final period, Jacob Pohl ’27 skated the puck into the zone and sent a pass to Flynn. The forward registered a shot on goal that the Ephs’ netminder saved, but the rebound ricocheted off the back wall and right to the stick of Jesse, who rifled the puck into the goal, tying the game at two apiece. The comeback was stifled quickly, though, as Williams would go on to score four minutes later with the player advantage. Halfway through the third period, the Ephs found the back of the net again. Amherst tried to find more offensive chances with goaltender Lamberti pulled in the final three minutes, but Williams instead scored with the empty net. The Mammoths lost the contest 5-2.

On Jan. 2, the team will play in the Plattsburgh Tour, facing Suffolk University first.

Women’s Track and Field

The women’s indoor track and field team opened its season this week, running in the Colyear-Danville Season Opener and the Wesleyan Indoor Invitational on Saturday.

At the Colyear-Danville meet in Boston, Piper Lentz ’26 finished the mile in 5:02, placing 22nd and earning an automatic qualification for the New England Division III (NED3) Indoor Championships. Finishing closely behind, Zoë Marcus ’27 finished the mile in 5:08 to place 25th. Lentz and Marcus finished as the top Division III runners in the event and were both competing in the mile for only their second time in their collegiate careers. In the 600-meter, Leila Davani ’28 took 11th place with a time of 1:37. Right behind her, Josie McLaughlin ’29’s time of 1:39 earned 12th, while Hannah Adhikari ’28’s 1:40 took 14th. In Middletown, Connecticut, the same day, Katie Greenwald ’29 was the runner-up in the 5,000-meter, finishing in 17:59. Audrey Seeger ’28 finished the event in 18:20 to take fourth place. Marcus, Davani, McLaughlin, Adhikari, Greenwald, and Seeger posted provisional qualifying marks for the NED3 Championships.

On Jan. 16, the team will run again in the Middlebury Winter Classic in Vermont.

Men’s Track and Field

This week, the men’s indoor track and field team split competition between the Track at New Balance Early Bird Invitational and the Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Saturday. 

At the New Balance Invitational in Boston, Carter Bengtson ’29 finished the 5,000-meter in 14:43 in his collegiate track debut. This finish was second out of 40 Division I and III runners, earning Bengtson an automatic qualification for the NED3 Indoor Championships. Across town at the Collyear-Danville meet, Ben Davis ’26 ran to a second-place finish in the 600-meter with a time of 1:19. Finishing as the top Division III runner, Davis also qualified for the NED3 Championships, where he will look to defend his title in the event. In the same race, Jack Stahl ’28 and Cole Thalheimer ’29 claimed 14th and 18th with times of 1:23 and 1:25, respectively. In the 800-meter, Andy Krasner ’29 took 8th with a time of 1:57. Tim Churchill ’29 finished right behind in ninth place in 1:57. Running a personal best, Will Nagy ’26 finished the mile in 4:18, earning 50th place. Finishing 92nd, Henry Dennen ’26 ran the 3,000-meter in 8:25. Stahl, Thalheimer, Krasner, Churchill, Nagy, and Dennen all earned provisional qualifying marks for New Englands in their respective events.

The team will return to the track on Jan. 16 at the Middlebury Winter Classic.

Head of the Herd: Natalie Stott

With the women’s hockey team’s two dominant shutout victories this week, the team remains undefeated, primarily due to Stott’s clean sheets. The Mammoth combined for 25 saves across the two games this past weekend, never letting the puck cross the goal line. These two games marked Stott’s 35th and 36th career shutouts and set a new NCAA record for shutouts. Stott leads the NESCAC with a 0.56 goals against average and earned herself NESCAC Co-Players of the Week honors. For her record-breaking performance this week and consistent phenomenal play, Stott garners this week’s Head of the Herd.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women’s basketball legend Whitney Knight has been selected to the ASUN Hall of Fame’s 11th induction class, which also includes Lipscomb’s Madi Talbert Artz (women’s cross county/track & field), North Florida’s Dallas Moore (men’s basketball) and North Alabama’s Ivy Wallen Murks (women’s basketball).

The Hall of Fame’s 11th annual induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Jacksonville. Knight, who played for FGCU from 2011-16, becomes the eighth Eagle to earn the ASUN’s highest honor, joining softball’s Courtney Platt, Cheyenne Jenks, and Carmen Paez, baseball’s Chris Sale, Casey Coleman, and Richard Bleier, and volleyball’s Brooke Youngquist Sweat.

Knight’s induction further cements her status as one of the most decorated players in FGCU and ASUN history. A program-defining guard and the first Eagle ever selected in the WNBA Draft, Knight’s impact on the conference and the Green & Blue remains unmatched nearly a decade after her graduation.

Knight was named to the ASUN All-Decade Team following a dominant career in Fort Myers. She became the program’s first WNBA draft pick when the Los Angeles Sparks selected her 15th overall in 2016, just the seventh ASUN player all-time to be drafted. As a senior, she earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America recognition while also being selected as one of 30 national candidates for the NCAA Senior CLASS Award, highlighting excellence both on and off the court.

A two-time ASUN Player of the Year (2015, 2016), Knight stands as one of only two Eagles ever to earn three First Team All-ASUN selections, joining FGCU great Sarah Hansen. Her postseason résumé is equally impressive, being named 2015 ASUN Tournament MVP, 2016 All-Tournament Team, 2012 ASUN All-Freshman Team, in addition to a program-record seven ASUN Player of the Week honors.

On the court, Knight was a matchup nightmare whose versatility defined FGCU’s continual rise into a perennial mid-major power. She led the ASUN in blocks (99), steals (64), and three-pointers per game (2.8) as a senior, while also finishing top six in the league in rebounds and double-doubles. She produced eight double-doubles, five 20-point games, and scored a three-pointer in every game she played that season. Her nine-block performance remains one of the most dominant defensive outings in conference history.

Knight finished her career with 1,574 points, 735 rebounds, 333 blocks, 245 assists, and 206 steals, one of the most complete statistical profiles ever recorded by an Eagle. She remains the program’s all-time leader in blocks by a staggering margin while ranking second in career points, field goals made, field goals attempted, three-pointers made, and rebounds.

A four-year force whose two-way production and big-moment performances helped shape the foundation of FGCU’s women’s basketball identity, Knight’s legacy only continues to grow with her selection to the ASUN Hall of Fame.

More information about the ASUN Hall of Fame and the Class of 2026 will be released by the conference in the coming months.

To stay up-to-date on the Eagles, be sure to follow on Instagram and X at FGCU_WBB.

App States track and field started their 2025-26 indoor season at the Winston-Salem College Kick-Off Saturday. 

With the race starting for at the 60 meters, junior Kendall Johnson placed second with a 7.50 finish, just 1 second behind Converse University. Junior Nicole Wells finished 10th in the 60 meters with a time of 7.73. The 800 meter was led by senior Addison Ollendick-Smith who started her season with a fourth place finish with a time of 2:18.09.

The main event for the Mountaineers was the 4×400 meter relay, where they finished first with teammates Wells, senior Damyja Alejandro-Ortiz, senior Daye Talley and junior Jayla Adams, and had a record time of 3:45.76. 

In the pole vault, senior Ava Studney finished first clearing 3.95m and sophomore Abigail Goetz followed and finished fifth in the pole vault with a 3.50m. Freshman Alana Braxton won the long jump with 5.87m and freshman Kelly MacBride finished in the top 10 with 5.31m. The triple jump saw 3 of the women’s teammates finish in the top 6, with Braxton finishing first with 12.32m. freshman Ashlynn Wimberly finished second with 12.14m, and sophomore Jahaila Wright finished with 11.60m. 

In weight throwing, junior Dianna Boykin had a personal best of 14.70m to place eighth and sophomore Emily Edwards followed close behind with a top 10 finish in shotput, 12.17m and weight throw, 14.03m. In the 200 meter, both Adams and Talley finished top five with times of 24.39 and 24.77. 

For the Mountaineers next meet they will be in the UNC-Asheville Collegiate Opener on Jan. 10 at the Tryon International.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta junior outside hitter Layne Witherspoon has been named an AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention selection following a standout 2025 campaign in which the Jaguars finished 25–9 and captured the Peach Belt Conference regular-season title.

Witherspoon delivered 346 kills on .295 hitting across 126 sets while adding 168 digs, 84 total blocks, and 433 total points. She tallied 17 double-digit kill performances, highlighted by a season-high 17 kills against Montevallo on Sept. 19 and a 21-point outing versus Francis Marion on Sept. 13. On the defensive side, she posted a season-best 14 digs at Flagler on Oct. 4 and recorded seven total blocks against Georgia College on Oct. 17. She was second on the team with 3.44 points per set.

A consistent presence in Augusta’s front row, Witherspoon helped power the Jaguars to their PBC regular-season championship and another postseason appearance.

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There are 14 first-team All-Region members and an additional group of honorable mention selections for each of the 10 regions. A Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year were selected for every region.

The 213 student-athletes who made All-Region represent 109 different schools. Nebraska leads the way with seven All-Region selections, followed by Pittsburgh and Stanford with six apiece. Florida,  Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin all have five All-Region first-team or honorable mention selections.

Joining Hanson on the AVCA All-Northwest Region First Team were freshman opposite Carly Gilk and redshirt freshman setter Stella Swenson. Redshirt senior middle blocker Lourdes Myers and freshman middle blocker Jordan Taylor were named all-region honorable mention.

A Savage, Minn., native, Julia Hanson earns another major award after a magnificent senior season. She was also named a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2025. During her fourth year in the Maroon and Gold, Hanson won Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 1 and was named MVP of the Golden Gopher Invitational on Aug. 31. 

For the year, she totaled 26 10+ kill matches in 32 chances, posting a career-high 4.13 kills per set, a mark that ranked her fourth in the Big Ten. Hanson also hit a career-best .309, a mark that ranked her third among Big Ten pins.

She tallied five 20+ kill matches and averaged a career-best 0.30 service aces on the year. Her 26 aces in conference play put her at No. 8 in the conference. Defensively, Hanson posted 0.64 blocks and 1.60 digs per set. She was named as one of 30 players to the AVCA Preseason Player of the Year Watch List and was a Preseason All-Big Ten honoree. Hanson helped Minnesota reach its first Sweet 16 since 2022 after going for 36 kills last weekend in two matches (.500 hitting).

Coach Cook was named AVCA Region Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career and first at Minnesota. Cook led the Gophers to a 24-9 (12-8 Big Ten) record and a Sweet 16 appearance for the first time in his three years at the ‘U’. He and his coaching staff did this despite losing four starters to season-ending injuries in the first four weeks of the season. The Gophers played five freshmen starters for a majority of the season, including three-fourths of Big Ten competition. Minnesota also won four ranked matches this year, taking down No. 23 Indiana, No. 24 Penn State, No. 11 Purdue and No. 23 Iowa State. 

Carly Gilk earned an all-region nod to go along with her Freshman All-Big Ten accolades. The rookie opposite posted 2.28 kills per set on a scorching .293 hitting in 2025. She also posted 1.70 digs, 0.60 blocks and 0.27 aces per set in 28 matches played. She had seven 10+ kill matches and seven 10+ dig matches on the year. Gilk had the best match of her freshman year on Oct. 26 at Purdue, tallying 15 kills (.364) and 10 digs in a five set match.

Redshirt freshman setter Stella Swenson added an all-region honor after being named All-Big Ten Second Team and to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. She averaged 9.78 assists, 2.16 digs, 0.61 blocks, 0.59 kills and 0.28 aces per set in her first year as a starter, playing in all 33 matches.

Swenson posted eight double-doubles, including a career-best 58-assist, 10-dig outing in a five-set win at Iowa. She ranked eighth in the Big Ten in assists per set and was fifth amongst setters with 0.59 kills per set. She was the first Minnesota freshman to post 1,000 assists in her rookie season since her sister, Samantha Seliger-Swenson, did so in 2015. Stella was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 1 after being named to the Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team. She was added to the AVCA Mid-Season Player of the Year Watch List as the only freshman on there,

Redshirt senior middle blocker Lourdes Myers had the best season of her career in 2025 in the Maroon and Gold. She was named AVCA All-Northwest Region Honorable Mention after going for 1.70 kills and 1.19 blocks per set, playing in all 33 matches. Myers had two 10+ kill matches in 2025, including a 12-kill, nine-block match at Washington. She had seven-or-more kills 13 times and five-or-more blocks 12 times. Myers ranked ninth in the Big Ten in blocks per set.

Freshman middle Jordan Taylor also earned AVCA All-Northwest Region Honorable Mention. She had a banner freshman season, averaging a team-best 1.24 blocks per set, playing in 30 matches. Taylor averaged 1.35 kills per set on .355 hitting, going for five-or-more kills 12 times. She had five+ blocks nine times, including a career-high 11 block match at Iowa on Nov. 16. 

The Gophers (24-9, 12-8 B1G) compete in the Sweet 16 against No. 1 seeded Pittsburgh (28-4, 18-2 ACC) at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday. The match will be on ESPN2.