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.
