Around the Herd: Jan. 31 to Feb. 6 in Athletics

Men’s Basketball

Over the month of January, the men’s basketball team recorded a solid 6-3 record, cementing wins over close rivals Williams and Wesleyan.

This past week, however, the Mammoths suffered a devastating loss to Connecticut College, losing 62-80 in New London. Connecticut College has only lost one game in their NESCAC campaign so far, so their efficient playstyle wasn’t anything the Mammoths would not expect. The Camels immediately went on a 13-0 run and made their way to a season high 50 points in the first half. Amherst’s Marc Garraud ’27 and Charlie Randall ’26 were the only ones keeping the team in the game as they combined for 27 of the team’s 29 first half points. The Mammoths outscored the Camels by three points in the second half, but given the enormous lead the Camels created for themselves in the first half, this proved to be insufficient.

The Mammoths will seek to redeem themselves against Colby this Friday at Amherst at 7 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Although the women’s basketball team boasted an undefeated 9-0 record coming into January, their hot streak tapered as they ended the month with a still impressive 8-4 record.

On Friday, the team took on Connecticut College in the LeFrak gym, scoring 58 points to their opponents’ 48 in a smooth victory to extend their win streak to five games. Coasting as they were, the game was incredibly important for Coach G.P. Gromacki, who recorded the 600th win in his career as the coach for the Amherst women’s basketball program.

In her senior night, Reeya Patel ’24 scored 14 points for the second highest on the team, on an efficient 67 percent effective field goal percentage with most of her shots coming from the midrange. Kori Barach ’25, like most nights, led the team in points with 16 and tied Maya Cwalina ’25 for a team high in rebounds with nine. Cwalina also posted an impressive three blocks, along with teammate Sylvia Liddle ’26 close behind with two blocks for the only blocks on the team for the game. Amherst improved to a 18-4 record after the win.

The Mammoths will head over to Waterville, Maine this Friday to play the Colby College White Mules at 7 p.m.

Men’s Ice Hockey

The men’s ice hockey team led a modest 5-4 record over the month of January.

Last Friday, they played a tight game against northern Maine’s very own Bowdoin College. The teams were so evenly matched that the allotted time proved to be unable in anointing a victor, and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. Nevertheless, the Mammoths created many more chances than the Bears, outshooting them by a total of 47-21, but obviously their finishing did not allow them to ice the game. Each of the team’s Zachs recorded the two goals on the day, with Zach Murray’s ’26 coming off of an assist from Oscar Smink ’26 and Zach Jesse’s ’27 coming off a power play with 10:28 left in the third period.

The following day, the Mammoths lost in a close game against Colby’s White Mules. The two teams were tied for most of the game, until Colby netted two goals in the last ten minutes to secure their victory. Amherst goalie Alex Wisco ’24 had a stunning 38 saves in the match. Jesse again proved to make a decisive decision with his quick pass to Tyler Borque ’24 for the goal, netting him an assist and a goal on the weekend.

The Mammoths will head to Malden this Friday to take on Tufts at 7 p.m.

Women’s Ice Hockey

After their extremely close loss in the NCAA tournament final last year, the women’s ice hockey team has been out for revenge this season, boasting an impressive 7-2-1 record throughout the month of January.

This past weekend, the team played Colby in two back-to-back matches in Orr Rink, recording wins on both days.

Friday’s game was decided by Emily Hohmann’s ’26 distant shot from the top left of the rink, which, after rebounding off the Colby goalie, was able to find captain Rylee Glennon’s ’24 stick for an easy finish. After the goal, the game remained slightly eventful with Colby’s Mandy Busky and Natalie Stott ’26 recording 27 and 25 saves, respectively, but ultimately, Glennon’s first period score allowed the Mammoths to secure the 1-0 victory.

On Saturday, the White Mules still were no match for the Mammoths, as Amherst coasted to a 3-1 victory on the team’s senior night. After a scoreless first third, it was Colby that first found the net in the second period. But, with about nine minutes left in the game, Colby could no longer hold onto their lead as Marie-Eve Marleau ’26 scored the first of three Mammoth goals within a mere seven minutes. Both Mary Thompson ’24 and Glennon were able to score the two finishing blows on their senior night, improving their regular season record to 16-2-2.

The team will take on Curry College in Milton this Friday at 7 p.m.

Men’s Squash

After a difficult December, the men’s Squash team rattled off seven wins on their 10 January matches.

This past weekend, the team took on close rivals Williams and Middlebury on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Friday’s game at the Davenport Courts unfortunately proved to be a disappointment as the Mammoths fell to the Ephs 3-6. The underclassmen were the only ones to show up to the marquee matchup, as Gabe Yu ’27, Grady Herbert ’26, and Joseph Toth ’27 each won their games 3-2, 3-1, and 3-0, respectively.

Nevertheless, the team was able to redeem itself on Sunday against Middlebury with a 7-2 victory. The Mammoths immediately jumped to a 4-0 lead with wins in the three, six, seven, and nine seats, and never looked back. The team’s senior night was beautifully celebrated as a result.

The Mammoths will take on Colby College this Saturday in the first game of the NESCAC tournament.

Women’s Squash

Although the women’s squash team held a three game losing streak in the middle of January, including a difficult 0-9 loss to Princeton, the Mammoths were able to win every other game of the month, holding a 8-3 record over the month of January.

On Friday, the Mammoths faced their close rivals from Williamstown, in a tight match at the Davenport Squash Courts. Williams’ depth showed up in their dominance of the lower three seats, each sweeping their respective Amherst opponents in barely close games. But the Mammoth’s top four seats were just as dominant, merely dropping one game across the four matches. The highlight of the day was Isabelle Tilney-Sandberg ’25’s five game back-and-forth battle in the seventh seat, narrowly eking out a 3-2 win, which, in the end, seemed to be the difference.

Sunday’s senior day, on the other hand, was unfortunately disappointing as the team fell to Middlebury in a close 4-5 battle. Again, the Mammoths were able to secure wins in the top four spots of the ladder, but their depth was incredibly lacking as all five bottom spots fell in tight matches.

This Saturday, the Mammoths have the opportunity to double down on their dominance over Williams in their first game of the NESCAC tournament.

Men’s Swimming

The men’s swim team only fell to Williams in January, ending the month with a 2-1 record.

This past Saturday, the team went over to Cambridge for a meet against MIT, but were absolutely dominated by the Engineers, in a 74.5-202.5 loss. The only Amherst student to win their race was Will Taylor ’24 in the 1000 Freestyle with a time of 9:42.

Nevertheless, the Mammoths completely redeemed themselves against Springfield College with an impressive 135-87 win. Tor Metelmann ’25, Jeff Gerber ’24, and Liam Loveless ’25 swept the top three spots of the 100 breaststroke. Metelmann also won the 100 Individual Medley, recording two wins at the meet, along with sophomore Michael Jang’s two wins in the 400 Individual Medley and the 500 freestyle. The Mammoths improved to 5-2 on the season.

The team will participate in the NESCAC Championships beginning on Feb. 22 in Waterville, Maine.

Women’s Swimming

The women’s swim team held a 2-1 record over the month of January, only falling to the Ephs.

MIT eclipsed the Mammoths on Saturday, as they lost 77-213 at the Z-Center Pool. Donna Zhang ’26 won both diving events and Paige Arnold ’27 won the 100 free in 52.25, but it was obviously inadequate for the team’s success.

Sunday’s meet against Springfield college, however, was a complete turnaround, as the Mammoths won 11 events. Both Zhang and Arnold reprised their dominance as each won two and five events, respectively. In particular, Arnold sets a new school record in 100 IM with 58.74. Amherst held at least 1-2 finishes in five different events, coasting to a victory which improved their record 5-2.

The team will participate in the NESCAC Championships beginning on Feb. 15 in Burlington, Vermont.

Men’s Track and Field

During the month of January, the men’s track and field team finished first against their historic rivals in the Little Three Championships, and a more disappointing sixth place in the Middlebury Winter Classic.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Men’s Track and Field team participated in the Tufts Cupid Challenge. Ben Davis ’26 won the 600m in 1:21.04—a personal best, as well as the fourth best 600m time in the Amherst men’s track and field program. Parker Boyle ’27 won the 1000m in 2:31.75, securing the first victory of his collegiate career. Michael Abbey ’27 finished in first place in the triple jump.

Some members of the team will participate in the Hemery Valentine Invitational next week.

Women’s Track and Field

With a win at the Little Three Championship and a third place finish at the Middlebury Winter challenge, the women’s track and field team was quite successful throughout January.

This past weekend’s Tufts Cupid Challenge featured many stellar performances. Julia Schor ’25 ran an impressive 9:59.07 in the 3000m, improving upon her previous personal best by 39 seconds, while also making her 1st in the mideast region, and 19th in the DIII nationally. In the 4x400m relay, a group of Christa Prasertsintanah ’27, Eliza Cardwell ’25, Myeh Medina ’26, and Trintje Nydam ’24 ran a 4:00.64 for the 16th best time in the DIII.

The Hemery Valentine Invitational will feature some members of the women’s track and field team.