Colby Enjoys Home Carnival, Defor Claims Podium
Severe cold threatened the completion of the second weekend of EISA racing, but the Mules pushed through in front of a home crowd to complete the Colby Carnival, accumulating a remarkable 15 top-30 finishes across the two days.
With three in the top-11 in Friday's Freestyle, and Andrew Defor (headling photo) claiming bronze in Saturday's Classic, the men's team placed in the top-3 as a unit each day. MEN'S INDIVIDUAL TOP-30 RESULTS:
- Defor - 3rd Classic, 9th Freestyle
- Benjamin Lewis - 8th Freestyle, 13th Classic
- James Underwood - 11th Freestyle, 14th Classic
- Matous Matousek - 19th Classic
- Isak Nightingale - 24th Freestyle
- Finn Christiansen - 25th Classic
- Ellis Slover - 26th Freestyle
- Tyler Watt - 30th Classic
One-third of the way through the EISA Carnival season, Colby has a total of eight men's skiers appearing on the NCAA ranking list, led by Defor in 7th, Underwood in 10th and Lewis in 12th. The top 17 skiers after the final carnival (February 21, 22) will qualify for NCAA Championships in March.
Natalie O'Brien and Lola Villafranco were Colby's top performers each day for the women's team, with the duo finishing in the top-30 in both events. O'Brien placed 20th in the Freestyle and 26th in the Classic, while Villafranco cruised to 22nd in the Classic and 27th in Freestyle.
With the first two racing weekends in the books, Lydia Kraker and Margo Nightingale join O'Brien and Villafranco on the NCAA ranking list. O'Brien sits in 19th place overal followed by Villafranco in 24th. Kraker and Nightingale have both cracked the top-40 in 33rd and 39th respectively.
Colby will hit the halfway point in the carnival season next weekend when they return to the site of last year's NCAA Championships, Hanover, N.H. Racing begins at the Dartmouth Carnival Friday with the 7.5k Classic.
Path to NESCAC Championships in Sight, Women's Swimming & Diving Remains Undefeated
Colby's Women's Swimming & Diving team continued its torrid path through dual meets, topping Conn. and Wesleyan this week by a combined score of 391.5 - 196. The men's team is heating up as well, splitting the week and claiming event winners in 11 of 16 events against Wesleyan.
Colby's women's team has been making short work of its opponents this winter, winning all seven of its dual meets en route to a 7-0 record. The average margin of victory is an astounding 98.5 points. The Mules had event winners in a total of 25 events against the Camels and Cardinals combined (out of a possible 32), collecting six podium sweeps along the way.
WOMEN'S TEAM TOP PERFORMERS, both meets combined:
- Eliza Marco won four individual events, two relays
- Kellen Mottl won three individual events, two relays
- Avery Rappaport won all four dives
- Tahlia Crowley and Caitlin Lacey each won two individual events and were members of two winning relays
MEN'S TEAM TOP PERFORMERS, both meets combined:
- Brandon Morrison won five individual events, three relays
- Brandon Xiong won two individual events, two relays
- Alex MacLennan won two individual events, one relay
- Ethan Chang, Alex Ruckel-Bekefi, and Amaan SIddiqui each won one event and were part of two winning relays
The Mules will close out the regular season in the next two weekends with the annual CBB. Bowdoin hosts the women's events next weekend with Colby hosting the men's races a week later.
Two more podiums for Alpine Skiing in Lake Placid
The Women's Alpine Ski team claimed two more podiums at the St. Lawrence Carnival to raise their total to five after the first two weekends of racing. Althea Noyes followed up last week's bronze in the Giant Slalom with a silver in this week's race. Carissa Cassidy also added more hardware to her shelf, claiming third in Friday's Slalom to go with her victory a week ago.
The women's team placed 5th both days and Noyes will wear the GS leader bib next week at Dartmouth. Despite two podiums in her first two Slalom races this season, Cassidy slipped slightly to second place behind Cydnie Timmerman of UVM in the Slalom title chase.
WOMEN'S TOP-30 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:
- Noyes - 2nd GS, 28th SL
- Cassidy - 3rd SL
- Kate McKenney - 17th GS, 29th SL
Brady Malboeuf led the men's squad both days with top-20 finishes.
MEN'S TOP-30 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:
- Malboeuf - 17th GS, 20th SL
- Townsend Mikell - 24th SL
- John Kelleher - 24th GS
- Espen Hunt - 29th SL
Colby will reach the halfway point in the EISA schedule next weekend at the Dartmouth Skiway. Racing will begin with the GS on Friday.
Colby Tops Maine Maritime, Nearly Upsets #7 Bowdoin
Women’s Basketball split its week, rolling past the Mariners before pushing the Polar Bears to the wire in a two-point setback.
The Mules opened the week with a strong road win at Maine Maritime 61–51 behind a dominant performance from Kate Olenik, who poured in 32 points, tying her career high. Colby outscored MMA 24-6 in the second quarter to take control and stay in front for the remainder of the game. Amelia Hanscom added seven points and six rebounds. The Mules also converted 26 points off turnovers (14 steals) and got 15 points from the bench to move to 11–5. Over the weekend, Colby nearly handed Bowdoin its second loss of the season, falling just short in a 61–59 battle at home. Olenik paced the offense again with 24 points, while Lydia Mordarski and Amelia Hanscom each added 14. The Mules outmatched the nationally ranked Polar Bears in second chance points (18-8) and tied the game five times in the second half but couldn’t get the go-ahead bucket to fall off an inbound play with two seconds remaining. Despite the loss, Colby showed it can compete at the top of the NESCAC. Olenik is currently leading the conference in points per game averaging 17.4 (261 total points).
The Mules (11-6 overall, 2-2 in NESCAC play) will stay at home this week hosting Amherst Friday and Hamilton Saturday.
Men's Ice Hockey Secures Sweep of Middlebury
After a tough 4-2 loss at Williams Friday, the Mules responded with a 6-3 victory over Middlebury Saturday in Vermont.
Williams struck first late in the opening period Friday night, but Colby briefly tied it in the second on Dan Juzych’s first goal of the season. Two quick scores gave the Ephs a 3-1 lead, and despite a shorthanded goal from Wyatt Schmidek, Williams added an insurance tally in the third to take the win. Cooper Rautenstrauch played well in net securing 44 saves. The Mules carried that resilience into Saturday’s matchup. Colby Browne opened the scoring with the lone goal of the opening period (NESCAC leading 14th of the season), and after Middlebury briefly tied it, Donovan O’Neil, Massimo Gentile, and Bobby Landry scored three quick goals to give Colby a 4-1 lead. Though the Panthers pulled within one, Will Soloway and Matthew MacDonald (empty-net) sealed the 6-3 win. Six different Mules found the net, highlighting the team’s balanced attack.
The week's results kept Colby’s NESCAC record even, now at 5-5-1, with an overall mark of 9-6-2, giving the Mules momentum as conference play continues. Men’s Ice Hockey will head to Brunswick Saturday for their lone matchup of the week against Bowdoin.
Men’s Basketball Cruises Past Husson
Colby split its week on the hardwood, dominating the Eagles Tuesday before falling in a hard-fought battle at Bowdoin Saturday.
The Mules delivered one of its most complete performances of the season midweek, rolling past Husson 96–69 at home behind a barrage of three-pointers and a dominant effort on the glass. Colby shot 52.8 percent from the floor and 43.2 percent from deep, with Max Poulton’s 25-point night pacing a dozen Mules who scored Tuesday night. Dan Civello added 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and Sam Hinman finished with 15 points and nine rebounds as Colby controlled the game from the opening minutes. The weekend brought a rivalry matchup in Brunswick, where the Mules fell 69-61 in a loss to Bowdoin. The Mules traded leads with the Polar Bears throughout a tight first half, but Bowdoin’s second-chance scoring proved decisive down the stretch. Civello led Colby with 18 points, while Hinman added 14 and Poulton pulled down a team-high nine rebounds alongside nine points.
Civello is averaging the second most points per game in the NESCAC with 17.
The Mules are now 13-5 overall and 1-3 in NESCAC play. The team will hit the road taking on Amherst Friday night and Hamilton Saturday afternoon.
Women 2nd, Men 4th at Lyon Invitational
Behind 10 podium finishes, the Women's Indoor Track & Field team placed second at the Lyon Invitational out of seven competing squads. The men's team finished fourth powered by seven podiums of their own. The meet was hosted by Wheaton College.
The women's team had event winners in Kaitlyn Ewald (200m), Amina Cifric (Pole Vault), Josie Hopkins (Long Jump), and the 4x200 Relay team.
WOMEN'S PODIUM FINISHES:
- 1st - 4x200 Relay: Alex Hermsdorf, Tally Zeller (headline photo), Ewald, Charlotte Brake-Hoffman
- 1st - Ewald, 200m
- 1st - Cifric, Pole Vault
- 1st - Hopkins, Long Jump
- 2nd - Simone Waheed, 60m
- 2nd - Michelle Barnes, 800m
- 3rd - Brake-Hoffman, 60m
- 3rd - Hermsdorf, 200m
- 3rd - Amanda Schneider, 400m
- 3rd - Gabriella Bresnick, Pole Vault
After setting 22 new school records a year ago, the Mules had their first one fall of 2025-26 when Lexington Lehnert set a new mark for the Pole Vault.
MEN'S PODIUM FINISHES:
- 1st - Hall, 200m
- 1st - Sullivan, High Jump
- 2nd - Sam Graubart, 800m
- 2nd - Levi Biery, 60m Hurdles
- 2nd - Lehnert, Pole Vault
- 3rd - Reeve Derby, 400m
- 3rd - Wyatt Patterson, Pole Vault
Jake Hall won the 200m and Logan Sullivan won the High Jump for the men's team.
Colby also hosted a mini-meet for its distance athletes. Henry Reichle and Eli Ziegler hit DIII NE qualifying marks in the 1000m, joined by Danny Reyes in the 3000m.
The Mules will split squads next weekend as they travel to Boston University and Harvard for regional competition.
Mules Drop Two to #12 Williams in NESCAC Showdown
The 10th-ranked Colby Women’s Ice Hockey team faced a challenging weekend hosting the 12th-ranked Ephs, falling in both matchups.
On Friday, the Mules were held scoreless in a 2–0 loss as Williams’ goaltender and strong defensive play stifled Colby’s offensive chances. Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan was strong at the faceoff dot winning seven of eight. Saturday saw Williams strike twice in the opening period followed by a goal from Colby’s Allie Corrieri, assisted from Molly Lefebvre and Jo Tattersall, to cut the Ephs lead to one heading into the second. Despite controlling key moments and generating several scoring opportunities, Williams responded with two more goals in the third period to take a 4–1 win. Colby’s penalty kill held strong only allowing one goal on five chances for the Ephs. Ally Martiniello had 53 saves in the two games combined and is currently ranked third in the conference for goals against average (1.24).
Women’s Ice Hockey (10-4 overall, 5-3 in the NESCAC) will conclude their non-conference schedule hosting Nichols College Tuesday before heading to Trinity over the weekend.
Squash Battles Amherst, Four Mules Head to CSA Individuals
Before sending four athletes to the CSA Individual Championships for the five-day event in New York City, Colby took on Amherst here on Mayflower Hill.
The women’s team, facing the 10th-ranked Mammoths, fell 7-2 with individual victories coming from Laavanya Kugan in the one spot and Abhisheka David in the three spot. Nathalie Sim in the two position had a close match but retired after a 2-2 scoreline. The men’s team found success against their 14th-ranked opponent 6-3. The six wins came from the two through seven spots consisting of Hamza Wessam, Carlos Zendejas, Youssef Mostafa, Omar Bastawy, Tim Radionov and Sebastian Campos. In the CSA Individual Championships both Seif Ashraf and Wessam, representing the men’s team, took consolation victories after falling in the first round of trophy pool play. Kugan and David represented the women’s team but came up short in each of their two matches.
Colby Men’s (4-6 overall) and Women’s Squash (3-6 overall) will host St. Lawrence this Friday for their lone matchup of the week.
Special thank you to the photographers who helped make this production possible: Wendy Adam P'27, Bonnie Baker Photography, Phillip Belena Photography, Stephen R. Clouthier, Alexis Coates '28, Ashley Conti, Traigh DeMasi '28, Matthew Freeman '29, Steve Fuller @flyingpoint, Rob Hess, Josie Kim '29, Peter Li '26, Jennifer Maguire P'26, Michael Maher, Logan Marku '28, Jarin Pressman '29, Gregory Rec, Reese Robinson '27, Daryn Slover P'28, Isadora Wells '26, Ansley White '26, and the Colby Communications team.