Football Stuns Hamilton Late for Third Win in Four Games
The Colby College Football team was challenged all afternoon in their matchup at Hamilton, but the Mules moved the chains and found the end zone late to stun the Continentals Saturday 16-13. Colby has now won three of their last four contests and has a shot to finish the season over .500 for the first time since 2005.
The Mules (3-4) owned the scoring in the first quarter as Christos Tzoumakas twice made good on three-point tries (35-yard and 28-yard field goals) to give Colby a 6-0 advantage heading into the second. Hamilton earned three back with a field goal of their own to open the second quarter, added their lone touchdown of the game on their ensuing drive, and closed the quarter with another three to take a 13-6 advantage into the break.
Tzoumakas nailed his third field goal of the game early in the third quarter (37-yards) to inch the Mules closer, and stellar defense on both ends ensured a nail biter down to the end.
Embarking on their final drive from their own 24-yard line with less than four minutes to play in the game, quarterback Miles Drake led Colby to four first downs and with 1:18 to play, Drake found Keon Smart out of the backfield for a 19-yard score to put the Mules in front 16-13. Hamilton had time for one more possession but Trevor Smith stepped in front of a Continental pass to seal the game.
Colby intercepted Hamilton twice, with Nicholas Cox picking off a Continental pass on the opening drive. The Mules sacked the host's signal caller three times with Julian Young, Sebastien Romain, Andrew Hart, and Jack Mullen getting in on the action. Young and Mullen currently rank second in the NESCAC in tackles and sacks respectively. Smart collected his fourth 100-yard game of his career, toting the rock 19 times for 103 yards. His 125 all-purpose yards/game rank him second in the conference. Wide receiver Jack Sawyer captured his second double-digit reception game of his career, collecting 10 catches for 81 yards.
Colby will host its final home game of the season Saturday when Tufts University comes to town. The 2024 campaign will wrap up the following week for the annual CBB Championship down in Brunswick.
Volleyball Upsets #19 Ithaca for 20th Straight
Embarking on a rare non-conference weekend, the Colby Volleyball team set their sights on two ranked opponents to test their mettle and improve their 22nd-ranked national standing.
Facing Ithaca Friday night, the Mules maintained the edge from start to finish for a 3-0 sweep of the Bombers. Despite close scores in all three sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-21), Colby turned Ithaca away in a tremendous team effort. Brady Moseley led the team in kills and digs with 12 apiece. Cyanne Jones continued her stellar first year with five total blocks, and Jordan Lee toed the back line with four aces. Sydney Bopp hit an eye-popping 0.556 with no errors in the match.
On the second day of action Colby faced Division 3's top team, the 2023 National Champion Juniata Eagles. Juniata came into the contest with a 22-0 mark and had not lost a set since September 14.
While the Eagles kept both streaks alive, it wasn't without a massive effort by the Mules. All three sets were tightly contested (25-21, 25-22, 25-21). Moseley led the team again in kills with 11, giving her 13 matches on the season with double-digit kills. LJ Grant was close behind with 10, while Lee and Gabby Grujic tallied three aces apiece.
Colby will take its 22-2 mark into the final weekend of NESCAC play set on securing home court advantage for the duration of the conference playoffs. Trinity comes to town Friday night followed by Conn. College on Saturday.
Crew Hosts Fall CBB Regatta on Messalonskee Lake
At the Colby-Hume Center, just seven miles from campus, the Mules were ecstatic to host the Fall CBB Regatta to wrap up the fall season on Saturday. The event was canceled due to weather last season.
The first flight of racing consisted of the Men’s V8 crews followed by the Novice Women crews, who both had good racing conditions despite the partially cloudy weather. Out of the eight racing shells in the V8’s, the Colby “A” crew placed second overall followed by the B and C crews who finished back-to-back in fourth and fifth. The single women’s novice eight for Colby placed third of five shells.
In the second flight, which saw the Women’s V8 crews and Men’s Novice 8’s, the wind picked up resulting in some choppy waters. Out of the eight total crews, Colby’s A boat placed fourth overall while the B boat finished eighth. The lone Men’s Novice crew came in second in their race out of five shells.
This concludes the fall season for the Colby Men’s and Women’s Crew teams who will be back in action this spring.
Women’s Soccer Battles #7 Cardinals in Lone Match of the Week
In their second to last regular season game the Mules traveled to Wesleyan, the NESCAC’s top seed. Colby entered the contest in 6th place in the conference standings and looked to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2018.
Colby played tight with the undefeated hosts throughout the first half and the opening 35 minutes of the second frame, creating significant scoring opportunities throughout. The hosts were able to sneak one through with 20 minutes to play to take a late 1-0 lead. Despite several last minute attempts, Wesleyan kept the net clean for a close 1-0 final. Both teams had an even six shots on net but Wesleyan’s 11 corner kicks added frequent pressure to the Mules defense. MK Marshall tallied five saves, totaling 41 on the season. The junior keeper has only allowed two goals across her last four games.
Despite the loss, Colby left the weekend achieving their goal: making the conference playoffs. With losses by Hamilton, Bates, and Conn. College the Mules clinch the sixth seed in the NESCAC standings and await matchups after the conclusion of this week's midweek games.
Colby (8-4-2) will conclude the regular season Wednesday night hosting Bates. NESCAC Championship information will be released on Thursday.
Cardinals Edge Field Hockey Late
Despite holding the lead early in the second half, a powerful Wesleyan team came from behind to knock off the Colby College Field Hockey team Saturday in Middletown.
The 10th-ranked Cardinals got on the board early, but Bridget Everett tallied her seventh goal of the season as the first quarter closed to knot the score at one. After a scoreless second frame, Christina Sweeney put the Mules in front in the opening moments of the third quarter for her first goal of her career.
Wesleyan was able to answer back within moments and kept the pressure on with two more goals in the frame. Despite a ferocious effort down the stretch by Colby, the hosts escaped with the victory 4-2. Leah Anderson tallied six saves in the cage for the Mules and now has 47 saves in her last seven games.
With one final game in the NESCAC regular season, the Mules eye Tuesday night's matchup with Bates as a "Win-and-IN" opportunity for the conference tournament. The match is slated for an 8:00pm start.
Men’s Soccer Takes 2-1 Setback Versus Wesleyan
Sitting just outside the top-eight in the conference for a spot in the NESCAC tournament, the Mules needed a win against the Cardinals to keep their playoff chances alive.
Wesleyan came out of the gate strong, scoring a goal just a minute after the opening whistle. The Mules continued to seek out a game-tying goal but stellar play on both ends kept the score 1-0 at the break.
In the second half Colby was able to knot the match at one apiece when Jacob Sams found Mario Simoes for his NESCAC-leading ninth goal of the season in the 71st minute of action. With the clock ticking away, the hosts answered with five minutes remaining to take the game 2-1.
Colby (6-8) will look to conclude their 2024 campaign with a win at home Tuesday night hosting Bates. The Mules and Bobcats have traded wins for the last seven matchups (advantage: Colby 4-3). Game time is set for 5:00pm.
Special thank you to the photographers who helped make this production possible: Bonnie Baker Photography, Steve Cheney P25, Stephen R. Clouthier, Ashley Conti, Traigh DeMasi '28, Jamie Fiedorek '25, Colin Flood '26, Steve Fuller @flyingpoint, Peter Li '26, Michael Maher, Reese Robinson '27, Ellie Sawyer P25, Isadora Wells '26, Ansley White '26, and the Colby Communications team.