Mules Bring Home Three All-American Awards Following NCAA Championship, McGrath Earns Prestigious Elite 90 Award
Colby's Swimming & Diving team collected three All-American awards in North Carolina at the NCAA Division III Championships, and senior diver Eleanor McGrath earned Colby's first Elite 90 award since 2017.
The Mules wasted little time on their march for hardware, as Neil Mortimer placed 8th in the 50 freestyle (20.04 seconds) on the opening day to claim First Team All-American status for his second straight year.
On day two, the Mules secured another All-American award as the 200 freestyle relay team consisting of Mortimer, Carson Rehkopf, Ethan Chang and Brandon Xiong finished 12th to earn Second Team status with a time of 1:22.03.
On day three, Gabriella Landau placed 14th (56.46) in the 100 backstroke to earn second team recognition for her second straight year, and diver Eleanor McGrath was presented the prestigious Elite 90 award. This award is given to the athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing at the championship event, marking the first time a Colby athlete has been the recipient since Vlad Murad captured the award in 2017 for men's tennis.
Men's Results:
- Mortimer: 8th 50 Freestyle, 18th 100 Butterfly, 34th 100 Freestyle
- Brandon Xiong: 24th 100 Backstroke
- 200 Freestyle Relay: 12th (Mortimer, Rehkopf, Chang, Xiong
- 400 Frestyle Relay: 17th (Mortimer, Rehkopf, Chang, Xiong)
- 200 Medley Relay: 25th (Mortimer, Chang, Rehkopf, Xiong)
Women's Results:
- Gabriella Landau: 14th 100 Backstroke, 52nd 100 Freestyle, 39th 50 Freestyle
- Eleanor McGrath: 20th One Meter Dive, 21st Three Meter Dive
- Avery Rappaport: 22nd One Meter Dive, 22nd Three Meter Dive
- Kellen Mottl: 31st 100 Breaststroke, 58th 50 Freestyle
- 200 Medley Relay: 19th (Landau, Mottl, Lily Moy, Tahlia Crowley)
- 400 Medley Relay: 21st (Crowley, Landau, Mottl, Moy)
- 200 Freestyle Relay: 22nd (Crowley, Landau, Mottl, Moy)
- 400 Freestyle relay: 25th (Crowley, Landau, Mottl, Moy)
Taking the largest combined number of swimmers and divers to NCAAs in program history is a significant achievement for both teams, and to return home with All-Americans, a school record, and an Elite 90 winner was a wonderful way to conclude one of the most successful seasons for Colby Swimming & Diving. For Eleanor, being recognized and honored with the Elite 90 award is a perfect culmination for her dual efforts and dedication to being the best student-athlete she can be. - Tom Burton, Head Swimming & Diving Coach
In team scoring, the men's team placed 31st with the women sliding in at 38th.
Mules Spectacular on Defense, Top Continentals 12-2
In their lone match of the week, Colby took care of the Continentals in dominant fashion on the road Saturday to earn their third conference win of the season.
In the midst of an ice storm, the Mules took control from the opening quarter scoring four goals while keeping their hosts off the board. Colby would stretch their lead to seven goals before Hamilton scored their first, heading into halftime with a big 7-1 advantage. The Mules found the back of the net five more times while holding the Continentals to a singular second half score for the 12-2 final. The two goals allowed were the fewest allowed against a NESCAC opponent in 10 years.
Julia Maimonis led Colby at both ends of the field in a stellar all around performance. The sophomore tallied her first career hat trick with two goals in the first quarter and another in the second. She played a huge role in Colby's shut down defense, collecting two ground balls and three caused turnovers. Ally Franz and Ainsley Dion scored twice each, and Sarah Hearns tallied eight saves in net.
Our defense played as a unit taking calculated risks that created opportunities for our attack. On a number of occasions we were able to force a shot clock violation and turn the ball right back over to our offense. It was a great all around performance by the team! - Karen Henning, Head Women's Lacrosse Coach
Colby (5-1 overall, 3-1 NESCAC) will now head to sunny Clearwater, Florida to face Union on Tuesday in a non-conference matchup.
Baseball Opens Florida Trip with Two Victories, Palmeri Climbs atop Career HR Leaderboard
The Baseball team took their 6-2 record south for warmer weather and an eight-game road trip. Splitting the opening doubleheader with Ramapo Saturday, the Mules topped Augustana Sunday to raise their record to 8-3.
The Mules jumped all over Ramapo in game 1 tallying 10 runs in the first four innings en route to an 11-7 victory. Cole Palmeri (double, home run) and Patrick Shrake led the way with the bats collecting three hits apiece. On the mound, Nick Thompson held the Roadrunners in check for the first three innings and five Colby relievers combined to close out the victory.
In game 2 both teams took advantage of scoring opportunities early, but it was Ramapo who stretched a healthy lead with five runs in the fourth and another five in the fifth to cruise to a 15-7 win. Ryan Grace (double, home run) and Patrick McConnell had two hits apiece.
In Sunday's showdown with Augustana (12-4 record entering the game), Palmeri provided the spark right from the start. The catcher hit home runs in each of his first two at-bats and was then intentionally walked in his remaining three trips to the plate. The rest of the lineup followed suit, collecting 12 total hits for an 11-7 win. Clint Flippo (headline photo) led the way with three hits.
With his three round-trippers on the weekend, Palmeri is currently tied with Jason Buco '15 for Colby's career mark with 20 career home runs.
Colby (8-3) has five more contests in Auburndale this week, beginning with #19 Kalamazoo Monday afternoon.
Track & Field Begins Outdoor Season Sending Squads to Virginia and Texas
Looking for greener pastures for the week of spring break, the Track & Field teams sent groups to Virginia and Texas to kick off the week. At the Dr. Jack Toms Alumni Invite hosted by Lynchburg University, the Mules saw six top-5 results from the men's team and three from the women. Levi Bieri was the sole gold medal winner on the men's side, winning the 400m Hurdles. The 4x400 Relay team of Michelle Barnes, Anna Mackey, Olivia Doherty, and Marielle Goganian claimed the top step for the women's team.
Top-5 Results at University of Lynchburg:
- Biery: 1st - Men's 400m Hurdles, 5th - 110m Hurdles
- Women's 4x400m Relay: 1st - Barnes, Mackey, Doherty, Goganian
- Men's 4x400m Relay: 2nd - Sam Graubert, Raghav Kadambi, Jackson Coelho, Peter Martel
- Abbey Wolfe: 2nd - Women's 5000m Run
- Men's 4x100m Relay: 3rd - Henry Riley, Kadambi, Martel, Terrel Hood-Simeon
- Rohit Sinha: 4th - Men's Triple Jump
- Doherty: 5th - Women's 800m Run
- Logan Lehnert: 5th - Men's Pole Vault
At Texas Lutheran the Mules took home three victories, with Erin Daugherty (100m Hurdles), Fiona Mejico (400m Hurdles), and the 4x100m Relay team of Daugherty, Mejico, Kristina Pizza, and Tally Zeller all claiming 1st place.
Men’s Lacrosse Tops St. Joseph’s, Comes up Just Short to Hamilton
Despite falling to the Continentals Friday by a close score of 13-10, the Mules defeated the Monks in a dominating 22-10 mid-week performance.
In the non-conference matchup Colby took care of business early, jumping out to a 6-0 lead. Doug McCarthy had a standout first half netting four goals matching St. Joseph’s team total for the half as the Mules went into the break up 14-4. The Monks scored six goals in the final 30 minutes but Colby stayed out in front converting eight goals themselves to secure a huge 22-10 win. The Mules are now 4-0 all time against St. Joseph’s.
Plenty of Mules found themselves on the scoresheet but it was Cormac O’Neill who led the charge offensively with seven points (a hat-trick and four assists). Nick Sokolosky followed with five points of his own (a goal and four assists) while Gavin Rothenberg (a hat-trick and assist) and McCarthy tallied four points each. Rafa Bru controlled the face-off circle winning 17 of 22 draws. Will Heisler and Will Rickards split the time in net totaling 15 saves combined.
With Saturday's matchup against Hamilton moved up a day with the impending snow storm on the horizon, the Continentals showed why they are one of the stronger squads in the conference. Despite falling behind 7-3 at the half and 10-4 after three, the Mules sparked a late comeback with six goals in the final frame. Adding three of their own in the fourth, Hamilton was able to maintain possession in the waning minutes to close out the victory by three goals. McCarthy, Bennett Goller, and Sokolosky each had a par of goals for Colby.
Next up, Colby Men’s Lacrosse who is 3-3 on the season (1-3 in conference play) will host MMA Tuesday, March 26th.
Softball Earns First Florida Win With Mercy Over Knox
The Colby Softball team opened their 12-game southern trip with two tough opponents Saturday. Both games were decided late, but the Mules fell to Wisconsin-Whitewater 3-2 in eight innings and Elmhurst University 9-7 in game two. Wisconsin-Whitewater remained undefeated on the season, and Elmhurst moved to 3-0 against NESCAC squads.
Abby Orso pitched a gem in the opener, throwing 139 pitches over 7.2 innings, scattering four hits and allowing only one earned run. Tied 1-1 in the 8th inning, Courtney Schumacher knocked in the go-ahead run, but a 2-RBI double in the bottom half of the inning sealed the victory for Wisconsin-Whitewater.
In Saturday's matinee, Elmhurst scored in each of the first three innings to jump out to a healthy lead. The Mules stormed back and brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh before eventually being retired. Colby collected 10 hits led by Schumacher with three and Carissa Cassidy and Ella Wilcox who had two apiece.
Sunday morning the Mules made quick work of Knox College with four runs in the second and seven in the third. Eight different batters reached safely via base hits, and Kathryne Clay and Payton Crowley combined in the circle to allow only one run as the Mules took the victory 11-1 in five innings.
In Sunday's second game Schumacher tripled in a run in the first for her fourth consecutive game with a three-bagger to spot the Mules an early lead. #17 MIT chipped away with runs in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th to take the game 6-1 behind stellar pitching from Caroline Langmeyer, the NEWMAC Pitcher of the Week.
The Mules (3-3) have eight games remaining in Clermont, including two more against the Engineers from MIT.
Women’s Tennis Begins Spring Break Trip Against #7 Emory
In their first match of their three game trip down South, the Mules battled the seventh-ranked Emory Eagles. Emory's firepower across their lineup was too much for Colby to match, and the Eagles walked away with an 8-1 win.
The lone win for Colby came from Jade Finestone in the #5 singles spot taking a 6-4, 6-2 victory. Michaela Landry in the #6 spot played tough falling to her opponent 6-4, 7-5, and the tandem of Sydney Landau and Isabella Suk lost a close battle at #2 doubles 8-6.
The Mules will be back in action Monday March 25th taking on #14 Sewanee in Tennessee.
Special thank you to the photographers who helped make this production possible: Bonnie Baker Photography, Cole Burkhart '24, Steve Cheney P25, Stephen R. Clouthier, Ashley Conti, Jamie Fiedorek '25, Colin Flood '26, Steve Fuller @flyingpoint, Michael Garrett P23, Andrew Hearns P24, Peter Li '26, Michael Maher, Joshua McKee, Dustin Satloff '15, Ellie Sawyer P25, Bill Stevenson P24, Isadora Wells '26, Ansley White '26