Mules Outlast Top-Ranked Middlebury in Triple Overtime to Advance to NESCAC Championship
After advancing to the conference semifinals for the sixth straight season with a 6-2 victory over Hamilton a week ago, Colby's Women's Ice Hockey team capped off a thrilling triple overtime win over Middlebury in Saturday's semifinals to advance to the NESCAC Championship match.
In the semifinal matchup, top seeded Middlebury tallied first with an opening period power play goal, but Colby answered back in the second when Lizzy Hamel made good on a penalty shot to knot the game at one goal apiece. Little did anybody know that they'd have to wait more than 77 minutes of game action before the next tally.
A scoreless third period was joined by a scoreless overtime period, and then another. As the clock was ticking down in the third overtime, onlookers began to wonder if the Mules and Panthers might try to go for another but Emily Olsthoorn deflected a Hamel shot past the Panther netminder to send Colby to its second NESCAC Championship game (2008).
Ally Martiniello was tremendous in net, collecting 47 saves with 21 coming in extra time.
With the mighty victory Colby earned the right to face Amherst in Sunday's title bout after the Mammoths upended Williams in their semifinal contest.
Amherst struck midway through the opening frame but Colby held them scoreless the rest of the way behind 31 saves by Martiniello and 11 blocked shots by Colby defenders. The Mules had tallied three goals in two games earlier this season against the Mammoths, but the Amherst netminder turned away all 39 of Colby's shots, including an impressive barrage by the Mules in the waning moments. The final buzzer sounded with Amherst victors 1-0.
Colby missed out on an NCAA at large bid by the narrowest of margins, but their 18 wins tied for the most in program history (22-23, 24-25).
Women 4th, Men 9th at AARTFC Championships
Heading to the Armory Track & Field Center in New York, N.Y. for the AARTFC Championships, Colby's Indoor Track & Field teams finished 4th for women (out of 53 competing teams) and 9th for men (out of 46). Both finishes were top marks for NESCAC schools.
The women's team claimed six top-8 finishes highlighted by Simone Waheed's silver medal in the 200m.
- 2nd - Waheed, 200m
- 3rd - Charlotte Brake-Hoffman, 200m
- 3rd - Kaitlyn Ewald, 400m
- 4th - Waheed, 60m
- 4th - Olivia Doherty, 400m
- 5th - 4x400 Relay: Doherty, Quinn Cushing, Amanda Schneider, Alex Hermsdorf
The men's team claimed four top-8 spots, including going 4th and 5th in the Pole Vault by Logan and Lexington Lehnert (respectively).
- 4th - Jackson Coelho, 400m
- 4th - 4x400 Relay: Mark Graubart, Samuel Graubart, Coelho, Levi Biery
- 4th - Logan Lehnert, Pole Vault
- 5th - Lexington Lehnert
With NCAA closing its lists late Sunday night, Colby will send its women's and men's 4x400 Relays as well as Logan Lehnert (Pole Vault), Coelho (400m), and Waheed (60m) for individual events.
*See more about the NCAA Division III Championship event in the next segment.
NCAA Championships for Skiing and Track & Field Coming Up This Week
Colby fans can tune in to championship events this week to follow Colby Skiing in Park City, Utah and the Indoor Track & Field teams in Birmingham, Alabama. The Mules are well represented with eight total skiers from the Alpine and Nordic teams, and two relays and three individuals for Track & Field. Event info below.
Ski events run Wednesday through Saturday. Streaming for each race can be found at ncaa.com/liveschedule.
- Wednesday, March 11 - Giant Slalom (Alpine)
- Thursday, March 12 - Classic (Nordic)
- Friday, March 13 - Slalom (Alpine)
- Saturday, March 14 - Freestyle (Nordic)
Track & Field events run this Friday and Saturday and event information can be found at the championship link below.
All-NESCAC Basketball and Ice Hockey Selections Announced
The NESCAC released their all-conference teams for Basketball and Ice Hockey this week. Familiar faces in Courtney Schumacher (Ice Hockey) and Kate Olenik (Basketball) landed on their respective first teams, each earning their third All-NESCAC selections. Colby Browne (Ice Hockey), Dan Civello (Basketball), and Jo Tattersall (Ice Hockey) were all selected for the first times in their careers.
Baseball Sweeps #15 Endicott in Dramatic Fashion
After opening the 2026 campaign a week ago with a sweep of UMaine- Farmington, Colby readied its forces for a home series with regional power Endicott. Consistently ranked in the top-25 for Division III, the Gulls came into the matchup ranked 15th in the latest poll.
Colby got a gritty performance in the opener by starting pitcher Thomas Rioux (headline photo). The senior hurled six innings, scattering five hits and allowed a lone unearned run to be named NESCAC pitcher of the week. Tied at one apiece heading into the bottom of the fifth, Corey Aubuchon sent a solo blast over the fence down the line in left to push the Mules ahead. Sam Lowenstein and Matt Higgins combined for three scoreless innings in relief to preserve the mighty 2-1 victory.
In the nightcap, the Gulls flexed with eight runs in the first four innings, but a five run fifth inning erased an early 8-3 deficit and reset the scoreboard. Tied at eight after eight innings, and nine after nine innings, Colby and Endicott had to literally reset the scoreboard to take on innings 10, 11, 12, and even 13. In the bottom of the 13th, Liam Shea-Gallagher sent a single to left to push across the winning run (Myles Gythfeldt).
Patrick Shrake led the offense on the day going 1-3 in game 1 before going 3-5 with four RBIs in game 2.
The Mules will need to get right back to work as they host the University of Southern Maine Tuesday afternoon before a busy weekend ahead. Brandeis and New England College come to town this coming Saturday and Sunday for twin bills.
Men’s Lacrosse Splits Two-Game Road Weekend Behind Offensive Breakthrough at Springfield
The Mules battled through a demanding back-to-back road slate, falling to Williams Saturday before picking up a 15–8 victory over Springfield Sunday to close the weekend on a high note.
Despite the 18-10 final against the Ephs, Colby found bright spots throughout the afternoon. After falling behind early, the Mules settled in during the second quarter, using goals from Gavin Rothenberg, Will Steele, and Daniel O’Connor to trim the deficit to 9–4 at halftime. Colby continued pushing in the third, capitalizing on a man-up opportunity and generating quality looks as Joey Hagerty and Eli Chilicki each found the back of the net. The Mules closed the game with a strong offensive stretch scoring four times in the fourth. Chilicki led the team in both points (a goal and two assists) and ground balls (five) in the contest. The Mules responded the following day by exploding for six first-quarter goals to seize control early against Springfield. After a 3-1 second quarter in the Prides favor, the Mules regained momentum in the third quarter with a decisive 6–2 run to build a lead that never dipped below six goals the rest of the way. The Mules showcased their depth with 11 different goal scorers, led by a hat trick from Chilicki while Hagerty and Rothenberg each added two goals. Macon Burgess and Tristan Bassett had five ground balls apiece as Will Heisler had 17 saves in 53 total minutes in net.
Men’s Lacrosse will host Wesleyan Saturday for their home opener.
Men’s Tennis Splits Conference Opening Weekend at Home
The Mules opened the weekend with a convincing 5-2 win over Hamilton on Saturday before putting up a strong fight against #11 Amherst, ultimately falling 5-2 on Sunday.
Against the Continentals, Colby set the tone early by sweeping all three doubles courts, then carried that momentum into singles play with four victories. Marco Ziets-Segura delivered the most dominant performance of the day, rolling to a 6-4, 6-1 win at the No. 5 spot. Diego Sosa, Rhys Spano, and Antonio Lee each added straight-set victories to secure the match for the Mules. Colby came right back the next day and once again captured the doubles point, earning wins at No. 1 behind Jason Daly and Ziets-Segura, and at No. 2 with the pairing of Lee and Spano. Spano capped off an undefeated weekend, grinding out Colby’s lone singles victory in a three-set battle, 7-5, 2-6, 10-5, at the No. 3 position.
Colby Men’s Tennis will hit the road for the first time this spring facing MIT before heading on their spring break trip to California.
Mules Start Fast but Fall Late to Williams
The Colby Women’s Lacrosse team controlled the pace for three quarters on Saturday afternoon, but a late Ephs run proved the difference in an 11–9 setback at Bill Alfond Field.
The Mules dictate play early by building a 5-3 first-quarter lead behind sharp ball movement and balanced scoring. Colby continued to roll in the second, stretching the advantage to 7-4 as Julia Maimonis, Stella Regan, and Corinne Kapalka consistently broke through the Williams defense. Even as the Ephs threatened throughout the third, Colby answered with timely goals including Maimonis’ hat trick strike and a powerful finish from Joselyn Silva to maintain a 9-7 edge late in the period. In the final frame Williams capitalized on special-teams opportunities to steal the win. Maimonis had a great performance finishing with an assist and three caused turnovers to go alongside her hat trick. Gigi Peloso totaled eight saves in net.
Women’s Tennis Faces Hamilton and #14 Amherst to Open NESCAC Play
Before taking a 7-0 setback against the Mammoths, the Mules battled the Continentals in a close 4-3 fight.
After dropping the doubles point to Hamilton, Colby battled back with hard-fought singles wins at the two through four spots from Ella Novion, Michaela Landry, and Soumya Wijesekera. Despite their efforts, the Mules were unable to secure a fourth victory to clinch the overall team win.
Women's Tennis will face Brandeis in Waltham, Mass. before heading on their spring trip taking place in Georgia and South Carolina.
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.