Mules Sweep Wesleyan, Return to NESCAC Championship Segment For Third Straight Year
Colby made quick work of the Cardinals in the opening round of the NESCAC playoffs. In a rematch from the quarterfinal round in the 2022 season, Colby hosted Wesleyan and sent them home with two straight victories to advance to the four-team conference championship series. With Tufts as the predetermined host, all remaining conference games will take place next weekend in Medford.
Derek Woods got the nod to toe the rubber in game one, and the sophomore did not disappoint. Woods scattered four hits over six innings, allowing one run and striking out seven to earn his fifth win of the season. Colby's bats were alive from the opening pitch, scoring runs in three of the first four innings en route to an 8-1 victory. Noah Reichman led the way with three hits while Clint Flippo and Ethan Hillenberg collected two apiece.
Wesleyan took charge of game two in the top of the sixth inning with two runs to leap ahead of Colby 4-2. The Mules plated three over the next two frames to take a 5-4 lead, but the Cardinals refused to go quietly, scoring in the 8th to tie the game. After a scoreless ninth inning, Colby and Wesleyan took it to extra innings.
The Mules loaded the bases with one out in their half of the 10th, and a deep sacrifice fly off the bat of Brady O'Brien emptied the dugout in walk-off fashion. Matthew Scibilio collected the win pitching three innings in relief with five strikeouts.
Ryan Grace was an on-base machine, reaching safely five out of six times in the deciding game. Over the course of the week he was 6-12 at the plate with five doubles, five runs scored, five RBI, and five walks, earning NESCAC Player of the Week.
Colby opens the double-elimination final-four this Friday at 1:30 PM against Amherst. All games will be played at Tufts University and tournament details can be found at the Championship Central link below.
Women's Lacrosse Runs Into Undefeated Middlebury, Falls in Quarterfinals
The Women's Lacrosse team traveled to top-ranked and undefeated Middlebury for a semifinal matchup Saturday. During the regular season the Panthers topped the Mules 17-6 in Vermont.
Colby played aggressive and spirited all the way through and found themselves nearly matching the Panthers as the first quarter closed with a 6-4 Middlebury lead. The hosts were known all season for controlling the draw and magically turning a small lead into a large one, and five straight goals to open the second frame gave Middlebury plenty of breathing room before halftime.
Despite Colby's pressure and aggressive play in the second half, Middlebury tallied four more goals in the third quarter and three in the fourth to leg out a 19-6 victory. The Panthers would go on to top Wesleyan 11-5 in Sunday's championship game.
Julia Jardina scored two goals for the Mules and added five ground balls. Colby's leading scorer Ally Franz tallied a goal and an assist, and Kat Munter led the way with seven draw controls. Sarah Hearns recorded a season-high 17 saves in net.
Despite falling in the conference tournament, the Mules earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. They will travel to the College of New Jersey for a 1:00 PM showdown on Sunday.
Softball Ends Regular Season as Fourth Seed Entering NESCAC Tournament
With a sweep over Amherst Saturday, Colby closed out conference play going 6-2 over the last eight conference games and elevating all the way to the fourth seed.
Carissa Cassidy, Chloe Wilcox, and Emma Burnham each recorded two hits in game one, leading an offense that exploded for eight runs in the top of the seventh to erase a one run deficit and guide Colby to a 9-2 win.
Abby Orso was dominant in the circle in the opener, going the distance for her career-high 11th win of the season. She now has 30 wins over her three-year career and also hit career strikeout number 301.
Colby kept the pressure on for game two, building an 8-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. The Mammoths managed to plate five runs in their last half inning, but their effort proved too little, too late. Six different Mules collected hits in the nightcap, and Wilcox continued her stellar year at the plate with a double and a triple. The senior ranks in the top-five in the NESCAC for several power categories including triples, home runs, RBI, total bases, and slugging %.
While Colby has clinched the fourth seed (tiebreaker over Trinity), and Tufts is secure at the first seed and will host the tournament, pairings will be made final after Williams and Bowdoin complete their final conference games on Tuesday.
Follow the Championship Central page by clicking the link below.
Waheed Claims New England Title to Lead Colby at Mount Holyoke
The Colby Track & Field teams took to the oval at Mount Holyoke this weekend for the Division III New England Championship. With almost 40 teams represented, Colby's women's team placed sixth as the men slid into 14th, only two points out of the top-10.
The men's team had 10 top-12 finishes led by Levi Biery (400 Hurdles) and Peter Martel (Decathlon), each claiming silver medals.
Top Men's Performances:
- 2nd - Bieri, 400 Hurdles
- 2nd - Martel, Decathlon
- 4th - Myles Thornton-Sherman, Decathlon
- 6th - 4x400 Relay: Raghav Kadambi, Jackson Brielman, Jackson Coelho, Ren Zanze
- 7th - Logan Lehnert, Pole Vault
- 7th - Kyle Dube, 400 Hurdles
- 9th - Terrel Hood-Simeon, 100m
- 9th - AJ Feldman, Decathlon
- 10th - 4x100 Relay: Henry Riley, Zanze, Kadambi, Hood-Simeon
- 11th - Zanze, 400m
The women's team placed four individuals on the podium, including Simone Waheed who won the 200m event.
Top Women's Performances:
- 1st - Waheed, 200m
- 3rd - Fiona Mejico, 200m and 400m
- 3rd - Erin Daugherty, 100 Hurdles
- 4th - Sade Greenidge, 100m
- 4th - 4x400 Relay: Tally Zeller, Haley Wims, Olivia Doherty, Anna Mackey
- 7th - Kristina Pizzi, 400m
- 10th - Wims, 400 Hurdles
- 12th - Penny King, 10,000m
- 12th - Doherty, 400m
The Mules will look to the All New England Championships (all divisions) next week, hosted by Holy Cross.
Women’s Tennis Takes on Middlebury in the NESCAC Quarterfinals for Second Consecutive Year
Improving a spot over last year's eighth place seeding, the seventh-seeded Mules matched up with the second-seeded Panthers Friday hoping to get past the opening round for the first time since 2006.
Colby battled hard in doubles but came up just short in all three for a 3-0 Middlebury advantage. Sam Riordan and Michaela Landry fell 8-4 as did the pair of Sydney Landau and Isabella Suk. In singles, the Mules pushed hard as four of the six singles entered a third set. The top result came from Jade Finestone taking the lone Colby victory 6-3, 6-2 as the final score ended 5-1.
"For me, this team is everything. The way we compete, partnered with our close friendships, made this year the most special season. I will never forget the girls, coach, and I'm so sad to hang up the rackets… this has been the most rewarding experience of my life" - Sam Riordan '24
"The girls came out and gave it everything they had. Each one fought not as individuals but as a team and that's all you can ask for. Super proud!" - Sydney Landau '24
The Colby Women’s Tennis team ends the season with a 7-9 overall record, 4-6 in conference. They will be back on the courts this fall.
Men’s Tennis Concludes Season Against Williams
The seventh-seeded Mules entered into their third straight year of making the NESCAC tournament Friday taking on the second-seeded Ephs in a quarterfinals matchup. Colby looked to earn a win to move to the semifinal round for the first time in program history since the seeded format change in 2006.
In doubles, the pair of Joey Barrett and Aidan Kwong in the three-spot just narrowly missed out on a win, falling to their opponents 7-8(5) in a tight back-and-forth match, as the team came out of doubles down 3-0. In singles, Williams tallied points on courts three and four to clinch the match 5-0 despite Mule leads on both courts two (Jake Cohen) and six (Kwong) when the match finished.
The Men’s Tennis team finishes with a 7-11 overall record, 4-6 in conference. The team will be back in action this fall.
Crew Faces Top Competition in the 2024 New England Rowing Championships
With the sun shining, little wind and temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s, the Mules had a great day of racing on Lake Quinsigamond for the first of two weekends of championship racing.
The Men’s V8 recorded an overall 8th place finish after having a great start in the final, passing WPI and almost passing Coast Guard in the final stretch of the petite final. The Men’s 2V8 had a great outing as well, taking an overall 9th place finish, including race wins over Boston College, Middlebury, and Conn. College.
On the women’s side of competition, and with a reordered lineup this week, the V8 boat finished 18th overall following a strong morning heat to beat Simmons in order to advance to the third level final.
The Mules will now head into the second championship event on Sunday, May 12th for the National Invitational Rowing Championships which doubles up as the NESCAC Championship.
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