MULE WEEKLY RECAP February 16, 2026

3rd Place Finish Behind Five Event Winners Has Mules Rolling into NCAA's

The Women's Swimming & Diving team reached historic heights at the NESCAC Championships. A third place finish in the four-day event marks the best finish in program history.

Avery Rappaport won the 3-meter dive on her way to being named Co-Diver of the Year. Kellen Mottl set a NESCAC record when she won the 50yd Breaststroke and followed that up with another victory in the 100yd event. Alexis Coates won the 50yd Backstroke and pulled in a silver in the 100yd event.

Three relay squads also found their way to the podium, including the winning quartet in the 200 Medley Relay (Coates, Mottl, Caitlin Lacey, Eliza Marco). PODIUM RELAY TEAMS:

• 1st - 200 Medley Relay: Coates, Mottl, Lacey, Marco
• 2nd - 400 Medley Relay: Coates, Mottl, Ana Kapoor, Marco
• 3rd - 200 Freestyle Relay: Lacey, Marco, Lucy Mackey, Zoe Buzzelli

The top-three finishers in each event bring home All-NESCAC honors, and the Mules were thrilled to take home nine awards along with Rappaport's top honor.

Colby will have a weekend off while the men's teams race in the conference championship next weekend hosted on Mayflower Hill. Shortly after the NCAA will release their qualifying lists, one that is sure to be littered with Mules.

Men's Squash Upsets Amherst in NESCAC Quarterfinals

The Colby Men's and Women's Squash teams traveled to Clinton, N.Y. over the weekend for the 2026 NESCAC Squash Championships hosted by Hamilton College. The men's team held the fifth seed heading into the tournament while the women secured the seventh.

In Saturday's quarterfinal round the women fell to No. 2 Amherst 8-1 with the lone hard fought 3-2 victory coming from Nathalie Sim (headline photo) in the two position. However the men, also against the Mammoths, were able to upset their fourth seeded opponent with a nail biting 5-4 finish. Omar Bastawy delivered the final blow in the five spot to advance the Mules into the semifinals for the third straight year. The following day in the semifinals the men were outmatched by top seeded Trinity who went on to grab their 19th consecutive NESCAC Championship later that afternoon.

The Colby Squash season is not over yet as both teams prepare for the CSA Team Championships starting on March 3rd.

Home Weekend Series Ends Even for Colby Women’s Ice Hockey

The Mules hosted Wesleyan for a pair of games this week, splitting the series while celebrating their six seniors following Saturday's contest.

The Mules opened the weekend at home with a 3–2 victory over Wesleyan in a tightly contested matchup. Colby struck early with goals from Molly Lefebvre and Sophia Kennedy, building a 2–0 lead, before the Cardinals responded to tie the game 2–2 heading into the third. At the 7:09 mark Jo Tattersall scored the game-winner, giving the Mules the edge as they held on the rest of the way. Colby put up a great defensive showing in the final two minutes of play as Wesleyan pulled their goalie on the power play for a 6 to 4 man advantage but could not get past Ally Martiniello in net.

Colby remained on home ice Saturday for senior day and fell 4-2, giving the weekend a split result. The Mules opened with a goal from Beth Sinson, but the Cardinals responded with four unanswered. Brooke Eselunas scored late in the third period to narrow the lead but the Mules could not pick up two more. The team honored its six graduating seniors after the game, celebrating their contributions to the Colby Women's Ice Hockey program.

Now with a 15-5-1 overall record and 9-4-1 conference record the Mules, who currently sit third in the NESCAC standings, will hit the road for their final series of the regular season versus top seeded Middlebury.

Men's Basketball Clinches Seven Seed for NESCAC Tournament

To wrap up the 2025-26 regular season, the Mules faced two of Division III's best in #4 Trinity and #17 Wesleyan.

Friday night against the Bantams the Mules fell 98-75. Despite the loss, Dan Civello (headline photo) had a huge performance netting 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting including a pair of blocks, while Theo Pow added 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Colby shot a solid 50% from the field but Trinity’s balanced scoring and fast-break attack proved too much to overcome.

The following day, Colby remain in the Constitution State facing Wesleyan and fought hard in a 81-69 setback. Civello led the team again scoring 19 points grabbing eight rebounds and a pair of blocks, while Max Poulton added 17 points, eight boards and six assists, keeping the game close early. Colby hit 50% of its threes in the first half and stayed within striking distance through eight lead changes, but the Cardinals pulled away in the last ten minutes of play. Hinman also contributed double digit scoring finishing with 11 points and six rebounds.

With a 16-8 overall record and 4-6 NESCAC record, Colby Men's Basketball has earned the seventh seed for the conference tournament and will face No. 2 Tufts Saturday in Medford. Stay tuned for more details.

Track & Field Competes at Bowdoin and Boston University

With one more week to ago ahead of the Mule Tune-Up meet, the Colby Men's and Women's Track and Field teams split with athletes heading to Bowdoin's Lynn Ruddy Invitational and others traveling to BU's Valentine Invitational.

At Bowdoin the Mules tallied nine podium finishes including a one-two-three sweep in the heptathlon event.

WOMEN'S PODIUM FINISHES:

• 3rd - 200m, Ellie Wang
• 3rd - 60m Hurdles, Josie Hopkins
• 3rd - Pentathlon, Jordan Roskiewicz

MEN'S PODIUM FINISHES:

• 1st - High Jump, Logan Sullivan
• 1st - Pole Vault, Lexington Lehnert
• 1st - Heptathlon, Jake Hall
• 2nd - Pole Vault, Logan Lehnert
• 2nd - Heptathlon, Milan Joshi
• 3rd - Heptathlon, Alex Lyon

At Boston University Colby had more impressive results including a victory from Jackson Coelho in the 400m dash and a new men's 4x400m relay school record (3:13.65).

WOMEN'S TOP-10 FINISHES:

• 5th - 200m, Charlotte Brake-Hoffman (headline photo)
• 7th - 4x400m Relay, Tally Zeller, Olivia Doherty, Kaitlyn Ewald and Brake-Hoffman
• 6th - Pole Vault, Amina Cifric

MEN'S TOP-10 FINISHES:

• 1st - 400m, Jackson Coelho
• 2nd - 400m, Levi Biery
• 7th - 4x400m Relay, Mark Graubart, Sam Graubart, Coelho, Biery
• 8th - 60m Hurdles, Patrick Kuprewicz
• 9th - 400m, S. Graubart

The Mule Tune-Up, the last meet before the DIII New England Championships, will be a Saturday only event set to begin at 10:00am on Feburary 21st here on Mayflower Hill.

Men's Ice Hockey Takes on Wesleyan and Trinity on the Road

Colby faced a pair of difficult matchups this week and will aim to regroup with the regular season winding down.

Friday night the Mules came up just short in a 2-1 loss at Wesleyan. The Cardinals struck once in the first and added a power-play goal early in the second to build a 2-0 cushion. The Mules generated chances throughout, including five power-play opportunities in the contest, but couldn’t convert until Max Abene buried one at 2:36 of the third to make it a one-goal game. Despite sustained pressure late and holding Wesleyan to just one of seven on man advantages of their own, Colby couldn’t find the equalizer.

The next day, the Mules couldn’t slow down a big third-period surge from Trinity, falling 5–1 on the road in Hartford. After the Bantams opened the scoring late in the first, the Mules answered with a shorthanded goal from Massimo Gentile at 8:50 of the second to send the game into the final frame tied 1–1. However Trinity took control from there, striking four times in the third to pull away.

The Mules move to 9-11-2 overall (5-10-1 in conference) and look ahead to their final two regular-season games next week hosting Tufts and Conn. College. With three other NESCAC schools holding 5-10-1 conference records, these two matches are highly important to keep the postseason hopes alive.

Women's Basketball Concludes Season, Celebrates Seniors

Closing out the regular season at home, the Mules brought strong energy in both games while honoring their seniors in Saturday’s finale.

Colby opened the week with a 61–48 loss to Trinity. The Mules hung close early, trailing by just four after the first quarter and staying within reach at halftime, but the Bantams interior presence and second-chance scoring gradually created separation. Chelsea Ibenegbu led Colby with 11 points while Lydia Mordarski added 10 points, four assists and three steals. Talia Thompson playing all 40 minutes posted nine points and six rebounds. Despite stretches of solid ball movement and defensive stops, the Mules couldn’t overcome Trinity’s strong inside production.

On Saturday, Colby closed the season with a 66–57 setback to Wesleyan, battling through a back-and-forth matchup before the Cardinals pulled away late. After a slow first quarter, the Mules responded with strong second- and third-quarter shooting to stay within a possession heading into the final frame, but Wesleyan’s perimeter efficiency proved decisive. Lydia Mordarski led Colby with 16 points, Amelia Hanscom added a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards, and Brooke Braen provided an eight-point spark off the bench. Despite a resilient effort and contributions across the rotation with 11 different players scoring, the Mules couldn’t withstand the Cardinals fourth-quarter surge.

Before Saturday's contest, the Mules honored its seniors who have given much of their time, energy and focus to the Colby Women's Basketball program.

Colby Women's Basketball concludes the 2025-26 campaign with a 13-11 overall record and will be back in action next winter.