May 27, 2024

What a fantastic year it has been for Colby Athletics! With this 35th and final edition of the Mule Weekly Recap for the 2023-24 academic year, the Mules wish everyone a happy and healthy summer and we look forward to more great things in the fall!

11 Mules Return to Maine as All-Americans after NCAA DIII Championships

The Colby Track & Field teams returned from their trip to the NCAA Division III Championships earning All-American status in five events. With two relay squads, the count jumped to 11 individuals bringing home hardware and earning their name on the All-American wall in the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center. The women's squad placed 31st overall in a field of over 130 teams represented, while the men's team placed 63rd. The top-8 in each event earn first team All-American distinction, with places 9-16 earning second team.

In Thursday's preliminary rounds, the 4x100 Relay team of Erin Daugherty, Fiona Mejico, Simone Waheed, and Sade Greenidge advanced for Saturday's final with the third fastest qualifying time. Mejico competed individually in the 400 Hurdles, advancing after qualifying in the fourth spot. The junior was joined by Haley Wims, Kristina Pizzi, and Kaitlyn Ewald for the 4x400 Relay, advancing with the seventh fastest time.

Levi Biery

Levi Biery competed Thursday in the men's 400 Hurdles, advancing to the event final after placing 6th. To round out Thursday's competition, Gordon Doore placed 22nd in th 1500m.

The only Mule running on Friday was Daugherty in her pursuit of th 100 Hurdles crown, narrowly missing finals qualification after placing 14th and earning second team All-American.

(L to R) Mejico, Daugherty, Wims, Waheed, Cusano, Ewald, Pizzi, Biery. *Absent is senior Sade Greenidge who flew back immediately after competition to make it back t0 Colby in time for Sunday's graduation ceremonies.

In Saturday's finals already secured as first team All-Americans, Mejico placed 5th in the women's 400 Hurdles, Biery 6th in the men's 400 Hurdles, and the 4x400 and 4x100 Relays placed 7th and 8th respectively.

Track & Field, Power Head Coach David Cusano
I am so proud of our group. This is a pure product of work. These young men and women have truly earned this prestigious distinction. The work they've put in this year was on display and appropriately rewarded. - David Cusano

David Cusano was recently recognized as the East Region Women's Coach of the Year when the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its regional awards. Cusano, in his ninth year at Colby, led the team to set a NESCAC record in the 4×100 relay (46.61) and win three conference championships (4×100, 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles). Colby’s team finished sixth at the DIII New England Champs and is currently ranked 16th nationally. The team has held a top-25 national ranking for eight consecutive weeks.

USTFCCA AWARDS
TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE

36th Annual Senior Sports Awards

Colby Athletics celebrated the 2024 senior class on Friday and announced this year's winners of the Senior Sports Awards.

Meg Rittenhouse is a two-time All-American and the 2024 NESCAC Player of the Year. She led the conference in goals, points, game winning goals, and power play goals her senior year. The 2023-24 captain is a three-time All-NESCAC team selection and was the 2022 NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Rittenhouse has played in 76 games for the Mules across four seasons (2021 was shortened to two games due to COVID-19) totaling 49 goals and 39 assists.
Cole Palmeri, arguably Colby's best all-time slugger, was a three-time All-NESCAC Team selection and was named NESCAC Player of the Year this spring. He earned NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and holds school records for home runs in a season and career, as well as most doubles in a season. In Palmeri’s career the slugger has a .332 batting average, 139 hits, 114 runs, 28 home runs, 122 RBIs in 121 games played.
Eleanor McGrath became the second NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient across all sports at Colby when she won the honor at this year’s NCAA Championship event. She is a three-time All-NESCAC honoree, a NCAA Regional Qualifier, as well as a 2024 NCAA DIII National qualifier for both the one and three-meter dive. In 2024 McGrath received the NESCAC Diving Career High Point Award and holds the school record in the three-meter dive. Academically, McGrath is a Presidential Scholar, a Phi Beta Kappa inductee, a three-time CSCAA All-Academic Scholar and a three-time NESCAC All-Academic team member. She will graduate with a major in Environmental Science.
Joey Barrett, the 2021 ITA Northeast Region Rookie of the Year, is a four-time All-NESCAC honoree for Singles, and was also recognized for Doubles his first year. A captain his junior and senior seasons, Barrett helped elevate the Colby Men’s Tennis team to a top-20 ranking in the 2023 season for the best finish in program history. He is graduating with a 4.13 GPA with a double-major in Economics and Educational Studies, earning CSC Academic All-District distinction in 2024, NESCAC All-Academic team recognition all three years, and becoming a Phi Beta Kappa inductee after his junior year.
Abby Orso leaves Colby as the career leader in wins (30) and strikeouts (304), accumulating a 2.45 ERA over 316.2 innings. A two-time All-NESCAC selection, Orso captained a team that won 61 games across the last three seasons. She is a two-time Easton/NFCA All-American Scholar, two-time NESCAC All-Academic member, and a CSC Academic All-District honoree, graduating with a 3.75 GPA majoring in Educational Studies.
Brady O’Brien leaves Colby as the all-time leader in hits and runs and ranks second in Runs Batted In for Colby Baseball. A four-time All-NESCAC selection and team captain in 2023 and 2024, he finishes his career with a .333 batting average with 158 hits, 129 runs, 15 home runs, 115 RBIs and 32 stolen bases in 132 games played. O’Brien is a 2024 Phi Beta Kappa inductee, a three time NESCAC All-Academic member, and CSC Academic All-District honoree. He will graduate from Colby with a 3.97 GPA with a major in Economics.
Hannah Wyllie was the team captain and only upperclassman on the 23-person Volleyball team this season. Wyllie’s leadership skills were incredibly strong for her team, but often extended past the court with participation in Colby Cares About Kids, Hope Happens Here, and even in the classroom as an Environmental Studies mentor. Wyllie finishes her career with 484 kills and 151 blocks good for 617 total points.
Rome Banaitis played in 24 games for the football program. He was a three-year starter, team captain his senior year, a recipient of the Tom Austin award for leadership and the Wadsworth award for most improved. In his career he totaled 71 tackles from the defensive line, 11 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, and three pass deflections. Banaitis tore a ligament in his elbow early in the 2023 season forcing him to play with a brace, and he played the final games of the season with a cast on his hand after suffering a severe sprain in week five.
Adaobi Nebuwa, a two-year captain of the Women’s Basketball team, was incredibly involved in the Colby community and beyond across her four years on Mayflower Hill. The Colby SAOC President and Data Science Club Co-President was a Recreation Office Manager, INSITE Lab Manager, NCAA DIII SAAC and NESCAC DEI member, as well as many other things. Nebuwa represented the NESCAC on national boards including the NCAA DIII Presidents Council, NCAA DIII Championships Committee, and also presented to Colby’s Board of Trustees. She finishes her career with 330 points, 218 rebounds, 50 assists, 28 steals and 14 blocks while playing in 59 total games.
Jim Scott, chair of Colby’s Statistics Department, came to Colby in 2009 and has been a tremendous supporter of Colby Athletics ever since. He has served the department on multiple head coach searches and is the faculty liaison for Women’s Soccer. As Chair of the Athletics Advisory Committee, Scott has represented the needs of student-athletes at faculty meetings, often deconflicting situations and guiding conversations towards what is best for the student. He is a true teammate and advocate for all of Colby’s student-athletes.

Fans can learn more about the Senior Sports Awards by visiting the Colby Athletics website, or clicking the button below.

SENIOR SPORTS AWARDS

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

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