By Emily Tarinelli ’25
Staff Writer
Cross Country
On Saturday Oct. 16, Mount Holyoke College Cross Country traveled to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Connecticut, to compete in the Connecticut College Invitational. The Lyons raced among 26 additional teams, including top scorers Williams College (74 points), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (99 points) and Tufts University (120 points). Unlike the other teams, Mount Holyoke did not generate an overall team score and ended the competition with a DNF, meaning “did not finish.”
In the 6k Caroline Grape ’22 Memorial Race, athlete Lauren Selkin ’23 led the team with a 5th place individual finish and a personal record time of 21:54.70. Selkin received numerous honors this season as a three-time New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Cross Country Runner of the Week.
“It has been an exciting season, and I am honored to have … represent[ed] Mount Holyoke,” Selkin said of her achievements. She also acknowledged that her training under Cross Country Head Coach Chris Kibler has played a huge role in her accomplishments in the 2021 season.
Kim Beaver ’25, who ran a personal best time of 26:16.40, described how the team dynamic of cross country motivated her to power through the competition. “We went into the race with a strategy to have MHC work in a pack to motivate each other throughout the run,” she said.
Emily Hood ’24, who produced a personal record of 26:02.10, also appreciated running as a group. “What I’m most proud of is how well five of us on the team were able to run together as a pack in the sub-varsity race, which I think really made the race a success,” Hood said.
The Lyons will now move on to the NEWMAC Championship, which will be held on Oct. 30 at Nehoiden Golf Club in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Selkin said that she looks forward to competing among the best runners in the conference, and expressed her confidence in the Lyons’ future performance.
Julia Burm ’25, who clocked a personal best of 28:57.60 at the invitational, beating their last 6k by over two minutes, spoke about their outlook on their upcoming meet. “We have a lot to give this championship season,” they said. “We are so close to reaching our team goals, and I think NEWMACs will be a great place to showcase our hard work this season.”
Soccer
On Saturday Oct. 16, the Mount Holyoke College soccer team was setback 9-0 at home against Babson College, which puts their record at 2-8 on the season.
Midfielder Sarah Forster ’23 had two shots on goal, while Carolina Alvarez ’23, Echo Haverkamp ’24, Avery Livingston ’25 and Sonia McCollum ’25 all made single shots.
The Lyons will play the Smith College Pioneers at Smith in Northampton, Massachusetts on Oct. 20.