Cross country wraps up 2025 season with NCAA Championships

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics

Mount Holyoke’s cross country team closed out their 2025 season with the NCAA Championships.

BY BEI JIA VIGGIANO ‘28

SPORTS EDITOR

As November comes to a close and Fall Break begins, Mount Holyoke College’s cross country team has finished its 2025 season.

The Lyons’ cross country season kicked off at a Wellesley Invitational on Friday, Aug. 29, on the Nehoiden Golf Course in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Mount Holyoke placed third out of four teams, behind winner Wellesley College and runner-up Brandeis University. Simmons University followed Mount Holyoke in fourth place. Mount Holyoke’s total time was 1:45:47, with the average time being 21:09.

The first and only invitational event in September took place in the latter half of the month. The UMass-Dartmouth Invitational was held on Saturday, Sept. 20, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The Lyons placed 22nd out of 36 teams, including the winner, Boston University, and runner-up, Brown University. Mount Holyoke’s total time was 2:05:26, and the Lyons’ average time was 25:05.

In October, Mount Holyoke participated in the Keene State Invitational at Owl Athletic Complex on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Keene, New Hampshire. The Lyons placed 12th out of 26 teams, which included Williams College, the winner, and Tufts University, the runner-up. The Lyons’ total and average times were 2:05:07 and 25:01, respectively. At the Connecticut College Invitational at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Connecticut, on Saturday, Oct. 18, Mount Holyoke placed 27th out of 33 teams. Once again the roster included Williams and Tufts, who earned first and second place. Mount Holyoke’s total time was 2:06:34, while the average time was 25:18.

The month of November featured several postseason events, beginning with the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference Championships at Highland Park in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Lyons emerged 10th out of 12 competing teams. MIT and the United States Coast Guard Academy placed first and second, respectively, while Mount Holyoke was behind Salve Regina University and followed by Emerson College. The Lyons’ total time was 2:10:39, and the average time was 26:08.

Halfway through November, Mount Holyoke participated in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regionals, held at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, on Saturday, Nov. 15. The Lyons placed 18th out of 25 teams, closely behind SUNY New Paltz and followed by Hartford University. Williams College emerged triumphant, with Middlebury College as the runner-up.

The final cross country event of the 2025 season was the NCAA Division III Championships, organized at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 12 p.m.

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact-checking. 

Mount Holyoke Volleyball maintains balance of wins and loses

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics

Mount Holyoke Volleyball has had a pattern of wins and losses throughout the beginning of the season, with their longest winning streak being three.

By Bei Jia Viggiano ’28

Sports Editor

As the fall season dawns and students return from the break, Mount Holyoke’s volleyball team has been busy. The months of September and October have been a series of wins and losses that hang in a precarious balance.

The first match of the season was against the University of Saint Joseph on Saturday, Aug. 30, in West Hartford, Connecticut. The Lyons emerged victorious 3-0. They later competed against Eastern Connecticut State University on the same date and location, where they lost 3-1.

“This season, some of our players have moved around positions, which has allowed us to spread out our offense and become a less predictable team,” Sadie Duffrin ’26 said in an email to Mount Holyoke News.

September kicked off with a game against Amherst College on Friday, Sept. 5, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Despite the team’s valiant efforts, the Lyons lost 3-1 again. The following day, Mount Holyoke competed in a match against Fitchburg State University in West Hartford, Connecticut, and prevailed 3-0. Later that same day, the Lyons triumphed against their host, the University of Hartford, with a victory of 3-1.

“We’ve also been trying to have the mentality of adjustment and how to exploit what the other team is doing instead of focusing on what we’re doing,” Duffrin continued.

A third consecutive win for Mount Holyoke was earned on Friday, Sept. 12, in Poughkeepsie, New York. In a match against Mount Saint Mary College, the Lyons won 3-0. Later that day, the streak was ended by a defeat to the host, Vassar College, with a loss of 3-0.

With these alternating wins and losses throughout September and October, the team's win-loss record is in an oscillating pattern.

“It’s been a great season so far, and we hope to keep improving and win more conference games as it goes on,” Duffrin concluded.

Mount Holyoke’s volleyball team has since competed in a game against Wellesley College on Tuesday, Oct. 14, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. They will next face Babson College on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, at 1 p.m. at Mount Holyoke College.

Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.

Mount Holyoke Field Hockey team secures a four-game winning streak

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics

The field hockey team maintained a four-game streak, their largest margin being 8-0 against Elms.

By Bei Jia Viggiano ’28

Sports Editor

As incoming and returning students moved into their dorms in late August, Mount Holyoke’s field hockey team kicked off the 2025 season. With both wins and losses, the season has been a steady rise to success for the team.

The first game of the season was on Saturday, Aug. 30, against the University of Southern Maine in Gorham, Maine, where the Lyons lost 2-0. The next day, they competed against Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, and once again lost 2-0.

Their first September match was on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The Lyons faced the University of Saint Joseph in a home game. Mount Holyoke scored two goals early on, holding a lead of 2-1 by the end of the first period. A score by Saint Joseph in the fourth period and a comeback shot in overtime resulted in a loss for the Lyons, leaving the final score 3-2.

“Our biggest struggle was ultimately putting the ball in the net,” Rory Bernardo ’29 said in an email to Mount Holyoke News. “Our first three games, we dominated but failed to execute on goals early on, so it has been made a priority of every player to score early and often.”

The first season win for the Lyons was at a home game against Dean College. On Thursday, Sept. 11, the field hockey team triumphed with a 4-0 victory. This was only the beginning of a series of victories for the Lyons.

“We have always been a tight-knit group,” Ashley Scott ’27 said in an email to Mount Holyoke News. “But recently, we have really started learning each other’s playing styles and tuning into each other’s strengths, which has helped us catapult our season in the right direction.”

Over the next week, the Lyons continued to prevail. Their next match was against Albertus Magnus College on Saturday, Sept. 13, in New Haven, Connecticut. Mount Holyoke secured its second win of the season with a score of 6-0.

Three days later, in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the Lyons faced Elms College on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The Lyons were victorious with a score of 8-0 the largest margin of success the team has had this season so far.

“We’ve really gained some much-deserved confidence,” Bernardo continued. “A lot of people are playing new positions, so it was tough to find our rhythm. That said, once we started to learn more about each other’s playing styles, we were able to succeed.”

The winning streak didn’t end on Thursday, Sept. 18, when Mount Holyoke competed against Nichols College. The home game resulted in a score of 4-0, marking a fourth consecutive win for the Lyons.

“We’ve been having great energy throughout the game, scoring early, and giving it our all every quarter,” Scott continued. “It’s been so fun to be back out on the field with the team. We’re a family, we have great chemistry, and we are always pushing each other to be better than the day before.”

On Saturday, Sept. 20, Mount Holyoke faced the Massachusetts Institute of Technology  at a conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT was in the lead with a goal in the first period. The Lyons tied the score in the second period, but MIT prevailed with a shot in the fourth period, making the final score 2-1.

“After a challenging game, we keep our heads up, try new strategies in practice, hype each other up, and watch film in order to better ourselves for next time,” Scott explained. “We come prepared to take on the next challenge together.”

“This team has really felt like a home to me,” Bernardo said. “Being a freshman, I was super nervous to meet new people and make a good impression, but my teammates immediately welcomed me with open arms and showed me that this is where I’m meant to be.”

Mount Holyoke’s field hockey team has since competed in a home game against Babson College on Saturday, Sept. 27. They will next face Wheaton College on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at 1 p.m. at Mount Holyoke College.

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact checking.