Lyons’ recap: athletic teams return to campus over J-Term
The Lyons’ Swim and Dive team traveled to West Palm Beach, Florida for a training trip on Jan 2 and returned to campus on Jan. 9. They continued their official season on Jan. 10 against Clark University and Wheaton College. They beat Clark, their fellow New England Women’s and Men’s Conference (NEWMAC) competitor, by a total of 126 points. The Lyons fell to Wheaton, who bested them by 93 points.
Ultimate Frisbee places second at sectionals, advances to regionals
Golf finishes fifth at Jack Leaman Invitational in Amherst
Tennis finishes third at Seven Sisters tournament
Dressage qualifies for nationals
Riding secures first place at home show, celebrates seniors
Tennis sees two victories in Puerto Rico over break
Athlete Profile: Christa Berry '20
Super Bowl LI: Patriots defeat Falcons in OT
Squash defeats Haverford, falls to Dickinson
BY CAITLIN LYNCH '20
Mount Holyoke Squash – ranked 29th nationally by the College Squash Association – traveled to Haverford, Pa. on Saturday morning to face the 30th-ranked Haverford College Fords. After the Lyons secured a 9-0 victory in Haverford, they took to the road once more to face 20th-ranked Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Mount Holyoke put up a good fight, taking six matches past three games, but ultimately the Dickinson Red Devils landed the 9-0 win. These two matches bring Mount Holyoke Squash to 3-14 for the season.
Swimming and diving places 7th at Hamilton Invitational
Fourth annual SAAC Toy Drive serves local children in need
BY CAITLIN LYNCH '20
The Student Athletic Advisory Committee is hosting its fourth annual toy drive in conjunction with the Springfield, Holyoke and Van Wart offices of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. SAAC gets a list from DCF of children in the area who would not otherwise receive holiday gifts, and Mount Holyoke students can sign up to sponsor them.
Field Hockey ends season with win, carries streak into postseason
BY CAITLIN LYNCH '20
Mount Holyoke Field Hockey ended its regular season on Saturday with a 4-0 victory over Wheaton College, and defeated Wellesley College 2-1 on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the NEWMAC Field Hockey Championships. With the two wins, the team moved to 5-3 in regular season NEWMAC rankings and 12-6 in total games
Volleyball defeats Westfield, falls to Daniel Webster and Smith
MHC Rugby trumps MIT at last home match, 61-38
BY CAITLIN LYNCH ’20
Mount Holyoke Rugby proved their worth on Saturday with a win against MIT. The final score was 61-38, and the win brought Mount Holyoke to 3-1 in the New England Wide Collegiate Rugby Conference.
The match started off with a score by MIT. “They scored the first try, but after that we kicked it up,” said captain Julia Seiple ’18. Within five minutes of play-time, Mount Holyoke took the lead and sustained it through the end. “We played really strong throughout the whole game, even to the last minute. I’m really pleased with how this team has grown,” said Seiple.
MIT rugby only had 10 eligible players this weekend, but NEWCRC requires 15 players per side. MHC Rugby has 38 players on roster with about 24 active members, and so was able to lend five players (Elyse Tunkelrott ’20, Anne-Gail More- land ’20, Basil Bartlett ’19, Emily Kellogg ’20 and Hampshire junior Nyk Lifson) to MIT to even the playing field. “It’s actually really cool to play when we have some of our players on the other team because it’s nice to be familiar with who you’re playing,” said loose forward Eloise Nimocks ’17. “Some of the best plays by people who are technically on our team were done when they were playing for MIT. They had some really good intercepting plays.” Inside center Erin Murdock ’18 noted that this switch-up made the game more fun: “It’s like a pleasant surprise to go into a ruck against a teammate. It also helps our players feel more comfortable because they are competing against familiar faces.”
Because MIT did not have a full team, the competition on Saturday was technically a scrimmage as opposed to an official match. No matter what you call it, the rugby players are proud of their performances against (and, in five cases, assisting) MIT. “Normally there are some moments when we’re not so strong in our play, usually having to do with defense, but this time we really came together,” said captain Bennett de Paula ’17. “There weren’t just one or two good moments, there were many of them and they were back to back. It was really good rugby.”
The team feels as though this win was indicative of the improvements they have made since the beginning of the season. “We’ve been on an upwards trajectory in our overall skill as a team,” says de Paula, “we’re really getting to the point where we’re doing well for ourselves.”
Mount Holyoke Rugby is currently ranked second in their conference, with Amherst College in first. The two teams face off at Amherst this Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.
