Team of the Week: Mount Holyoke Squash

Pictured above: a member of the Mount Holyoke Squash team. Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Athletics.

By Gigi Picard ’22

Sports Editor

The team of the week for the final edition of the semester is Mount Holyoke Squash. In their 2019-2020 season, the team finished with a record of 4-17 under Head Coach Erin Robson. Their wins were against St. Lawrence University, Bard College, Wellesley College and Vassar College. 

Robson entered her eighth season as head coach for Mount Holyoke in the 2020-2021 season. This year’s seniors are Emma Robson, Jennifer Mbah, Kuzivakwashe Madungwe, Nicole Lara Granados, Genesis Lara Granados and Anna Braman. 

Squash held virtual practices this semester and likely hopes for in-person practices in the spring. Traditionally, the team’s regular season goes from November to February, with championship tournaments in March. 

The Mount Holyoke News Sports section will continue to present a team of the week in the spring. 

Team of the Week: Mount Holyoke Volleyball

Pictured above: Mount Holyoke Volleyball competing in their 2019-2020. Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Athletics.

By Gigi Picard ’22

Sports Editor 

This edition’s team of the week is Mount Holyoke Volleyball. 

Captain Brayden Walden ’21 talked about what the team has been up to. According to her, Mount Holyoke Volleyball held several virtual meetings in the summer and fall. During the summer, the team posted challenges on their social media as a way to build “relationships within the team,” Walden said. “This was always fun to do and see how others did it while also keeping our hands on a volleyball while away from campus,” she added.

There is currently one first-year on the team and two other walk-on players. Walden stated that they “fit into our team perfectly and we’ve all had fun getting to know them and slowly getting them used to the craziness that is the volleyball team[.]” She added that the new players are “super outgoing” and the team is overall happy with the new recruits. 

Additionally, Head Volleyball Coach Iris Carpio started a Friends of MHC Cans for Change collection over the summer with Assistant Rowing Coach Cara Murphy. Collectively, the team raised $1,500 for the NAACP. 

“With redemption centers closed due to the pandemic, we offered to drive and collect cans from colleagues and friends across campus at their homes for about two months and redeemed the recyclables for change that added up to a nice donation [toward] change,” Carpio said.

In terms of its fall training schedule, the team works out twice a week. Outside of workouts, the team meets virtually every other Saturday to catch up. According to Carpio, the team talks about their plans, academics, goals and other topics.

Walden reminisced about what the team misses besides playing on the court, including post-practice boba runs and team bonding. “I think the biggest thing [our] team misses about the season is just getting to be around each other and hanging out,” she said. “We are lucky that, while we’re a small team, we are also a pretty close-knit team. So I think we are all missing just seeing each other in person and getting to hang out with each other.”

”I'm extremely proud of how my team has handled all the ongoing issues,” Capro added. “It’s been a very heavy time for everyone and they have handled things with thoughtfulness, understanding [and] flexibility [while] supporting one another.”

Team of the Week: Mount Holyoke Fencing

Pictured above: Fencing Club Team Practice in Kendall Gym. Photo courtesy of Sophia Karr ‘21.

By Gigi Picard ’22

Sports Editor

This edition’s team of the week is Mount Holyoke Fencing.  

The fencing team is a sports club coached by Debra Basili with approximately 20 members, including team captains Eva Volckova ’22 and Morgan Sammut ’22. 

Volckova explained the difference between club sports teams and varsity teams. “For many varsity teams, players must have years of experience in order to even be on the team, but with club sports, we anticipate that most people who join our club will not have prior experience,” she said.

Over the course of the semester, the team meets around twice a week on Zoom, but only on the weekends. Volckova stated that on Saturdays, the team does a workout along with a “Just Dance” break. Then, on Sundays, the team does bonding activities consisting mainly of trivia, “Among Us,” skribbl.io and other online games. 

As stated by Volckova, the team is a tight-knit group. They stayed connected over the summer via group chat. They also had weekly trivia nights and consistent workouts multiple times a week. “Although we can’t fence each other, we spend a good portion of our workouts practicing footwork, which will put us in a great position once we are able to practice in person again,” Volckova said.

Sammut said, “Going to fencing practice is something that would always cheer me up on campus. Even when I was stressed with assignments, fencing practice was always a place where I could go and everything was suddenly better.” Volckova added that the team misses each other, feeling the loss of their “Yeah yoke” chants before tournaments and their post- tournament dinners together.

Team of the Week: Mount Holyoke Soccer

Picture above: Mount Holyoke College’s Soccer team. Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Athletics.

By Gigi Picard ’22

Sports Editor

The second module’s first team of the week is Mount Holyoke Soccer. 

The team’s captains for the 2020-2021 season are Maria Delgado ’21, Emma Robson ’21 and Sarah Forster ’23. 

Delgado stated that the team virtually connected biweekly during the summer and participated in team bonding activities, including Two Truths and a Lie, online Taboo and Scattergories. Additionally, the Lyons completed social media challenges. Robson said that the team meets over Zoom and “puts an emphasis on continuing to bond as a team and supporting one another virtually.” 

Delgado said that she misses a pre-game team tradition in the new online space. The team would huddle in a circle and each teammate would share a goal for the upcoming game. Then the team would march onto the field after a team chant. “Our desire to win a game wasn’t something we learned together; it’s something we all brought and we showed it,” Delgado said. “I miss coming together to share in that competitive drive, and I hope that if we are able to return, the first-years get the opportunity to share in that as well.” 

Robson echoed Delagado’s statement. “As a senior, I am definitely missing the traditions that come with your senior season,” Robson said. “I especially miss competing with my team, fun drills at practice, and team dinners. I think most of the team can also agree we just miss playing soccer and being with the team.” 

On Oct. 6, 2020, Chair of Physical Education and Director of Athletics Lori Hendricks officially announced the hiring of Interim Head Soccer Coach Kathy Brawn. 

“I am so impressed with the culture that Lori Hendricks, the other administrators and her staff have created within Athletics,” Brawn said. “I can already see the passion, commitment and loyalty the coaches have for their profession, MHC and, most importantly, their athletes. I am honored to be counted among them.” 

Brawn continued, “I am thrilled to be at MHC. Even though we are all working remotely, the Yoke community and Lyon athletic family have welcomed me with open paws. This is a wonderful place, and I feel fortunate to be a part of it.” 

The captains were a part of this hiring and transition process. “We are very excited to have Coach Brawn,” Robson said. “She has an impressive soccer background and has brought a lot of good new energy and leadership to the team. We are all really excited to work with her and for the future of the program.”

Brawn was previously the head coach for Colgate University soccer, ending her career at the university with 312 career wins, 11 conference titles and six NCAA Championship Tournament appearances. Additionally, Brawn coached five All-America selections, 31 All-Region honorees and 137 student-athletes that collected All-Conference recognition while at Colgate. Brawn has also been awarded with two United Soccer Coaches Northeast Region Coach of the Year awards and three conference Coach of the Year honors. 

Brawn introduced herself to the soccer team toward the end of the first module. “I have asked the players to share their attributes as athletes, teammates and friends. Based on their responses and what I am learning about them as human beings, I know the future is bright for Lyons’ soccer,” Brawn said. 

As far as what lies in store for the team, Brawn said, “The work ahead will be challenging and rewarding. Anytime you have a group of people willing to play for one another and not merely with one another, you can achieve incredible things. The quality work everyone is putting in today will go a long way toward achieving our goals tomorrow. We’ll start to see that the moment we step out on the field.”

Team of the Week: Mount Holyoke Cross Country

Image courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Athletics

This week’s team of the week is Mount Holyoke Cross Country. 

Last year, Mount Holyoke Cross Country finished their season on Nov. 16 at the NCAA Division III Championships hosted by Bowdoin College. The Lyons placed seventh out of 54 teams with 267 points. Both Madeline Rieders ’21 and Hannah Rieders ’21 earned All-Region honors since they placed within the top 35 in their 6k course race. 

Coach Chris Kibler gave insight as to what the team has accomplished over the summer. According to him, the team has “kept up regular communication with Zoom calls, phone calls, text and group messages.”

Kibler also discussed fundraising for the Athletes Taking Action Challenge. “We were nominated by MHC Field Hockey, and were able to raise $1200 for two organizations that will continue to help move the Black Lives Matter movement in the right direction,” Kibler explained. “We were then able to nominate MHC Rowing and Bryn Mawr XC/T&F [Cross Country/Track and Field] to take on the challenge,”

Kibler continued to explain what MHCXC is up to this fall. The team has had virtual synchronous and asynchronous practices and will compete in virtual asynchronous races throughout the fall. In the team’s first week of competition, they placed 4th overall in a 3,000m race against national competitors.

“We had team tryouts just like every year during the first week of official practice, and had many outstanding efforts and several personal bests,” Kibler said. “I am so proud of the team for working hard for something bigger than themselves during a time of so much uncertainty. The adversity and experiences they face now are making them into the most incredible people in the world.”

In our next publication, Mount Holyoke Field Hockey will be highlighted as the team of the week