Ice Hockey team honors seniors at game against Smith
The Mount Holyoke Ice Hockey club celebrated its senior players on Feb. 12 in a matchup against Smith College at Fitzpatrick Ice Skating Rink. The honored athletes included Emily Gitlin ’22, Luce Brandt ’22, Bethany Powell FP ’22, Nico Boutaugh ’22, Siqi Yang ’22, Carlie Poworoznek ’22, Rose Sheehan ’22 and Sammi Craig ’22.
Swimming and Diving places 8th at NEWMAC championship
Beijing Winter Olympics blends Team USA victory and international controversy
In a series of diplomatic boycotts, several nations, including the United States, United Kingdom and Canada sent athletes, but no official delegations, to Beijing for the Winter Olympic Games. According to the BBC, this month’s boycotts were in opposition to the Chinese government’s human rights violations against Uyghur Muslim citizens.
Game of the Week: Track and Field posts top program performances
Mount Holyoke Track and Field swept the competition in the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Gordon Kelly Invitational this weekend. The unscored invitationals led to numerous personal bests and five Top 10 performances in Mount Holyoke’s program history.
Mount Holyoke Swimming and Diving team honors seniors
Sitting in the stands by the poolside, Mount Holyoke families and students cheered on athletes competing in the annual Mount Holyoke Swimming and Diving senior meet, hosted at home against Smith College on Feb. 5. Mount Holyoke triumphed with a score of 163-131, with diver Kathryn Murphy ’22 breaking the one-meter board school record for the second week in a row.
MHC varsity teams celebrate women in sports
NCAA changes eligibility policy for transgender athletes
Game of the Week: Squash overpowers Bard College
Game of the Week: Basketball defeated by Smith College
Student athletes discuss the physical and mental benefits of playing sports
New ‘POOL’ exhibit illuminates history of segregated swimming in US
For Cheryl Anderson Chaney, swimming at Fairmount Water Works Pool in Philadelphia was a source of joy. As a teenager growing up in the 1960s, she learned to swim from her father, who worked for the water department, according to an article published by WHYY PBS. Chaney, who is Black, grew up during racial segregation, when restrictive laws made it challenging for communities of color to access adequate public services — including swimming pools.
Fencing competes in Big One tournament
Four foilists and four épéeists from Mount Holyoke Fencing represented the College at the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Big One tournament on Saturday, Nov. 7. The competition, which was hosted by Vassar College, featured over 10 teams belonging to various NCAA athletic divisions, including Smith College, Dartmouth College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
International Handball Federation updates women’s handball dress code
Female handball players are no longer required to wear bikini bottoms and sports bras in competition, according to a rule the International Handball Federation changed on Oct. 3. As reported by The New York Times, the rule originally stated that female athletes must wear bikini bottoms “with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg,” with sides that could not measure more than four inches.
Game of the Week: Field Hockey and Soccer conclude their seasons
Field Hockey
Mount Holyoke Field Hockey defeated New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference rival Wheaton College 1-0 last Friday evening at home in their final game of the season.
Soccer
Mount Holyoke College Soccer finished their 2021 regular season in a 0-0 draw with Wellesley College after two overtimes, totaling 110 minutes of game play, at a NEWMAC game on Saturday, Oct. 30.
Game of the Week: Cross Country runs in NEWMAC Championships; Volleyball ends season at home
Cross Country
Mount Holyoke College Cross Country continued their season on Saturday, Oct. 30 in the New England Women and Men’s Athletic Conference Championships at the Nehoiden Golf Club in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Volleyball
Mount Holyoke College Volleyball finished off their season on Saturday, Oct. 30 with a 3-0 shutout loss to Emerson College at home. The set scores were 25-22, 25-16 and 25-19.
NCAA to add four teams to women’s basketball championship bracket
In a unanimous vote on Thursday, Oct. 14, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee approved a proposal to expand the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship bracket by four teams. Beginning in 2022, the proposal would allow 68 teams to compete in the tournament instead of the previous 64. The same change was approved for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in 2011.
Game of the Week: Rowing takes on Head of the Charles; Volleyball travels for tournament
Rowing
The Mount Holyoke rowing team made their way to Boston for the Head of the Charles Regatta last weekend. The Head of the Charles Regatta is one of the oldest head races in the country and has been running since 1965. The Regatta draws more than 11,000 competitors and thousands of spectators.
Volleyball
Mount Holyoke Volleyball traveled to Amherst College and Smith College on Saturday, Oct. 23, to compete against Westfield State University and Bates College in the Volleyball Hall of Fame Tournament.
Game of the Week: Cross Country runs in Connecticut College Invitational; Soccer falls to Babson College
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.”
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.
Texas House passes bill banning K-12 transgender student-athletes
Content warning: this article discusses transphobia.
The Texas State House and Senate approved a bill restricting transgender student athletes from K-12 sports, following House sessions on Thursday, Oct. 14, and Senate sessions on Friday, Oct. 15. Filed by Representative Valoree Swanson in September 2021, House Bill 25 aims to “[require] public school students to compete in interscholastic athletic competitions based on biological sex.” The bill passed through the house 76-54, with one abstained vote.
House Bill 25 is the fourth piece of legislation introduced this year that concerns transgender children in Texas. Prior legislative motions recorded by the Texas Legislature included multiple bills akin to failed House Bill 1399, which aimed to specifically restrict insurance coverage of transgender healthcare procedures. House Bill 25 does not target medical care, but requires the legal affirmation of the sex listed on the child’s birth certificate to determine which sports team they’re allowed to play on.