Around the Herd: April 16 to April 22 in Athletics

Women’s Lacrosse

Coming off a strong 21-3 win versus Framingham State, the Mammoths traveled to No. 2 Tufts on Saturday. Amherst started off fast. After being awarded an eight-meter shot, Mia Raven ’27 passed it off to Bridget Finley ’26, who quickly found the back of the net. A draw followed, but the Mammoths again drew the free position — this time it was Emily Petersen ’26 who sent the ball non-stick side of Tufts’ goalie. Keeping their foot on the gas, Petersen scored again, this time off a heads-up play from Clara Sosa ’26. Tufts began to find their rhythm, hitting the back of the net six consecutive times. The Mammoths were able to temporarily stop the run, getting scores from Sofia Guttmann ’26, Raven, and Petersen again to make it a one-goal game. However, Tufts scored four times in the last three minutes of the first half to regain control, 11-6. Four straight goals coming out of the half increased the lead for the hosting team and made the Amherst comeback challenging. Finley added on two more goals, and Guttmann got her second of the day, but it was not enough to stop Tufts’ offense. Despite the loss, Raven recorded nine draw controls to help give the Mammoths offensive possessions. The team shifts gears to their game today, hosting the Trinity Bantams at 6:30 p.m. on Pratt Field for the Pride Game.

Men’s Lacrosse

After travelling to No. 5 RPI on Wednesday, the Mammoths hosted the number-one team in the nation, Tufts, on Saturday. The team honored their 12 seniors - Dylan Hsu ’25, Mitch Likins ’25, Mason Chandler ’25, Nicholas Kopp ’25, Lawson Laverty ’25, Steve Crawford ’25, Rob Williamson ’25, Jacob Bruno ’25, Alex Giacobbe ’25, Owen Gaydos ’25, Jordan Gangaram ’25, and Ben Bruno ’25 for all they have given the sport and the program. The Mammoths got on the board first with an electric start, when Brendan Reilly ’27 found the back of the net five minutes into the game. They continued their streak when Giacobbe, just 90 seconds later, sent one past the Jumbos’ keeper to make it 2-0. Then, Reilly dished the ball to Alex Vlacich ’26, who also slipped it into the goal. Two Jumbos goals would close out the first quarter 3-2 in favor of Amherst. Tufts outscored the Mammoths 5-1 in the second, with the only goal coming from Bob Gross ’26 off the assist from Bruno. With the 7-4 halftime lead, Tufts poured on the goals, adding another seven in the second half. Amherst would get a tally from Giacobbe — his second of the day — but it would not be enough to stop the Tufts run. Likins again stepped up big in net, turning away 22 shots, but the Jumbos emerged victorious. The Mammoths look to close out conference play today, when they travel to Hartford to play Trinity.

Women’s Tennis

On Saturday, the No. 13-ranked women’s tennis team competed in a doubleheader at home against Hamilton and MIT.

Against the NESCAC rival Continentals, the Mammoths delivered a strong start, claiming the extra doubles point. Not only did Amherst sweep all three doubles matches, but the pair of Mia Kintiroglou ’25 and Greta Stechschulte ’27 also posted a perfect 6-0 victory. In singles play, the Mammoths won five matches, all in straight sets, including performances from Amy Cui ’25 in the second spot, who dropped only three games, and Cody Huang ’28 in the fifth spot, who lost only two. In the end, Amherst bested Hamilton 6-1. Later that day, the Mammoths were less successful against the Engineers, falling 5-2 for a 1-1 record on the week.

The team will continue their homestand on April 26 against Babson College, celebrating senior day.

Men’s Tennis

The No. 7-ranked men’s tennis team traveled to face conference rival Hamilton on Saturday.

Against the Continentals, the Mammoths lost the initial doubles point despite a win from duo Edred Opie ’25 and Andreas Sillaste ’27 at the first spot. Sillaste continued this momentum, dropping just three games in his straight-set victory at the first singles spot. Also winning in straight sets, Aldiyar Abzhan ’28 also notched a victory for Amherst at the third spot. In the last singles game — the sixth spot — Sujit Chepuri ’25 pulled out a win after losing the second set. Despite these efforts, Hamilton ultimately bested the Mammoths, winning 4-3 in a close contest. With this result, Amherst extends its winning record to 13-5 on the season and 7-1 in conference play.

Next Thursday, April 24, the team will return home to face MIT.

Women’s Track & Field

On Friday and Saturday, the women’s track and field team competed at the Sean Collier Invitational hosted by MIT.

On the first day of the meet, Sylvan Wold ’25 was the top Mammoth in the 1500-meter, placing seventh overall with a time of 4:35. Following close behind, Julia Schor ’25 placed tenth with a time of 4:38. Hannah Stephenson ’28 made her collegiate debut in the same event, posting a time of 4:44 and finishing 12th overall. The next day, Casie Eifrig ’25 crossed the finish line for the 400-meter in 56.77 seconds, establishing a new school record and finishing second overall. In the 100-meter hurdles, Eliza Cardwell ’25 finished as the runner-up with a season-best time of 14.42. Madison Vant ’28 earned fourth place in the javelin, throwing a personal best of 36.54 meters.

After completing their regular season, the team will return to the track to compete at the NESCAC Championships, hosted by Wesleyan, on Saturday, April 26.

Men’s Track & Field

The men’s track team headed to MIT to participate in the Sean Collier Invitational over the weekend.

On Friday, Parker Boyle ’27 and Stan Craig ’27 both earned personal bests in the mile, finishing in 4:11 and 4:12, respectively, to place seventh and eighth overall. On the second day of the meet, Kean Tanyi-Tang ’28 also posted a personal best with a 49:82-second finish in the 400-meter to earn fourth place. On the field side, Alec Kuzyk ’27 earned bronze in the pole vault event with a mark of 4.42 meters. In the shot put, David Brown ’25 threw a season-best distance of 13.35 meters, earning fourth place. Brown then placed second overall in the discus, reaching a mark of 43.23 meters.

On Saturday, April 26, the team will head to Wesleyan to compete in the NESCAC Championship meet.

Baseball

The baseball team won against Eastern Connecticut State University, beat Wesleyan University in a three-game series 3-0, and lost to Middlebury College on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday, respectively.

After a 9-3 win against Eastern Connecticut State, Amherst competed in a three-game series against Wesleyan. The second match, hosted by Amherst on Friday, celebrated the team’s seniors: McDermott, Christian Limon ’25, Ryan McIntyre ’25, Ben Goff ’25, Jack Boyle ’25, Jack Sampedro ’25, Tyson Luna ’25, Nick Addison ’25, Michael Perales ’25, and A.J. Zaccareo ’25. The team got off to a hot start in the first inning, as Sampedro doubled to left center, scoring Boyle and McDermott. Wesleyan responded in the second inning, scoring one run to lessen Amherst’s lead. J.J. Grimes 28 took it personally, responding with a home run that sparked Amherst’s offense. Several scoring plays in the second inning made the score 7-1 in the Mammoths’ favor. After Grimes scored in the third inning, McIntyre hit a grand slam, earning Amherst four more runs. Amherst scored eight runs in the fourth inning, with the last four coming from Grimes’ grand slam. Wesleyan scored one run in the fifth inning, but a comeback opportunity would not be in their future. The game ended 20-2 in Amherst’s favor.

The team plays Trinity College, a three-game series against Hamilton College, and Brandeis University on April 23, 25, 26, and 29, respectively.

Softball

The softball team lost a two-game series against Springfield College on Wednesday, and won a two-game series against Trinity College on Saturday.

The Mammoths hosted Trinity this past Saturday, winning the first game 9-5. In Amherst’s second match, America Rangel ’25 scored the first run from Lulu Leppard ’28’s single up the middle in the first inning. The Bantams took the lead in the second inning, the score 2-1 in Trinity’s favor. Amherst immediately responded, scoring six runs, with Abby Rebhan ’28 hitting a home run for the last two. Trinity scored two runs in the third inning, and one run in the fourth, making the score 7-5 in Amherst’s favor. Danielle Torres-Werra ’25 stopped any hopes for a Trinity comeback, hitting the ball out of the park in the fourth inning and scoring Rebhan as well. Emma Nordstrom ’27 scored later in the inning, earning Amherst its tenth run. Leppard’s run in the fifth inning finished Amherst’s offensive masterclass against Trinity, with the final score 11-5 in the Mammoths’ favor.

The team faces off against Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Williams College, and Hamilton College on April 23, 26, and 27, respectively. The first game against Hamilton will honor the team’s seniors: Rangel and Torres-Werra.

Head of the Herd: J.J. Grimes

An impressive two home runs against Wesleyan, one of which a grand slam, make Grimes a clear choice for this week’s, and the very first, Head of the Herd. Grimes scored four runs, walked thrice, earned 23 putouts, and made no fielding errors across four games. For his performance, he earns the Sports Editors’ prestigious award for the best performing Mammoth: Head of the Herd.