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COLBY MULES: 2019-20 Year in Review

Our teams have competed at the highest levels of college athletics and set new standards for success here at Colby. Memories of victories and accomplishments are joined by those of effort, accountability, and teamwork, and to that degree we are proud of our days here on Mayflower Hill in the 19-20 school year.
- Mike Wisecup, Harold Alfond Director of Athletics

September 14, 2019

On Saturday September 14, Colby hosted Trinity in Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, and Field Hockey, coming away with a sweep of the Bantams. Men's Soccer won 4-1, Women's Soccer won 2-0, and Field Hockey defeated the #15 ranked team 3-1.

September 22, 2019

Field Hockey rose as high as #17 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, entering a national ranking for the first time since 2003. After battling #3 Tufts to a tough overtime loss on September 21, Colby hit back the next day with their own OT win against Wesleyan and followed it up with another OT win against Hamilton in their next game.

September 27-29, 2019

Colby hosted the ITA Division III New England Tournament for the first time in program history, welcoming the best tennis players from the region to Mayflower Hill. Senior Scott Altmeyer and first-year Jan Wenger competed for the Mules. "This is such a tough tournament and it was special to have Scott and Jan competing here at home. Both guys left it all on the court," said head tennis coach Adam Reeb.

The women's team also sent athletes to the ITA Regional Tournament (hosted at Middlebury), with Carly Levitz, Crystal Xu, Callie Nesbitt, and Katharine Dougherty all competing. The doubles team of Levitz and Xu advanced to play on Day-2 before exiting the tournament.

Altmeyer ended the fall season ranked #32 in Division III. In March, the men's team hit #37 on the Oracle/ITA national rankings after knocking off then #37 Babson.

October 6, 2019

Colby topped Bowdoin, Bates, and Thomas in the final tournament of the fall, the Colby Classic. With a unique format featuring best ball, scramble, pairs, and alternating hits, the Mules edged the second place Polar Bears by seven shots over 18 holes.

October 20, 2019

At the HEAD OF THE CHARLES, the Women's Collegiate Fours took 12th place out of 36 boats. Only 10 seconds behind Bates, Colby finished as the second NESCAC team, and placing in the top half of the field gave the Mules an automatic entry into next year's race.

November 9, 2019

With the first leg of the CBB in the books (Colby beat Bates 23-20 two weeks prior), the Mules played their first game in program history under the lights in Brunswick, looking for their first back-to-back CBB title in nearly 20 years.

Down 20-34 with 12 minutes to play, the Mules strung together four touchdowns, three by senior Chris George, to shock the Polar Bears and retain the trophy.

November 16, 2019

Men's and Women's Rugby held their final home matches of the year on Seaverns Field. Both games were streamed live on NSNSports for the first time in club history. The men and women also both qualified for USAR Division II regional playoffs, ending the fall with 7-2 records.

The men's club was ranked 7th in the nation by the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO), and ranked second in New England behind only Holy Cross.

November 23, 2019

With the Cross Country teams represented by the NESCAC Champion (Sophia Gorman, center) and a full men's team, Colby runners raced through the mud and rain in Kentucky to take home three All-American medals and a 16th place team result. Tyler Morris finished as the top first-year at the event.

Gorman repeated as NESCAC Performer of the Year when she won the conference meet three weeks before, and Morris earned NESCAC Rookie of the Year.

November 23, 2019

Marking the final Colby-Bowdoin men's and women's hockey games held in the HAAC, Colby put on quite a show. Tickets sold out for the events inside the rink, and overflow was captured through a live feed delivered to a tent set up in the field house.

Colby was victorious in both games.

January 11, 2020

Hosting its HAAC celebration for the final year in the Harold Alfond Athletic Center, Swimming & Diving hosted Middlebury and swept the podium in four of the 32 events. The men's team topped the Panthers for the second straight year, and Addie Paige led the women's team with two individual victories, foreshadowing what was later to come.

At the NESCAC Championships, the men's team placed 5th, tying the best finish in program history (2006 team), and Paige hit the podium twice en route to qualifying for her first NCAA Championship.

February 1, 2020

Men's Ice Hockey beat the Polar Bears in both tries this season, and went undefeated in the match-up the previous three years, making the 2020 senior class the first in history to never lose to Bowdoin, posting a 7-0-1 record over that span.

February 11, 2020

Senior Ainsley Burns became the 19th player in program history to score 1000 points. She hit the mark in her final home game of her career, and followed it up by being named to the MWBCA All-State First Team.

February 22, 2020

In front of a record crowd, Men's Basketball climbed back from a double-digit deficit against Bates in the first-round of the NESCAC Playoffs, winning in triple-OT. The Mules would once again come back from being down late in the semi-finals against Amherst to advance to the program's first-ever conference championship game.

Colby climbed as high as #5 in the country ranked by D3hoops.com, showing up in the nation's top-25 for the first time since 2009-10. With a 24-4 record they earned an NCAA bid for the first time since 1997.

February 22, 2020

High jumper Sharde Johnson jumped 1.78 meters, earning the 8th-best mark in the history of Division III as well as the #1 seed at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Johnson owns the Colby Record for the High Jump, and junior Tanner Burton set the record for 60m Hurdles.

Troy Irvine was named New England Assistant Coach of the year by USTFCCCA.

February 29, 2020

Erin Bianco gained the second step of the podium in the Classic event at the Eastern Regional Championship, vaulting herself into the NCAA Championships as well as the All-East team. Her Mules finished 2nd on the day, tying a program-best result last achieved in 2017.

February 29, 2020

Hosting a first round playoff game for the first time since 2009, Women's Ice Hockey sent Bowdoin packing for a third time this season. Colby reached its highest seeding ever as they entered the tournament ranked #2.

Coach Holley Tyng was named NESCAC Coach of the Year by her peers for guiding the Mules to the most wins since 2007-08.

March 3, 2020

In its lone home game of the year, Men's Lacrosse was firing on all cylinders, topping Husson 27-3. Senior Mason Brady led all scorers with four goals and an assist.

On the season, sophomore Jack Rickards led the Mules with eight goals while senior CJ Hassan and junior Charlie Lynch were tied for second in points with seven each.

March 11, 2020

Senior Sandy Schoepke raced to 11th place at the NCAA Division I Championships Giant Slalom in Montana, missing All-American status by 0.08 seconds. Her result was the best finish for a Mule since All-Americans Mardi Haskell '17 (twice placing 10th) and Sierra Leavitt '15 (placed 9th in 2015).

Colby Skiing (Men's and Women's Alpine and Nordic combined) finished the championships ranked 11th, and only 2nd for Division III schools.

March 12, 2020

Entering the final game of the shortened spring season, Colby and Bowdoin Women's Lacrosse programs shared a special moment for their seniors. Bowdoin finished the season ranked #13 with a 3-1 record, and Colby finished #16 with a 4-2 record.

March 12, 2020

Knowing the spring season would be cut short, Colby and Bowdoin took to the diamond for one game in 2020. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th, the Mules got a 2 RBI walk-off single by senior George Schmidt and sent their seniors home with a miraculous memory.

March 14, 2020

With all of their games cancelled this season, Softball came together on their final day on campus to celebrate two seniors and recognize the massive steps the program has taken over the course of the school year.

ALL-AMERICANS

Senior Georgia Cassidy earned recognition from Synapse Sports as well as Longstreth/NFHCA as a third team selection from both committees.
Senior Sam Jefferson earned Honorable Mention All-America by D3hoops.com as well as making the second team Academic All-America from CoSIDA.
Juniors Eli Decker and Sophia Gorman were joined by first-year Tyler Morris as NCAA Division III All-Americans.
After finishing second and third respectively in the 1650 and 1000 Freestyles, sophomore Addie Paige qualified for the NCAA Championships and earned All-American from the CSCAA.

NESCAC All-Academic Teams

134 student-athletes from the fall and winter seasons were named to the NESCAC All-Academic Teams. Students need to have reached sophomore standing and hold a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher.

Volleyball (70%) led all Colby teams in percentage of eligible athletes selected. Nine Colby teams had a selection rate of 50% or better.

*NESCAC will be naming a Spring All-Academic Team in the coming weeks.

A good coach can change a game. A GREAT coach can change a LIFE.
- John Wooden

NESCAC All-Sportsmanship

15 MULES named to the Fall/Winter NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Teams

  • Charlie Beauregard, Men's Squash
  • Asa Berolzheimer, Men's Soccer
  • Drake Blossfield, Men's Swimming & Diving
  • Logan Clarke, Men's Ice Hockey
  • Steph Fawell, Women's Swimming & Diving
  • Ewan Frick, Men's Cross Country
  • Chris George, Football
  • Shannon Gray, Women's Soccer
  • Meredith Griffin, Women's Cross Country
  • Cassidy Holzer, Women's Ice Hockey
  • Jane MacKerron, Women's Basketball
  • Nicole Petherbridge, Volleyball
  • Sabrina Rabins, Women's Squash
  • Maddie Schoeni, Field Hockey
  • Ty Williams, Men's Basketball

NCAA Championship Qualifiers

Juniors Erin Bianco and Marin Coletta qualified for the NCAA Skiing Championships hosted by Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.
Men's Cross Country finished second at Division III New England Regionals to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships in Lexington, Kentucky.
Junior Colbey Derwin saved his best for last, finishing 8th in the final qualifier and earning a spot in the national event for the first time in his career. He was joined by senior Sandy Schopeke and junior Rosie Hust (below).
Men's Basketball earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 behind its first trip to the NESCAC title game and a 24-3 record.
Sophomore Sharde Johnson earned a trip to the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in North Carolina, entering the event as the top seeded high jumper.
Junior Sophia Gorman defended her NESCAC throne en route to another appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Sophomore Addie Paige earned her first trip to the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina.
First-years Dylan Tymkiw and Mariam Mansoor (below) competed for Colby at the CSA Singles Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Men's Squash rose to #21 in the country while the women elevated to #28.

ALL-NESCAC Selections

12 MULES were named to the Fall/Winter All-NESCAC Teams

  • Ryan Bedell, Men's Swimming & Diving
  • Marcus Bullard, Football
  • Georgia Cassidy, Field Hockey
  • Eli Decker, Men's Cross Country
  • Tess Dupre, Women's Ice Hockey
  • Ethan Fabricant, Men's Soccer
  • Sophia Gorman, Women's Cross Country
  • Sam Jefferson, Men's Basketball
  • Mariam Mansoor, Women's Squash
  • Tyler Morris, Men's Cross Country
  • Addie Paige, Women's Swimming & Diving
  • Dylan Tymkiw, Men's Squash

Sophia Gorman (Women's Cross Country) was NESCAC Champion and named NESCAC Performer of the Year.

Holley Tyng (Head Coach of Women's Ice Hockey) was named NESCAC Coach of the Year.

Will King (Men's Basketball) and Tyler Morris (Men's Cross Country) were named NESCAC Rookie of the Year.

The long-awaited opening of the new athletic center is also upon us. New traditions will be made and old traditions will be carried over.
- Mike Wisecup, Harold Alfond Director of Athletics

PHOTO CONTRIBUTIONS: Jackson Bloch, Alec Chapman '21, Ashley Conti, Dean Dennis, Steve Fuller, RB Klinkenberg '87, Michael Mahar, Dustin Satloff '15, Calvin Wetmore '20