Mule Weekly Recap October 31, 2022

Cross Country Takes the Course at NESCAC Championships

Hosted at Hamilton College, the Men's and Women's Cross Country teams challenged the best in the NESCAC this weekend. Behind two All-NESCAC performances (Tyler Morris, Ben Mellor), the Men's team finished second behind Williams, posting their best finish since 2014. Narrowly missing a repeat of his 2021 performance (1st place in 2021), Tyler Morris was neck and neck with Elias Lindgren of Williams for most of the race before settling for second in the field of 156 athletes.

• 2 - Tyler Morris
• 12 - Ben Mellor
• 30 - Liam Carcich
• 31 - James Boyle
• 36 - Chris Gould

The Women's team finished 10th with their top performance coming from Claire Beebe in 38th out of 145 competitors. Williams won the women's meet as well with three racers in the top-5.

• 38 - Claire Beebe
• 48 - Abby Steffler
• 55 - Meghan Garrett
• 56 - Jenna Denaver
• 77 - Leah Loetman

Both squads will next target the NCAA East Regional Championship hosted by Bowdoin College on November 12th.

Mules Almost Make it Three In a Row, Middlebury Slips Past

Led by a defense that allowed only six points and 125 yards in the first 52 minutes of play, Colby narrowly missed coming away with a victory in Middlebury on Saturday. The Mules jumped in front for a 10-3 halftime lead, but Middlebury's aggressive offense caught up down the stretch to pull out a victory in front of a Homecoming crowd.

Both of Colby's touchdowns came from the backfield, as Donovan Ganges plunged in from four yards out in the second quarter, and Keon Smart collected a screen from quarterback Matt Hersch and took it 37 yards to put the Mules in front 17-13 with four minutes remaining. A 75-yard drive in the final minutes pushed the Panthers in front for good 20-17.

Jack Sawyer tallied career-highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (139) in Saturday's battle at Middlebury. Collecting 110 yards in the first half, the sophomore wide receiver now has 18 receptions for 256 yards in the last two games. Ganges carried a career-high 19 times for 69 yards and the score. Julian Young tallied 13 tackles and recorded his first sack of the season. He currently ranks second in the NESCAC for tackles (two behind Tony Hooks of Bates). Nick Donatio (photo right) collected his third interception of the season.

Colby is now 4-3 in the NESCAC with two more weeks remaining. The Mules host Tufts (4-3) on Saturday for their final home game before heading to Bowdoin on November 12 for the season finale.

Volleyball Claims 8th Seed for Playoffs

The Colby Volleyball team closed out the regular season this weekend with home matches against Williams and Amherst. The Mules fell to both visitors in straight sets, but have their sights set on the postseason for the first time since 2015.

LJ Grant collected 13 kills across the pair of matches, followed closely by Sydney Bopp and Hannah Wyllie with 11 apiece. Grant also led the way with four aces and 24 digs, while Wyllie was a force at the net with three blocks.

Volleyball ends the regular season with a 14-8 overall record, 4-6 in conference play. No. 8 Colby will match up against tournament hosts No. 1 seeded Wesleyan on Friday to start round one of the playoffs.

Before Friday night's match, the Mules honored their two seniors Sam Schultz and Natalie Bumpus.

Crew Races in CBB Regatta

Colby hosted Bates and Bowdoin on Messalonskee Lake in Sidney for the CBB Regatta. Both the men's and women's Varsity 8 crews showed good performance and finished the fall season strong. Concluding the fall season, the Mules look to the spring season to get back on the water.

Colby will resume the 2022-23 racing season in April.

Women's Soccer Concludes Season with Tie Against Bates

The Women's Soccer team finished the season with a 1-1 draw against rival Bates College. After neither team could find the back of the net in the first half, the Bobcats took a 0-1 lead late during the 82nd minute. The Mules tallied the equalizer moments later when Kaleigh Quinn crossed the ball into the box onto Sophie Webb's foot. MK Marshall finished with five saves in net.

Webb finished the season tied for the team-lead in goals with five.

The Mules finish with 5-9-1 record on the season.

Colby Falls to Bates 0-1 in Season Finale

The Men's Soccer team battled against rival Bates College on Mayflower Hill for a chance to play in the conference tournament with a win. The Mules got off to a good start tallying six shot attempts to the Bobcats three in the first half but the score remained 0-0 going into the half.

Knowing a tie would not secure the postseason birth, Colby played aggresively on the front end of the field, producing 13 corner kicks and multiple chances in the box. With 15 minutes remaining in the match Bates played the spoiler, notching a goal to push in front 1-0. The Mules tallied seven shots in the second half, but it was not enough to capitalize.

Colby finishes the season with a 4-4-7 overall record.

Field Hockey Falls in Finale to Bates

The Colby Field Hockey team took on rival Bates College in a night game to finish their 2022 season. Bates jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Pernilla Shaw cut the lead in half for the Mules after securing a tip in from a Jackie Mortell pass. Despite Mortell tallying a goal of her own (first of the season), the Bobcats finished on top 6-2.

The Mules finish with a 6-9 season record.