Ski Racing is the only sport sponsored by NCAA that combines four separate varsity programs on the same result page. The Men's and Women's Alpine programs team up with the Men's and Women's Nordic programs, adding competition points together for one final score and a Carnival Champion each week. Having both Alpine and Nordic back in action for the first time in the last two years spurred great results for the Mules, as Colby finished their home carnival 5th (behind UVM, Dartmouth, Middlebury, UNH) out of the 14 competing institutions.
Friday marked the Giant Slalom for the Alpine team at Sugarloaf, and despite heavy fog delaying AND RELOCATING the start, the Mules toed the wand as aggressive as ever. Colby placed three men in the top-16 en route to a 4th place finish, ahead of Division I powers UVM and Dartmouth. The women had three finishers in the top-30, good for ninth place out of the 13 teams.
MEN'S GS RESULTS
- Tucker Strauch 14th
- Chauncey Morgan 15th
- Patrick Coughlin 16th
WOMEN'S GS RESULTS
- Cassie Lieblein 17th
- Charlotte Maurer 22nd
- Rylee McCormack 29th
The Slalom event was originally scheduled for Saturday, but wind gusts up to 80mph (as well as extreme temps and wind chill) forced the league to delay until Sunday. The Mules waited patiently, and then came out charging. Strauch bettered his Friday finish by two places, coming in 12th, and guiding his team to a 7th place finish. Meagan Olsen had a collegiate best 14th place finish as the women placed 6th.
MEN'S SL RESULTS
- Tucker Strauch 12th
- Patrick Coughlin 33rd
- Jack Schaede 43rd
WOMEN'S SL RESULTS
- Meagan Olsen 14th
- Annaliese Fleck 20th
- Cassie Lieblein 28th
The Nordic Ski Team hosted their events at Quarry Road right off the edge of campus. Friday's 20k Freestyle proved to be a monumental step in the evolution of Nordic ski racing, as the men and women tackled the same distance in an event for the first time on the Eastern circuit. Normally the women have a shorter distance.
We were extremely excited to be back with our competitors Friday for an incredible 20k Mass Start race. We got off to a great start for the year, but making this weekend extra special was hosting the first EISA equal-distance races, with the women skiing the same distance as the men. All of the women in the EISA showed there is no reason for there to be any other race format, and it's exciting to have our carnival be part of that history.
Tracey Cote - Head Nordic Ski Coach
The Mules posted four men and four women in the top-30 respectively, led by Erin Bianco in 9th. Both squads finished 5th on the day.
MEN'S Freestyle RESULTS
- Foss Kerker 16th
- Victor Sparks 22nd
- Cooper Anderson 24th
- Jack Young 25th
WOMEN'S Freestyle RESULTS
- Erin Bianco 9th
- Gretta Scholz 12th
- Lili Baer 25th
- Sophia Gorman 29th
The freezing temperatures on Saturday first delayed the start of the classic race, and when temps did not improve the race was tabled for a future weekend.
With a Depleted Bench, Men's Ice Hockey Defends Home Ice
Delaying a Friday-Saturday series one day due to COVID, the Mules had a thin bench (dressing 15 skaters). Facing Trinity Saturday, Colby came out of the gate with energy and speed, scoring one minute into play and never looking back. With four different goal scorers, the Mules topped the Bantams 4-2.
Hosting the Wesleyan Cardinals Sunday, one might expect Colby to be tired, perhaps on the verge of exhaustion. Finding strength from every corner of the locker room, the Mules were able to hold off a talented Cardinal team, outskating their visitors to the tune of 4-1.
*Scoring two goals on Sunday, sophomore Jack Sullivan leads the NESCAC in points per game with 1.71, and also leads the nation in ppg for a defenseman.
Colby is now 7-3 overall and ranks second in the NESCAC.
#10 Colby Tops Cardinals 2-1
In their lone game in 17 days, the Mules topped the Cardinals 2-1 behind a brilliant game in net by Nina Prunster. The goalkeeper tallied 26 saves, including 13 in the third period, and defended the late Wesleyan onslaught as the visitors peppered the goal with an extra skater for the final two minutes. The victory brings Prunster's record to 6-1 and drives her save percentage to .971, tops in the NESCAC.
McKinley Karpa's goal in the first period put the Mules out ahead, and Tate Senden's tally in the second gave Colby the much-needed cushion. Despite a third period Cardinal score, the Mules held on for the victory 2-1.
Colby is now 8-1, ranked 3rd in NESCAC.
Women's Track Wins Wheaton Invitational, Men 3rd.
Heading out of the state for its first competition in almost two years, the Women's Track & Field team brought home an impressive victory at the Wheaton Invitational. The Mules had individual winners in six of the 15 events and swept the podium in the 500 Meters as well as the Triple Jump. All-American high jumper Sharde Johnson not only secured victory in the High Jump, but she also collected the top step in the Triple Jump.
The men's team finished third behind Bridgewater State and WPI. Their top event on the day was the 1000 Meter, where Colby held 2nd (Liam Carcich), 3rd (Nick Peterson), and 4th (JT Munz).
Squash Takes on Hobart-William Smith, Amherst
Hosting Amherst Tuesday and Hobart on Saturday, the Men's Squash team was able to find a split. Despite falling to the Mammoths 2-7, Colby bounced back to defeat Hobart 7-2 on Saturday. Jonathan Sosa Uranga and Ryan Santoro each won both of their matches on the week.
A strong Amherst team was able to outlast the Women's team on Tuesday (0-9), but Colby was almost able to recover Sunday hosting William Smith. With victories from Andrea Lee, Mackenzie O'Shea, and Stephanie Keane, the Mules fell to the Herons 3-6.
Bobcats Top Mules in Men's and Women's Dual Meet
Despite six event winners, the Men's Swimming & Diving team fell to the visiting Bates Bobcats 126-168.
MEN'S EVENT WINNERS
- 1000yd Freestyle - Anthony Minickiello
- 200yd Freestyle - John Connors
- 200yd Backstroke - Spencer Cohen
- 500yd Freestyle - Niels Wu
- 1Meter Dive - Ivan Knoepflmacher
- 3Meter Dive - Ivan Knoepflmacher
Addie Paige and Eleanor McGrath led the women's team, winning two events each, but the strong Bates team pulled away winning 11 of the 16 events.
WOMEN'S EVENT WINNERS
- 100yd Freestyle - Addie Paige
- 200yd IM - Addie Paige
- 50yd Freestyle - Ann Tolan
- 1Meter Dive - Eleanor McGrath
- 3Meter Dive - Eleanor McGrath
Women's Basketball Runs into Tough Middlebury/Williams Teams
Colby has been enjoying a phenomenal start to the season, including a league win in their first conference game of the year last weekend. Hitting the road for their first NESCAC battles, the Mules ran into hot teams from Middlebury and Williams.
Against Middlebury on Friday, Keagan Dunbar returned to action to sink 19 points, her highest tally of the season. Chiamaka Ubani posted her second career double-double (first came last year against Bates). Unfortunately the Panthers pulled ahead late to issue Colby a 77-65 defeat.
Visiting Williams College on Sunday, the Ephs grabbed the momentum from the start and never looked back, outrunning the Mules 73-45. Colby's Adaobi Nebuwa scored in double-digits for the third time in the last four games.
Colby is now 9-4 on the season, ranking 8th in the NESCAC.
Panthers/Ephs Top Mules
Going up against reigning NESCAC Player of the Week Alex Sobel from Middlebury, the Mules did their best to combat Middlebury's size with speed. Staying within reach in the first half, Colby couldn't stay connected in the second half. Despite the Panthers only connecting on five three-pointers, Middlebury was able to outlast Colby underneath (out-rebounding the Mules 39-24) to the tune of a 81-66 victory.
Saturday the Mules came out aggressive against Williams, taking a three-point lead into halftime. In the second half, the Ephs connected on 55% of its shots and went 7-8 from the free throw line to escape with a 74-58 win.
Colby is now 7-8, ranking 10th in the NESCAC.
Special thank you to the photographers who helped make this production possible: Tom Bartol, Cole Burkhart '24, Steve Cheney P25, Nancy Dauphinais '25, Paula Dauphinais '25, Jamie Fiedorek '25, Steve Fuller @flyingpoint, Michael Garrett P23, Michael Maher, Anna Patten '23, Ellie Sawyer P25, Aicha Thiero '24, Ben Wheeler