Women's Lacrosse Upsets #1 Salisbury, Jumps to #6 in Rankings
The Women's Lacrosse team departed Waterville for the week of spring break with their sights set on two undefeated opponents, #12 Hamilton and #1 Salisbury. Meeting the two in Sparks, Md., the Mules battled both opponents to the end.
Against Hamilton on Thursday, Colby entered the final minute of play down by two goals. With 48 seconds remaining, Elizabeth Hennessey scored to bring the score within one, and with 18 seconds left Annie Eddy scored to tie the game. Appearing as if the battle was headed to overtime, Eliza Dean snuck a shot past the Continental goalie at the buzzer, delivering a 10-9 victory to the Mules.
Two days later, the Mules faced the 2021 National Champion and #1-ranked Salisbury University. With strong first and third quarters, Colby built a 13-8 lead heading into the final 15 minutes. The Sea Gulls proved relentless, owning the board in the final quarter with five unanswered goals to tie the game and force overtime. In the extra frame, Colby goalie Emily Podgorni turned away both Salisbury shots, and Eddy scored her fourth of the match with 20 seconds remaining to deliver the upset.
Colby is 5-1 overall, and undefeated in NESCAC play.
Sophomore defenseman Jack Sullivan was also named to the CCM/AHCA All-America Third Team. He led the Mules in goals and total points and was tied for the team lead in assists.
Both players earned First Team All-NESCAC. They are the first All-Americans for the Men's Ice Hockey program since 2008 when Arthur Fritch and TJ Kelley earned the distinction.
Baseball RED HOT to Start Season
Taking a 5-0 record into the week, the Mules hit a streak of nine straight wins before finding their first setback. Lake Myrtle, Fla. was home to the Colby Baseball team for the week, and the Mules sport a 9-1 record returning to Mayflower Hill and NESCAC play later this week.
With wins over #24 Johns Hopkins (12-7), Elmhurst (12-2), and a two-game sweep over Keuka College (6-3, 11-10), Colby was off to the hottest start in recent memory. Facing the Blue Jays of Johns Hopkins one more time before returning, the Mules suffered their first defeat of the season 12-2.
Colby has several players among the NESCAC statistical leaders. Sophomore Brady O'Brien leads the Mules in many offensive categories. He ranks 3rd in the NESCAC in OPS, 4th in RBI, 8th in Stolen Bases, 9th in Batting Average, and 10th in Runs Scored.
Colby is 9-1 on the season. Conference play begins this Friday as the Mules travel to 11-1 Tufts University for a three-game set.
Men's Tennis 4-0 in California, Women Split, Both Top Caltech
The Men's and Women's Tennis teams spent their spring break playing matches in California, facing Chapman, Occidental, Redlands, and one of the nation's top teams in Caltech. The Beavers of Caltech are ranked #18 for men and #22 for women.
The men's team defeated all four of their opponents on the trip. First-year Jake Cohen won each of his singles matches from the third seed, and sophomore Sam Henry won all four of his matches from the six-spot.
The women's team dropped matches to Chapman and #20 Redlands, but swept Occidental 9-0 and had a thrilling victory in their final match of the trip against Caltech. First-year Caroline Kittle took the deciding match in three sets, tipping the score in favor of the Mules 5-4. Senior Carly Levitz won three of her singles matches on the week from the 1-seed and teamed up with fellow senior Lindsey Hernandez to win three matches in doubles play.
Softball Finds Hot Streak in Florida, Wins Three Straight
The Colby Softball team traveled to Clermont, Fla. for a week packed with games. After falling to tough squads from Wooster, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Grinnell, and MIT, Colby rattled off three straight victories against Carleton, Buffalo State, and the College at Old Westbury. Four of Colby's five losses on the week came by two runs or less.
Logan Luebbe batted .417 across nine games for the Mules over the week. She had nine RBI, scored four runs, and smacked a double in a win over Old Westbury. Luebbe also hit her first home run of the season in a win over Wellesley.
Abby Orso appeared in the circle for the Mules five times, surrendering four earned runs over 20.1 innings. She walked only three while striking out 27, and held her opponents scoreless against Wellesley and Carleton. At the plate, the sophomore collected six hits, including a 4-4 performance against Old Westbury.
Colby is now 6-7 on the season and faces a few more in-state opponents this week before seeing Bates on April 8th for their first taste of NESCAC competition.
Track & Field Shifts Outdoors, Competes at Emory
After a lengthy indoor season, the Men's and Women's Track & Field teams traveled to Atlanta, Ga. to welcome the outdoor season.
The women's team came in second out of 24 teams at the Emory Invitational. The Mules held down the first, second, or third step of the podium in eight events, including four gold medals.
- Sade Greenidge - 1st 100m, 1st 200m
- Sharde Johnson - 1st High Jump
- Lily Matson - 1st Triple Jump
- Fiona Mejico - 2nd 400m Hurdles
- Christina Speliakos - 3rd 110m Hurdles
- Erin Daugherty - 3rd 400m Hurdles
- 4x100 Relay - 2nd Place
The Men's Team placed 9th out of 23 teams at Emory. Podium performances came from Tanner Burton (2nd in 110m Hurdles, 3rd in 400m Hurdles) and Ren Zanze (2nd in 400m).
Colby opens outdoor competition in Maine next weekend at Bates.
Breaking into Top-20, Mules Stay North for Break
After upsetting then-#9 Wesleyan a week ago, the Mules opened the week with USA Lacrosse recognizing Colby in the nation's top-20 at #19.
Staying north for spring break, the Mules traveled to Williamstown Tuesday for a makeup game against the Ephs. Williams was hot right out of the gate, turning a 10-3 lead at halftime into a 19-10 victory. Senior Jack Rickards led Colby with three goals on the afternoon.
Hosting Hamilton College on Saturday, the Mules and the Continentals both played strong defense the entire match, resulting in nine goals collectively. Behind 24 saves by the Hamilton goalkeeper, the Continentals edged out the Mules for a 7-2 victory. First-year Will Rickards tallied 12 saves in his first collegiate start for Colby.
Colby is now 2-3 on the season, good for eighth in the NESCAC.
Special thank you to the photographers who helped make this production possible: Tom Bartol, Joe Bianco P22, Cole Burkhart '24, Steve Cheney P25, Nancy Dauphinais '25, Paula Dauphinais '25, Gabe Dickens, Jamie Fiedorek '25, Steve Fuller @flyingpoint, Michael Garrett P23, Michael Maher, Anna Patten '23, Dustin Satloff '15, Ellie Sawyer P25, Aicha Thiero '24, Ben Wheeler