By Emily Tarinelli ’25
Staff Writer
Cross Country
Mount Holyoke College Cross Country continued their season on Saturday, Oct. 30 in the New England Women and Men’s Athletic Conference Championships at the Nehoiden Golf Club in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The Lyons finished fourth out of 11 teams with a score of 91 points. Massachusetts Institute of Technology took first place with 34 points, Wellesley College grabbed second place with 63 points and Smith College finished in third place with 79 points.
The championship marked the first time in Mount Holyoke history that four runners — Lauren Selkin ’23, Madeline Rieders ’22, Hannah Rieders ’22 and Simone Jacob ’22 — earned All-Conference Honors by finishing in the top 17. With a time of 22:15.50, Selkin topped first for the Lyons with a fourth place individual finish overall, followed by Madeline Rieders in 10th, Hannah Rieders in 13th and Jacob in 17th.
Selkin said the Lyons ran in packs to keep each other motivated. “We were very aware of our competition and strategized to be in the best position as possible to score well,” she said.
Cross Country Head Coach Chris Kibler said he “was proud of the team’s bravery and belief in themselves” during the competition. “The team as [a] whole has made very evident improvements in our strategy, mindset and course execution with each meet,” he added.
The Lyons will round out the season with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Regional Championships at Harkness Memorial State Park in Connecticut and the NCAA Division III Championships at Tom Sawyer State Park in Kentucky. Kibler described these meets as the “most important” competitions that the team has been “truly working for.”
Volleyball
Mount Holyoke College Volleyball finished off their season on Saturday, Oct. 30 with a 3-0 shutout loss to Emerson College at home. The set scores were 25-22, 25-16 and 25-19.
The Lyons performed 29 kills in total, led by Sarah Bishop ’22 and Marion Abeja ’23, who each captured seven kills. Also contributing to the total kills were Brayden Walden ’22, Gabi Davis ’22, Mar Simon ’23, McKenna Crosby ’23 and Willet Parkins ’25. Bishop, Chelsea Galicia ’22 and Lucie Berclaz ’25 also performed 13, 16 and seven digs, contributing to the team total of 49.
“I think our team succeeded in a lot of different areas this year,” Berclaz said. “We were able to move past any and all mistakes we made on the court, and continue to fight in each and every game we played.”
Iyana Alleyne ’22, Bishop, Davis, Galicia and Walden were all honored in their senior match against Lasell University on Thursday, Oct. 28. The team’s overall record for the 2021 season was 4-17.