Club Corner: Ice Hockey celebrates seniors in game versus Smith College

By Emily Tarinelli ’25

Sports Editor

Mount Holyoke Ice Hockey skated to a 2-8 loss in its senior game against Smith College on Saturday, Feb. 11. Hosted at Fitzpatrick Skating Rink in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Mount Holyoke friends, families and community members gathered in the stands to support the team as it celebrated its six seniors: Bria Carlson ’23, Ellie Costello ’23, Cal Kern ’23, Greyson Giveans ’23, Helen Roane ’23 and Sophie Soloway ’23. Each senior received gift bags, flowers and a “yoke” themed hockey puck.

Carlson led the Lyons by scoring both of the team’s two points, and she did not hesitate to shout out her other teammates’ performances.

“Evie Zahner ’26 and Leslie Munoz ’26 played a brand new position, as center, and did an amazing job. They were always in the right place at the right time and played so well. On top of that, getting to play with [the] other seniors … was such a special treat,” Carlson said. “I am so proud of everyone.”

“The energy during the whole game was amazing, but right out of the gate, it was such a special moment. The way we beat Smith to pucks and kept passing in the offensive zone was such a rush,” Costello said. “The atmosphere of the game was a little bittersweet as we all started thinking about our time either as seniors or with seniors ending soon, but it was also really exciting and electric. Smith is one of the most evenly-matched teams to us in our league, and we’ve been improving so much during this season that it was exciting to have a solid chance at a win.”

“The last shift of the game was entirely seniors on ice, with the exception of the goalie,” Roane said. “That was an absolute blast.”

Cami Robinson-Parisi ’26 described some of the team’s traditions for keeping each other energized and excited. After the senior game, that energy was amplified, Robinson-Parisi shared.

“At the end of every game, we give affirming shoutouts to each other in the locker room, and [this week’s] post-game shoutouts were not short of praise for our seniors,” they said. “As a freshman, I am very new to this group of people, but the core group of seniors has made such a wonderful and welcoming environment for anyone interested in ice hockey.”

Several seniors reflected on some of their fondest team memories.

“One of my favorite memories on the team has to be driving with everyone in the fleet vans to and from games. I love when everyone gets to all hang out together,” Roane said. “One of my favorite parts of being on the team is getting to know so many new people each year from all different class years. I think it’s awesome that you don’t need any hockey experience to join the team; I’d never played hockey before coming to [Mount Holyoke] and I’m so glad that I joined.”

Costello, a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said, “This team gave me new friends in two schools that I never would’ve met otherwise, and I’m so grateful that Mount Holyoke allowed us to play and that so many people on the team made it so accessible for us. I truly can’t say enough about how much this team means to me.”

“As one of the few players coming onto the team with hockey experience, to see my friends fall in love with the sport I have been playing since I was six has made me love hockey even more. I am so proud of every player that comes onto this team because a majority of them have never played before,  much less knew how to skate, and took everything — the falls, the hits, the gear — in stride with enthusiasm and respect. This team is my family here on campus,” Carlson said.

Mount Holyoke Ice Hockey will conclude its season on Saturday, Feb. 18, in its final game against Wheaton College at Fitzpatrick Skating Rink.

Editor’s Note: Sophie Soloway ’23 and Evie Zahner ’26 are members of Mount Holyoke News.

Squash triumphs over three teams at Vassar College competition

Elba Barra Montgomery ‘23 beat the Wellesley opponents in just three matches at the Seven Sisters Squash Championship, hosted at Vassar College. Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics.

By Lauren Leese ’23

Staff Writer

Mount Holyoke Squash surged to victory against teams from Wellesley College, Smith College and Vassar College on Saturday, Feb. 11 in a tournament held at Vassar College. The weekend’s games brought the Lyons’ record for the season up to 7-12.

First, the Lyons faced off against Smith. In the No. 1 position, Habiba Abouelatta ’26 won the first two games 11-0 and finished off with an 11-1 win. The rest of the team also won all of their matches, with no opponent scoring more than six points before the end of the game. The final result was 9-0 to the Lyons.

Vassar proved to be a tougher opponent, but the Lyons still prevailed with a score of 8-0. Ku Paw ’26 in the No. 3 position and Tina Mei ’26 in No. 4 both lost their first games but came back to win the next three matches and secure their overall victories. In the No. 2 position, Xaria Durocher ’24 won in three matches despite a tough showing from the No. 2 Vassar player that resulted in two of the games going to 12 points instead of the usual 11.

Finally, the Lyons achieved victory over Wellesley with a final score of 8-1. In No. 3, Paw lost the first two games 9-11 and 4-11 but proceeded to come back and defeat the No. 3 Wellesley player in the subsequent three games with scores of 11-3, 11-2 and 11-7. Abouelatta, Dnyaneshwari Haware ’23, Elba Barra Montgomery ’23 and Paige Gershuny ’25 all defeated their Wellesley opponents in only three matches.

Haware drew attention to the historical precedent of this competition. “The Seven Sisters Championship … has been a historical meet for many squash alums,” she said. “MHC has won this 12 times in the past 23 years and after winning it this weekend, we got a lot of congratulations from alums all over the world.”

“This was probably the busiest season post-pandemic and we also played 9 colleges in 9 days in January,” Haware continued. “But squash is a sport that will encourage you to keep working on yourself and teach you that every small thing … can make a big difference. We also have Recreational Squash every Wednesday at 6 or 6:30 p.m. where anyone can come and learn squash or play squash with another person for fun.”

Janiqua Davis ’23 won all three of her matchups against the other colleges’ athletes. “My performance this weekend was phenomenal,” Davis said. “I’m proud of my effort on the court despite [the] injuries I have been managing. I have kept a positive attitude on-and-off court, mentally kept my head in the game and stayed focused.”

Looking towards the College Squash Association Team Championships taking place from Feb. 17-19, Davis emphasized the importance of team spirit, self-care and perseverance. “As a team, we have been working extremely hard on how to support each other and most importantly ourselves in so many ways, both mentally and physically,” she said. “I have recognized that I came a long way to get where I’m at today on and off court … It is not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get back up and can grow through every obstacle.”

Next, Mount Holyoke Squash will head to the College Squash Association Team Championships at the University of Pennsylvania from Feb. 17-19.

Mount Holyoke Basketball falls to the Smith Pioneers 85-24

Basketball captain Marley Berano '25. Image courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics.

By Genevieve Zahner ’26

Staff Writer

Mount Holyoke Basketball went up against nationally-ranked Smith College on Saturday, Jan. 28, ending the game in an 85-24 loss. Captain Marley Berano ’25 was Mount Holyoke’s leading scorer with seven points, while Smith’s leading scorer Morgan Morrison ’23 scored 15 points. 

Many Lyons contributed to Mount Holyoke’s total points, including Kendall Maurer ’26, who made two three-pointers for a combined six points, almost tying with Berano for total points scored. Isabel Cordes ’24 scored five points and collected a team-high of two assists. Taryn White ’26 had 11 rebounds alongside two steals and two points scored. Teal Howle ’24 also scored two points.

In the first period of the game, Smith was able to score six points before Mount Holyoke was put on the board by Maurer’s first three-point shot. Smith secured a hefty lead at 17 points before it was cut to 17-6 by Maurer’s second three-pointer, but another offensive run by Smith put the score at 28-6 by the end of the period.

The Pioneers maintained a steady lead in the second quarter, and with points from Cordes, Howle and White, the Lyons trailed at 39-12 at the half. Smith outscored Mount Holyoke 24-2 in the third quarter to bring the score to 63-14 and started the final quarter with a 49-point lead. Smith scored an additional 22 points before the final buzzer while Mount Holyoke rallied to score 10 more points by Berano, Cordes and Libby Harris ’26. The game ended with a score of 85 points by Smith compared to Mount Holyoke’s 24.

“I was very proud of the way our team relied on and supported each other throughout our game yesterday,” Maddy Duncan ’26 said. “Games like that can make it tough to keep up morale and maintain team spirit, but I think we did a great job of not letting it affect us in that way.”

Harris spoke on the importance of gaining experience as a young team. “As a young team we face adversity and challenges every day,” Harris said. “There have been ups and downs, but these past few games we have really been on an upward trend with three hard games played, [and] we are excited to see what the next few weeks brings for us.” 

Mount Holyoke Basketball has a record of 2-19 so far this season, with a 1-9 record at home and a 1-8 record for away games. The Lyons will compete at Clark University on Saturday, Feb. 4.