BY KARI FOSSUM ’20
Spanning six sports, Mount Holyoke’s club athletics have a definite presence on campus. Club-level teams include the dressage and western riding teams, ice hockey, fencing, rugby and ultimate frisbee. Each team competes regionally, often against the same schools that Mount Holyoke varsity athletics competes against, but club sports differ from varsity and NCAA athletics in several ways.
BY KARI FOSSUM ’20
Both students and athletes have been curious about the foods that will be offered at the Blanchard Community Center following the completion of its construction. Richard Perna, director of Dining Services at Mount Holyoke, currently oversees the day-to-day operations of every dining hall on campus. Less visible is the task that is extremely important to Perna: feeding the athletes on Mount Holyoke’s 13 varsity sports teams. As he oversees the dining experience, Perna is looking to expand and improve the ways that Dining Services feeds the athletic department.
BY KARI FOSSUM ’20
The holiday season is fast approaching, and for the first time, the athletic department has put together a holiday store stocked with items from Mount Holyoke sponsor Adidas. The store includes cold weather options such as sweatshirts, hats and blankets, as well as polos and T-shirts for the warmer months. While the apparel options do seem small, Athletics is attempting to offer the community exclusive apparel typically only available to athletes. Jamesa Allen ’19, who plays for the Volleyball team, said that while the selection seems, “limited...it is all very cute!”
BY LEXI LOBDELL ’20
When Andy Whitcomb took over the Mount Holyoke field hockey team in 1998, the team was last-place in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), having won only five games in five years. Fast forward to 2017, Whitcomb’s team has an impressive resume featuring multiple NEWMAC championships and NCAA tournament appearances.
BY LEXI LOBDELL ’20
The Mount Holyoke Lyons hosted the Babson College Beavers in their final game of the season. On Saturday, Oct. 28, the Lyons took on a tough competitor. The Lyons took an early lead in the first half of the game, and at the 13-minute mark, forward Minerva Veeser-Bobea ’20 drove past Babson defenders and fired the ball into the back of the net off a pass from Sara Sanaú Ruiz ’18. However, the Beavers rallied in the final six minutes of the game. Maggie McCabe executed a perfect corner kick pass to Julia Lindsay, who headed the ball into the Lyons’ goal. Babson seized the lead off another pass from McCabe to junior Jessica DeLuca for a scrappy goal, scoring two goals to take the 2-1 win.
BY LEXI LOBDELL ’20
Recent scandals involving the NCAA and Adidas brand have raised questions about Mount Holyoke’s partnership with Champion’s Choice, the number one exclusive Adidas team dealer in the U.S. According to the New York Times, Adidas has bribed high school students and families with sums as much as $100,000 to commit to the specific Adidas-sponsored schools. Both Leila Kouakou ’18 and Indra Rapinchuk-Souccar ’20 have concerns with the college’s partnership. While both athletes like Adidas as a brand, they agree that Mount Holyoke’s partnership with Champion’s Choice raises ethical concerns. Kouakou said, “I believe that [the federal investigation with Adidas and the NCAA] goes strongly against the NEWMAC [New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference] and Mount Holyoke’s treasured policies.”
BY JOY MARAN ‘19 AND DEYSCHA SMITH ’19
A controversial movement that began with Colin Kaepernick, former NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, in 2016 is now happening here at Mount Holyoke. Kaepernick is the first professional athlete to kneel during the national anthem with a mission to bring awareness and confront racial police brutality in the United States. He and many of his fellow professional athletes who have decided to kneel have been criticized by fans and sports businessesmen alike. However, Kaepernick’s movement is building momentum as it permeates into the National Hockey League (NHL) and college teams including those at Mount Holyoke.
BY LEXI LOBDELL ’20
Over the past few weeks, scandals involving the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Adidas brand have erupted. Federal investigators are investigating many division one NCAA schools for alleged briberies. Mount Holyoke athletics is partnered with Champion’s Choice and is supplied Adidas apparel.
BY KARI FOSSUM '21
The Mount Holyoke field hockey team competed against their latest — and perhaps greatest — rival of the 2017 season: Babson College Beavers, currently ranked second in the nation on Saturday, Sept. 30. Despite an overcast sky and temperatures dipping into the 40s, Mount Holyoke fans, from parents and four-legged family members to the entire Mount Holyoke lacrosse team, came out to support MHC field hockey.
BY EMILY BLOMQUIST ’18 AND LINDSEY MCGINNIS ’18
At their first New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game, the Mount Holyoke field hockey team beat the Clark University Cougars in a landslide win of 6-1 on Saturday, Sept. 16. The last time the team played Clark, a year ago, MHC won 5-1.
BY EMILY BLOMQUIST ’18
Seth Hussey:
Previously the boathouse manager and novice rowing coach at Wellesley College, Hussey joins the Mount Holyoke athletic department as a lecturer in physical education and the head rowing coach. Prior to his time at Wellesley College, Hussey was the women’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Bates College and Hamilton College.
BY LEXI LOBDELL ’20
Mount Holyoke Soccer hosted Southern Vermont College, rallying during the second half of the game to take the 2-1 win on Saturday, Sept. 9. Southern Vermont took a lead when senior midfielder Paige Vitale ’18 shot the ball past MHC goalie Amanda Manster ’19 with 8:37 remaining in the half.
BY ANNA BALLOU ’20
On Saturday, Mount Holyoke Lacrosse kept a packed crowd on its feet during a competitive game against NEWMAC rival Wellesley College. A second half comeback effort by the Lyons tied the game with 8:56 left to play. The match featured goals from five different Mount Holyoke players and a solid performance from starting keeper Isa Rodriguez ’17. The Lyons came out on top in most aspects of the game, as they held a 34-22 shot advantage and bested Wellesley 29-26 in ground ball recoveries. Mount Holyoke also saw a 10-8 edge in draw controls, featuring five different players. At the end of the competition, Wellesley bested Mount Holyoke, 9-8.
