Tennis opens spring season, beats American International College

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics.
Shweta Kiran Cavale ’23 defeated her American International College opponents in both her doubles matches and her singles matches on Feb. 25.

By Lauren Leese ’23

Staff Writer

Mount Holyoke Tennis launched its spring season with a match against American International College on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Lyons defeated the Yellow Jackets 6-3, obtaining three of their points by default. A second game against Eastern Nazarene College was originally scheduled for the same day but was postponed.

In the No. 1 doubles match, AIC bested Annika Chai ’25 and Jaskirat Kaur ’26 with a score of 8-3. The No. 2 doubles match saw Shweta Kiran Cavale ’23 and Cal Smith ’26 score an 8-3 victory over the Yellow Jackets. The No. 3 match defaulted to the Lyons.

Kiran Cavale and Smith both won their singles matches, with Kiran Cavale scoring 7-5 and 6-1, and Smith scoring 6-1 and 6-2. Chai’s and Kaur’s singles matches went to a third round, where their AIC opponents secured victory.

Smith spoke about the atmosphere of the competition, and how even the Lyons who couldn’t play due to a lack of opponents brought team spirit to the game.

“Tennis is often regarded as a quiet sport, but there is nothing like the feeling of your team cheering you on after a good point,” Smith said. “Kate Vavra [’26], whose match was unfortunately forfeited by AIC, really led the team in energy, bringing pom poms and her always impressive team spirit. The whole team brought an amazing energy that I was proud to be a part of.”

Kiran Cavale expressed optimism about the competitions ahead. “Initially, I was quite nervous to come back after the off-season to play a match but I think it went much better than I anticipated,” she said. “The team has been working very hard during the practice and I believe that everyone is very committed to helping us have an amazing season.”

Mount Holyoke Tennis will compete in their next match at Bates College on March 15.

Club Corner: Fencing team competes in NEIFC championships

Photos courtesy of Qiao Se Ong ’25.
Left: Mount Holyoke Fencing competed in the NEIFC championships on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Wellesley. Right: Sabreist Danyah Shaikh ’25, above, scored against Boston University at the NEIFC championship.

By Genevieve Zahner ’26

Staff Writer

Mount Holyoke Fencing competed in the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Championship hosted by Wellesley College on Saturday, Feb. 25. The team competed in all three weapons, including épée, sabre and foil. 

“This was the first competition of this semester, and it was definitely a great way to start our spring season,” Co-Captain and Sabre Weapon Head Eli Gerbi ’25 said. “I know I was able to execute skills that I couldn’t last year and beat people I wouldn’t have been able to even a semester ago. I also saw some definite improvements in other members of my squad, and many of the errors that we had worked so hard to correct were minimal or nonexistent. Everyone was ‘fencing smart,’ and that alone is a huge thing that says so much about this ability to adapt, learn and stay confident on [the] strip.”

Gerbi spoke about the admirable performance of many team members who only learned to fence this year.

“We have a very young team right now. Around half of them only started fencing in the fall of 2022 or later, and have put in so much effort, time and work to get where they are today,” Gerbi said. “For some of them, this was their first tournament, and for most of them, it was only their second or third. The environment of a tournament can be hard to get used to, but they all did such a great job staying calm, adapting to other fencers and referees and supporting each other.”

Competing in the Senior Team Women’s Foil event, Mount Holyoke was represented by Halina Smolen ’26, Lauren Macias Severino ’25 and Catalina Dippel ’25. In the initial pool round, the foilists had 17 victories and 114 touches scored. Their performance led them to place 15th, beating the University of Rhode Island and the University of Massachusetts.

Mount Holyoke’s fencers competing in the Senior Team Women’s Épée event were Maya Frey ’23, Ruth Pelligrino ’24 and Rebecca Moberg ’26. The épéeists won 11 bouts and scored 109 touches in the pool round and went on to place 15th, winning against Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Boston University.

The Senior Team Women’s Sabre event was completed by Gerbi, Danyah Shaikh ’25 and Qiao Se Ong ’25. In pools, the sabreists won 20 bouts and scored 146 touches. They then placed 10th out of 17 teams, above Smith College and trailing Stony Brook University.

 “As a whole, both my squad and the team put up some really good performances and everyone came home with at least one bout they were proud of,” Gerbi said. “I am so proud of my team and my squad for what they did and have done this year.”

Major renovations approved for varsity weight room

Photo courtesy of Emily Tarinelli ’25.
The varsity weight room in Kendall Sports and Dance Complex, above, will undergo major renovations in summer 2023 and will be done on Aug. 15.

By Emily Tarinelli ’25

Sports Editor

Kendall Sports and Dance Complex is ready to boost its game. After months of student-driven planning and advocacy, the Mount Holyoke Board of Trustees has approved a renovation of the building’s varsity weight room. The renovations will begin in late May or early June and are slated to be ready for occupancy on Aug. 15, 2023, when fall sports athletes return to campus for their pre-seasons.

The idea to upgrade the varsity weight room, affectionately nicknamed the Lyons’ Den by student-athletes, has been around for years, Mount Holyoke Strength and Conditioning Coach Jay Mendoza said. Months ago, members of the Mount Holyoke Student-Athlete Advisory Committee drafted a letter to the College’s Interim President Beverly Daniel Tatum proposing the renovations. This month, four SAAC members with key roles in putting together the proposal — Chair Emily Mock ’24 of the basketball team, Vice Chair Shannon Breen ’24 of the soccer team, and Treasurer Lucie Berclaz ’25 of the volleyball team and Rachel Katzenberg ’25 of the field hockey team — then presented the letter to Tatum during her office hours. The Board of Trustees accepted it soon after.

Mendoza explained that while the current Lyons’ Den is a great space to train, it nonetheless has its shortcomings that keep athletes from training at their best.

“The low ceilings are definitely a big problem, especially when we’re doing more power movements with our athletes — like different vertical jumps and stuff like that. It could definitely be a hazard for some of our taller friends, in volleyball or wherever, who are kind of limited with how high they can jump,” he said. “And then there’s some other small things like the lack of wall space. On every wall, there’s a mirror, there’s pipes … and for us, we do a lot of mobility drills. We would like to [be able to] throw [medicine] balls against the walls for our power development.” That can’t happen with obstructed walls, he added.

While concept designs for the Lyons’ Den renovation have yet to be generated, Mendoza emphasized that “the plan is to be as open and upfront about this project as we can be.” The Lyons’ Den, which is currently located on the basement floor of Kendall, is set to be moved up by the fieldhouse on the main level, right next to the indoor track. At present, there is a smaller, makeshift varsity weight room housed in one of the racquetball courts, which sit directly across from the track. After knocking out the middle wall, the new Lyons’ Den will take up the area of these racquetball courts and absorb the smaller weight room.

Mendoza said that with a new Lyons’ Den, the Athletic and Physical Education department will be able to provide student-athletes with “a much more well-rounded program,” especially for sports whose training requires speed, agility, running and plyometrics.

“I’m definitely excited to be upstairs by the fieldhouse because I’d love to be able to incorporate more sprints and cardio into my workouts,” Katzenberg said. “It’s easy to lift weights when you’re rested, but it’s a lot harder when your legs are tired and you’ve just done a sprint, and that’s when the real improvement happens.”

Mendoza also added that the new facilities would help bolster recruitment efforts, enabling Mount Holyoke to compete with the other teams in its conference and attract more prospective student-athletes.

“We are very excited for this project. The change of location will allow for greater flexibility in training programs,” Director of Athletics Dr. Jodi Canfield said. “The overall student-athlete experience will become more pleasant in general. Working out in a basement is kind of a downer; and a lighter, brighter space with a user-friendly ceiling and better flooring is what is desired. Moving this space is the first step in the overall locker room project, which will benefit the entire community who uses Kendall.”

Katzenberg spoke about the significance of having an improved weight room, emphasizing the student-athletes’ involvement in the process.

“It’s important to show student-athletes that our voices do matter and that our voices can fully make a difference. So when the renovations got approved, it really solidified that we, as student-athletes, can make a difference in our lives right now,” she said. “Secondly, we want to compete with the best right now. And by having a new, renovated Lyons’ Den, we can push our bodies to our limits and really get stronger physically and mentally.”

“This was driven by student-athletes. It was their voice that really made the change,” Mendoza said. “Without them, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Cara Murphy ’14 promoted from assistant to head rowing coach

By Lauren Leese ’23

Staff Writer

For the Mount Holyoke rowing team, the new semester brought a new head coach: Cara Murphy ’14, who had worked with the team as an assistant coach since 2018. Murphy succeeds former Head Coach Seth Hussey, who left the role after six seasons.

Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Murphy played several different sports growing up, including baseball and soccer. In the ninth grade, she started rowing and discovered a new passion.

“[Rowing] kind of … took over my life,” she said.

During her time at Mount Holyoke, Murphy was a member of the rowing team for four years, and she still looks back on her student-athlete experience as one of her greatest achievements. “I’m really proud of my time that I was here and the stuff that I did,” she said. One of her best memories was of the 2014 Eastern College Athletic Conference National Invitational Collegiate Regatta, where the Lyons went head-to-head with a Smith College boat and won. “They talk about the ‘flow state’ in sports … performing beyond what you can normally do,” Murphy said. “It just happened to be a race where everything worked in the boat … they got off ahead, and we caught them by the end. They had no idea we were coming.”

Murphy initially planned to become a professor but discovered her passion for coaching when she got a summer job coaching a master’s rowing team. “It’s a great way to stay connected to your sport,” Murphy said. “When you become a student of your sport, you just learn to enjoy it so much more.” 

After graduating from Mount Holyoke, Murphy earned a Master of Science in Sports and Exercise Studies at Smith College. Her first coaching job following completion of the master’s program was at Colgate University, where she worked for two years until she received a call from then-Rowing Head Coach Seth Hussey. “He was looking for an assistant, and somebody suggested to him that he call me,” Murphy said. “He was … sort of starting [the rowing program] over, and it just seemed like a really interesting project to come and join and be able to give back to my alma mater.”

Regarding the transition from assistant to head coach, Murphy said, “It’s kind of like …  when you have a birthday and you’re a year older, but you really don’t feel any older.” However, she also mentioned the increased freedom she now has to make decisions as head coach. “When I sit and think about what I want to do, I actually get to do it instead of having to run it by somebody and say, ‘Hey, well, how would you think about this?’ I just run it by myself.”

Furthermore, Murphy spoke about the unique experience of coaching at her alma mater. “I think that the student-athletes at Mount Holyoke are some of the most interesting people,” she said. “It’s never a dull day because you get challenged intellectually … I have to dig into my fount of knowledge and explain [the] why, the what and [the] how. And that makes me better at what I do.”

Throughout her transition from student to assistant coach to head coach, representing Mount Holyoke has remained at the forefront of Murphy’s mind. “I want [the graduates of the rowing program] to be really good representatives of Mount Holyoke … and also be proud to have them as kind of teammates by association. So yeah, it’s a big responsibility. But it’s so cool,” Murphy said. “You’re once a rower, but you’re always a teammate.”

When asked about her coaching achievements, Murphy again turned it back to the athletes, giving them the credit for the team’s accomplishments. “I kind of show you the path and tell you how to do it, [but] I’m not the one rowing the race,” she said. “[I ask], ‘did I set them up for success?’ And I think for the most part, any boat that I put out there, I’m proud of what they were able to do.”

Looking to the future, Murphy expressed her excitement at being able to continue improving the team even after her collegiate athlete career ended. “It’s an opportunity that so few people have, to be able to come back and work for your alma mater,” Murphy said. “One of the things that I found in my head while I was a rower was this idea of leaving the team in a better spot than when you found it … And I think I did that, and now I just get to keep doing it, which is just so cool … I’m super humbled by the opportunity.”

Mount Holyoke swimming and diving finishes in eighth in NEWMAC championship

By Genevieve Zahner ’26

Staff Writer

Mount Holyoke Swimming and Diving competed in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Championship this weekend, coming in eighth place out of 10 teams and beating Smith College and Clark University. The meet started on Thursday, Feb. 16, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and finished on Sunday, Feb. 19.

Day one of the NEWMAC Championship saw Mount Holyoke finishing in eighth for the day with 34 points. The competition opened with the 4x200 freestyle relay. Mount Holyoke’s A relay of Hannah Heierhoff ’25, Maggie Freisthler ’26, Ruth Bailey ’26 and Evelyn Bushway ’24 placed ninth with a time of 8:13.10.

Day two ended with the Lyons in seventh place with 133 points, putting them ahead of Babson College by 12 points and behind Wellesley College by 76.5 points. Mount Holyoke finished eighth in the 200-yard freestyle relay, with the team of Megan Schneider ’25, Heierhoff ’25, Carolina Loayza ’26 and Adji Diouf ’24 coming in at 1:40.39. Schneider came in 29th in the 50-yard freestyle event in 25.31 seconds, ahead of teammates Diouf, who completed the event in 25.44 seconds, and Loayza, who finished in 25.64 seconds.

Maddy Sewell ’24, the only diver on the team, received a second-place ranking in three-meter diving, scoring 464.5 points in the finals. Sewell’s finish earned 21 points for Mount Holyoke and earned her Second Team All Conference honors.

During the third day, Mount Holyoke had 172 team points. Diouf, Bushway, Loayza and Schneider all competed in the 4x50 medley relay, taking eighth place with a time of 1:50.20 and beating the previous team record of 1:50.25 set in 2015.

“That was something I don’t think the swimmers were expecting to happen, including myself,” Bushway said. “We were not thinking about the record board and times going into that race.”

Additionally, Loayza placed 11th in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.15 seconds after shaving 0.61 seconds off the preliminary time. Bushway placed 14th in the 400-yard individual medley in 4:43.92, and Heierhoff placed 15th in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:01.31. In the 100-yard backstroke, Heierhoff placed 30th and Diouf placed 28th, while in the 100-yard breaststroke, Schneider placed 27th.

The fourth and final day of competition ended with Mount Holyoke taking eighth place with 275 points. Highlights of the final day for the Lyons included Heierhoff earning 14th place in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:17.02, Loayza taking 15th place in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:17.75, Seran Goudsouzian ’24 finishing 24th in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:39.91, Schneider finishing 25th in the 100-yard freestyle in 55.18 seconds and Diouf finishing 30th in the same event in 56.11 seconds. Bushway finished in 12th place in the 1650-yard freestyle, completing the event in 18:50.42, and also competed in the 400-yard freestyle relay alongside Schneider, Loayza and Diouf, which they placed eighth in.

“I think as a team, we can be proud of what we have accomplished not only at this meet, but over the course of this season,” Heierhoff said. “Almost everyone swam personal bests or at the very least, season bests.” At NEWMACs, the team dropped 276 seconds in its events.

The NEWMAC Championship concluded the regular swimming and diving season, with an overall dual meet record of 5-4. Sewell alone will go on to compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Diving Regional Championship at New York University on Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25.

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.

Decorated Black athletes broke down barriers in the sports world

Wilma Rudolph, far right, won the 4x100-meter relay at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. She also won the 100-meter and 200-meter dash events. Photo courtesy of GPA Photo Archive via Flickr.

By Genevieve Zahner ’26

Staff Writer

Content warning: This article mentions racism. 

Black athletes were prohibited from participating in professional sports for much of history, but prominent figures such as Debi Thomas and Wilma Rudolph broke down walls and became some of the most decorated athletes. Many eyes now fall upon figures like Simone Biles and Serena Williams when thinking about prolific Black athletes, but there were many other trailblazers before them who paved the way for the future of sports. 

1.  Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson was the first Black tennis player to compete at the U.S. National Tennis Championship in 1950, but that was only the beginning of her success. She went on to win the French Open in 1956, followed by Wimbledon in 1957 and the U.S. Open in 1958, becoming the first Black champion of such events. Gibson was raised in Harlem, New York, and grew up loving sports, particularly ping-pong. She won a local tournament hosted by the American Tennis Association just a single year after playing tennis for the first time. She went on to win the same tournament twice more in 1944 and 1945, and following one loss, she won 10 straight championship titles from 1947-1956. Gibson died on Sept. 28, 2003, of respiratory failure. 

2. Willie O’Ree

Willie O’Ree was the first Black player in the National Hockey League, playing for the Boston Bruins starting in 1958. He grew up in Canada in one of two Black families in his town of Fredericton, New Brunswick. He first played organized hockey at age five with his brother, who taught him how to body check. In 1956, O’Ree started playing for the Quebec Aces, a team with a strong connection to the NHL and a history of integration. He played with the Aces until 1958, when he was called up from the Aces to play for the Bruins, playing his first NHL game on Jan. 18 of that year and making history in the league. O’Ree experienced racial taunts from spectators and players alike, including an incident in which spectators threw cotton balls and a black cat onto the ice. Despite these obstacles, O’Ree became an ambassador for the NHL Diversity program, traveling to boost grassroots hockey programs, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018. 

3. Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics at Rome’s 1960 Summer Olympics. Rudolph participated in track and field and won her medals in the 100- and 200-meter dash, as well as the 4x100-meter relay. Rudolph also won a bronze medal in the 1956 Olympics for the 4x100-meter relay. A survivor of childhood polio, Rudolph was told she would never walk again, let alone run. Rudolph defied these odds and started playing basketball in middle school, for which she was nominated as an All-American athlete in high school. After a meeting with a college coach, she switched to track and field. At the 1960 Olympic Games, her performance earned her the nickname “the fastest woman in the world” after becoming the first American woman to win three gold medals. When coming home, she refused to participate in the homecoming parade if it was not integrated, and she commonly used her fame as a means to bring attention to social issues. Rudolph died of a brain tumor on Nov. 12, 1994.

 4.  Ernie Davis

Ernie Davis was the first Black football player to earn the Heisman Trophy. Recruited by many institutions to play collegiate football, Davis decided to play for Syracuse University as a running back. While on the team, Davis led the Orangemen to an undefeated season and a national title in his sophomore year. Davis had two touchdowns in the 1960 Cotton Bowl versus the University of Texas, which led him to be the Cotton Bowl’s Most Valuable Player. He was an All-American athlete in his junior and senior years and was given the Heisman Trophy in 1961. Davis was the first overall draft pick in the 1962 National Football Draft and was selected by the Washington Commanders. However, after refusing to play for the racist owner of the team, Davis was traded to the Cleveland Browns. Davis was never able to play a game for the Browns, as he was diagnosed with leukemia just prior to the 1962 College All-Star game. Davis died at age 23 of leukemia. 

5.  Debi Thomas

Debi Thomas was the first and only Black figure skating Olympic champion and the first Black athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics in 1988. The first time Thomas was introduced to skating was when her mother took her to an ice show, and by the age of nine years old, she was skating competitively and conquering her competitions. Thomas won the national and world figure skating championships during her freshman year at Stanford University and was recognized as the 1986 Athlete of the Year by World Wide Sports. After the 1988 Olympics, in which she took the bronze medal in the short program and fifth in the long program, Thomas skated professionally. During this time, she claimed three professional world titles and performed with Stars on Ice. After four years, Thomas stopped skating to attend medical school at Northwestern University in 1997. Thomas is now a practicing orthopedic surgeon in Indiana.

Mount Holyoke Track and Field finishes 12th at Tufts

Multiple Mount Holyoke runners set personal bests at the Tufts Cupid Challenge on Feb. 4. Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics.

By Genevieve Zahner ’26

Staff Writer

The Mount Holyoke Track and Field team competed at the Tufts Cupid Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 4. The Lyons placed 12th out of 13 teams, with Brandeis University behind them by 18 points and Wellesley College ahead by one.

“We encountered a lot of tough competition at the Tufts meet last weekend, but our team did very well,” Maya Evans ’26 said.

Emma Doyle ’23 placed second out of 43 competitors in the shot put, and was short of a personal best by two centimeters at 11.29 meters. Doyle also placed ninth out of 36 individuals in the weight throw with a mark of 11.73 meters.

Elle Rimando ’26 achieved a season best in the long jump with a mark of 5.04 meters, earning seventh place out of 21 others in the event. The jump put Rimando at fifth place on the Mount Holyoke all-time performance ranking for the event. Rimando also earned ninth out of 35 athletes in the 60-meter dash, placing just outside of team scoring with a time of 8.29 seconds. 

Tessa Lancaster ’25 placed second out of 23 runners in the 3000-meter run and achieved a personal best time of 10:37.55, edging out an Amherst College athlete by 1.01 seconds and behind Tufts University’s first-place finisher by 2.53 seconds. With this time, Lancaster, whose previous best time ranked eighth all-time for the indoor program, ascended to sixth on Mount Holyoke’s all-time performance list in the event.

“More people were excited about their performances [rather than] frustrated,” Head Coach Jay Hartshorn said. “In track and field you always have some ups and downs, so more ups is always the goal.”

Kim Beaver ’25 secured a personal record in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:47.16, shaving off 0.71 seconds from Beaver’s previous record. Devan Ravino ’23 also had a best time in the 1000-meter run with a time of 3:15.50, earning 17th place. Bridget Hall ’24, Orion Griesmer ’24 and Maya Evans ’26 placed 11th, 13th and 14th respectively in the 5000-meter run, with Hall finishing at 19:55.45, Griesmer at 20:24.47 and Evans at 20:51.72.

Mount Holyoke Track and Field will next compete on Saturday, Feb. 10, at Middlebury College.

Gigi Downey ’23 to represent U.S. in world ultimate frisbee championship

By Emily Tarinelli ’25

Sports Editor

When Gigi Downey ’23 was invited to a friend’s ultimate frisbee practice in 2015, she was unsure about going and whether she would even like it. Now, eight years later, she has multiple accolades in the sport. Her most recent achievement: qualifying for the women-matching under-24 national team, punching a ticket to Nottingham, United Kingdom, to represent the United States in the U24 world ultimate championship.

A geography major and architecture minor, Downey played several sports growing up — including soccer, softball and track — but none of them stuck with her like ultimate frisbee. As a student at Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts, Downey competed on both a youth club team and their high school’s frisbee team, where they served as captain during their senior year.

Now a senior at Mount Holyoke, Downey is a co-captain of Daisy Chain, the College’s ultimate frisbee team and one of Mount Holyoke’s club sports. Founded in 2005, Daisy Chain is no stranger to high achievements. According to the team’s biography on the USA Ultimate website, Daisy Chain has qualified for the Division III College Championships each year since 2016, with a fifth-place finish at last year’s 2022 championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Additionally, Downey was recognized as last year’s Ultiworld D-III Women’s Defensive Player of the Year for their stellar performance on the field, and was named to the All-American first team.

“On offense, Downey is a speedy handler who is not afraid to make a big play or two. Her upline and strike cuts proved hard to defend and she proved to be a force near the end zone (12 goals, 14 assists). Even when she turns the disc, she knows how to find a way to get it back,” a statement on the Ultiworld website said. “As a defender, she is just as, if not more, versatile. When setting up a zone, she could cause damage in any position … What possibly makes Downey stand out the most as a defender is her heads-up defense. With an eye always on the disc, she got her hands on discs that the players she was defending didn’t see coming.”

To qualify for the U24 world team, Downey had to complete a questionnaire application in order to be invited to the tryouts.

“It was kind of like applying to a job or applying to school,” Downey recalled. “We answered a bunch of different questions that were like, ‘What’s Spirit of the Game? What kind of player are you? What’re your best strengths?’”

According to Downey, “Spirit of the Game” is a conceptual element that is unique to ultimate frisbee.

“Frisbee is a self-officiated sport. So we have observers at certain levels of play, but for the most part, when you make a call, it has to be from you and you have to talk to the [other team’s] person. … [Spirit of the Game] is basically holding respect for the other player, knowing the rules and upholding them and not cheating,” Downey said. “I feel like I value that kind of connection of trying to effectively communicate with people.”

This was not the first time that Downey attempted to qualify for the world team. In 2019, she was invited to the under-20 tryouts.

“I was really invested,” Downey said. “I would throw every day and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is a great opportunity.”

But in the middle of the tryouts, Downey broke their arm.

“It was such a big bummer,” Downey said.

Going into the U24 tryouts, which were hosted in Atlanta, Georgia, in early November 2022, Downey said that her biggest goal was to just have fun.

“I kind of had that mentality of [thinking it] was not going to be great because of how bad the last tryouts were. So my goal was to just giggle and try to play my best. And I honestly felt like I didn’t play my best, too, which was kind of funny,” Downey said.

The results of the tryouts arrived in mid-December, and Downey recalled the moment she found out that she made the team with laughter.

“It was pretty funny,” they said. “I was on the toilet. I was reading my email after cleaning out the art studio [when] it was winding down for the semester. And I had a little dance party and ran around afterwards to celebrate.”

According to an MHC This Week email sent to the Mount Holyoke community on Jan. 25, Downey is one of 24 players who claimed a spot on the U24 team out of the 200 athletes who tried out. Hosted by the World Flying Disc Federation, the games will take place between July 1 and 8, 2023. Downey will meet with the U.S. team for one weekend in the spring and will undergo an intensive training session during the week before the world championship. Until then, it is up to her to train independently. With Daisy Chain and their involvement on Boston Slow, a mixed club team based in the Boston area, that should not be a problem for Downey.

“Working hard for the people that I care about [motivates me],” Downey said. “It’s also the little things too, just like showing up to practice, doing silly things … I think just finding time with each other is super awesome.”

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.

Club Corner: Ice Hockey competes against Westfield State

MHC Ice Hockey in a team huddle on senior night. Image courtesy of Jenny Yu.

By Lauren Leese ’23

Staff Writer

Mount Holyoke Ice Hockey competed against Westfield State University at the Amelia Park Arena in Westfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday, Jan. 28. The Lyons fell to the home team with a score of 0-10. Westfield State University currently ranks third out of six teams in the Western Adirondack Division of the Independent Women’s Club Hockey League, while Mount Holyoke ranks sixth.

Team captain Abby Mann ’24 spoke about the team’s highlights of the game. “Our goalies, Edith Townsend-Cardosi ’25 and Hannah Landau ’26, had an amazing game. They both made a lot of really good saves,” Mann said. “[It is] also definitely worth noting that Virginia Middleton ’26, our other goalie, stepped up and played a great game as a wing.”

Mann further elaborated on the fun the team has while playing. “We just get out there, play our best and have fun. There’s not much more organized strategy than that,” they said. “We have a total blast regardless of the score, and we celebrate our own progress and accomplishments. I love this team.”

Cami Robinson-Parisi ’26 echoed Mann’s sentiment about the team spirit and expressed their excitement to play in future hockey games. “I absolutely love the positive nature of the team — we really focus on self-improvement and having fun while learning how to play hockey,” she said. “I am super excited to play in future games.”

Looking to the future, Robinson-Parisi added, “We are always looking to improve our game, and being able to take constructive criticism and advice from our coach as well as more experienced teammates has been incredibly helpful. Personally, I am always striving to improve my skating and understanding of the game.”

Mount Holyoke Ice Hockey will continue its season with a match against their Western Adirondack Division rival Norwich University at the Kreitzberg Arena in Northfield, Vermont on Saturday, Feb. 4.

New report finds that trans women athletes have no unfair advantage in elite sports

Transgender pride flags. Image courtesy of Ted Eytan via Anti-Defamation League.

By Emily Tarinelli ’25

Sports Editor

For the first time ever, a report titled “Transgender Women Athletes and Elite Sport: A Scientific Review” has shown that no existing scientific literature has proven trans women to have inherent competitive advantages over cisgender women in high-performance athletics. The report, which was published in late 2022, is a comprehensive review of all English-language studies published between 2011 and 2021 exploring trans participation in elite sports. It was commissioned by the Canadian Centre of Ethics in Sport, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making sports more safe, accessible and inclusive for all, and conducted by E-Alliance, a group made up of scholars and organizations committed to gender equity in athletics.

As stated in a summary of the 86-page review by Athlete Ally, a nonprofit advocacy group for LGBTQ+ athletes, the report cites two fields of interest when it comes to drafting trans eligibility requirements: the biomedical and the socio-cultural. Under the flawed assumption that trans women athletes possess an inherent biological advantage over their cisgender counterparts, policymakers tend to use only biomedical research to inform regulations for trans inclusion, without considering sociocultural elements that also impact athletic performance. According to Athlete Ally’s summary, “Biomedical and social scientific information should both be used in policy-making. However, biomedical research is often overvalued to the detriment of athlete well-being.”

The review provides an in-depth assessment of current biomedical research, which found that most studies used to back trans inclusion policies are structured around cis men or non-athlete trans women subjects, not elite trans women athletes themselves, Athlete Ally reported. Additionally, these studies avoid recognizing instances in sports where cis women possess advantages over cis men — for example, in long-distance open water swimming, according to one comparative study. Furthermore, most literature only considers one variable, like testosterone or grip strength, and plays up that variable’s effect on athletic ability, while ignoring additional social characteristics that contribute to an athlete’s prowess. According to the review, the available biological data is not only “methodologically flawed,” but also “severely limited.”

Additionally, the review made several other findings based on the biomedical literature. First, the report found no indication that naturally produced testosterone is associated with stronger athletic performance among cis women. Moreover, the distribution of testosterone levels between elite cis men and women athletes overlap, given that everyone produces estrogen and testosterone. In addition, the review found that recent research showed that biological characteristics like bone density, lung capacity and hip-to-knee joint angles do not correspond with performance advantage. Lastly, the review stated that based on the only three studies to have explored the subject of trans athletes, any possible competitive advantages are neutralized through testosterone suppression after 12 months — and occasionally sooner.

The review then transitions into an in-depth examination of the sociocultural factors that contribute to trans athletic performance. To begin, the report states that there are many social elements that impact competitive differences between men’s and women’s sports that specifically target the latter. Sexual harassment and abuse of women athletes, comparatively lower numbers of women’s teams, disparate access to facilities and training equipment, scarcity of monetary resources, inequitable pay and societal body standards, as well as various interlocking forms of oppression including racism, homophobia and transphobia, all contribute to inequities between men’s and women’s sports and directly impact performance. According to the review, “Faulty and/or absent data about trans women’s performances makes transphobia especially present and prominent in this context of scarcity and scrutiny for women in elite sport.”

Additionally, the review summary by Athlete Ally acknowledges that trans women are extremely underrepresented in sports, particularly at the elite level, and that factors such as coaching, training time and equipment accessibility often affect performance more than biological factors like testosterone.

Athlete Ally provided several recommendations to advance a fair competitive environment for all athletes, beginning with recognizing that there is no obvious connection between testosterone and competitive advantage and that trans women have no inherent edge over cis women in athletics.

“If your sport requires testosterone-based restrictions at the elite level, research suggests that 12 months of hormone replacement therapy is adequate and that longer waiting periods are not justified,” the summary stated.

Secondly, Athlete Ally advocated the rejection of misinformation and prejudiced research. Lastly, they provided specific, actionable steps to increase gender equity in sports.

“To level the playing field for all athletes, and especially for women and girls in sport, focus on ending sexual abuse and harassment, [increasing] access to equipment and facilities, pay equity and investments in nutrition and diversifying recruitment strategies,” Athlete Ally said in the summary.

The summary also identified key points from the review about what makes a quality study.

“Studies used in policy-making should include large populations, control for factors like height and weight, and compare trained athletes to untrained people. Current studies used in policy-making about trans athletes do not do this,” the summary said. “Ideally, studies should also be sport-specific. For example, biomedical factors that contribute to success in the long jump may differ from factors in marathon running. While sport-specific studies of trans athletes may not currently exist, it is important to be thoughtful about specific sports and how variables studied in literature may or may not apply.”

“There is strong evidence that elite sport policy is made within transmisogynist, misogynoir, racist, geopolitical cultural norms,” the review said in conclusion. “Sport organizers need better education, dedicated resources and high-quality research to confront, disrupt or transform gendered systems.”