On Oct. 4th, Smith’s crew team competed in their first regatta of the Fall 2019 season, “Head of the Riverfront Regatta.” On October 1st, I spoke with captain Anna Freund ’20 about her experience with crew and how the team has been preparing to get back on the water.
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Georgia Pharris ‘22, rugby player, slams into a teammate during practice and hits their head. They scramble around campus trying to find someone to help them get to the hospital. After asking three people, they finally find someone to drive them to Cooley Dickinson Hospital. There, Pharris sits in the waiting room distressed, wondering if their insurance will cover their bill. They leave the hospital four hours later diagnosed with a mild concussion.
Despite being the most popular college sport nationally, the football program at UMass Amherst has struggled to find its footing in an increasingly competitive field. Between 2012 and 2016, the team didn’t pick up more than three wins in a single 12-game season. During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the team did slightly better, earning 4-8 records both seasons.
Since the end of the 2018 season, two top quarterbacks have graduated — Ross Comis and Andrew Ford, along with top offensive talents like wide receiver Andy Isabella and running back Marquis Young. Their absence leaves gaping holes in the offense but also provides an opportunity for new talent to emerge — or for old talent to reemerge.
Though the fall semester has just begun, for weeks varsity teams have been playing their way to victories – or losses. Their performances so far can help us predict what will happen during the rest of the season.
Though the fall semester has just begun, for weeks varsity teams have been playing their way to victories – or losses. Their performances so far can help us predict what will happen during the rest of the season.
In an increasingly polarizing world nothing is as it seems and the fight for ideals bleeds into all aspects of life. A political statement can come from anywhere or anyone and the basketball court can be a platform for change.
Five of Smith’s varsity teams dominate the spring calendar: lacrosse, softball, tennis, track and field and crew. How have these teams fared so far, and what do they have on the horizon?
Elizabeth Muirhead ’20 | Assistant Sports Editor
Here at Smith, most of our winter sports are wrapping up, and we can begin looking toward the spring season. But in the world of Division I sports, the winter season stretches into March. Hockey fans, in particular, can look forward to enjoying the UMass Amherst Minutemen’s performance. They rattled the hockey world with their strong play straight out of the gate. Last season, the Minutemen finished with a record of 17-20-2 and got knocked out of their conference tournament in the second round by Northeastern University; they didn’t earn a spot in the following NCAA Men’s tournament to compete for the championship. But this season, the best in the team’s history, has been a totally different story. At this point, their record stands at 24-7, and they have held a No. 2 ranking for the majority of the season.
This fall, Rachel Simmons worked with coaches in the athletic department retreat at the beginning of the semester. Kristin Hughes said, “I thought some of her messages, especially as they related to failing, could be really powerful for our student-athletes as well.” Hughes added: “Handling failure is as much a part of the athletic experience as is winning. So, building skills and a mentality that allow you to grow from it and not be stopped by it is really significant. And Rachel is a former athlete and has a great delivery and connection with students.” Simmons was eager to take on a project at Smith and had been looking to collaborate with different departments. She thought that a team dynamic would be a perfect way to work regularly with Smith students and pitched her idea for the “Failing Well” series to the athletic director and the coaches.
On Jan. 19 and 20, the Smith swimming and diving team competed in the Seven Sisters Championship along with Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Vassar and Wellesley. Smith finished third with 511 points, ahead of Mount Holyoke and Bryn Mawr and behind Wellesley and Vassar. Wellesley took first place with 1334.5 points, and Vassar ranked second with 983.5 points. Mount Holyoke snagged fourth with 483 points, while Bryn Mawr closed out the ladder with 295 points.