Brigit McDannell ’18
Sports Editor
Although we’re nearing the end of the fall sports season, the Pioneers remain strong, playing better than ever. This week many Smith teams beat their rival teams.
Crew
Rowing in Amherst, Mass., the crew team placed first at the Amherst Regatta Invitational. Both the Varsity 8 and Frosh/Novice teams won their respective races. The race was a 3,000-meter course, and conditions were ideal with a clear, sunny sky and calm waters. All events began with a floating sprint start. The Varsity 8 team beat Amherst, placing 10:12 with Amherst behind them by four seconds. Frosh/Novice 8 flew by the other teams, led by an incredible team of incoming rowers: Kennedy Barber-Fraser ’19, Maddy Gallay ’19, Natalie Norberg ’19, Autumn Mineo ’19, Elsie Eastman ’17, Alani Harris 19’, Aliya Bailey ’19, Denicia Peterson ’17 and Katherine Denney ’17J. They turned in a first place finish in 11:57, finishing ahead of Connecticut College, Clark and Amherst. The Pioneers will compete again Nov. 1 at the Seven Sisters Regatta in South Hadley, Mass.
Field Hockey
Even though the Pioneer Field Hockey team lost to Amherst 3-1 Oct. 22, goalkeeper Cameo Tietje ’18 recorded an impressive career high with 25 saves. Tietje made back-to-back saves against Amherst. The three goals scored by the Amherst Jeffs were the lowest allowed during a Smith-Amherst match since their 2006 season. In addition to this new career record for Tietje, Julia Hamilton ’18 evened the score four minutes into the second half when she took Caroline Labriola’s ’18 feed and sent it past the Amherst goalkeeper. In the second half, the Jeffs added their final goal with a corner shot in the last six seconds of the game. Smith was outshot 28-2 and took one corner shot compared to 17 by the Jeffs.
The NCAA released its first edition of the 2015 NCAA Division III field hockey regional ranking on Oct. 22. Smith was ranked no. 3 out of 29 teams in the New England East Region. Currently the Pioneers are 8-6 overall and 4-2 in NEWMAC play, and they are coming off a 3-2 overtime win against MIT. This is the first time under Head Coach Jamie Ginsberg that Smith has received a regional ranking. Babson holds the highest in-region record with 13-2. Synapse Sports named midfielder Emily Biggs ‘19 Rookie of the Week, and she was recognized for her outstanding plays at the Westfield State and MIT games. Biggs scored two goals, leading the Pioneers to a 2-0 record. She scored the third goal in Smith’s 4-0 non-conference win at Westfield State and netted the game-winner 5:10 into overtime to lift the Pioneers 3-2 against MIT.
