Winter Playoff Picture: Week Two

Katie Lu and Noor Naseer

The men’s swim and dive team won the NESCAC championship. (Photo courtesy of Sports Information.)

Men’s swim and dive secure NESCAC championship for fourth consecutive season

Following an undefeated season, the men’s swim and dive team (11-0, 6-0 in NESCAC) dominated the four days of competition and left as the NESCAC champion for the fourth consecutive year, clinching its 20th NESCAC championship title in program history. The meet took place at the Webster Family Natatorium at Wesleyan University, where the Ephs won ten events and scored 1819.5 points, outscoring second place Tufts by 163 points. At the awards ceremony following the tournament, Kobe Tray ’23 was named NESCAC Diver of the Year and earned the NESCAC Career High-Point Diver Award; Nicholas Whitcomb ’23 earned the NESCAC Career High-Point Swimmer Award; and Devon O’Nalty was awarded NESCAC Diving Coach of the Year. Next weekend, the divers will head to div- ing regionals, and from March 15 to March 18, the swimmers will vie for the Div. III NCAA championship in Greensboro, N.C, along with the divers who qualify at regionals.

Women’s squash finishes season ranked 14th in the nation

This weekend, the women’s squash team (13-10, 7-1 in NESCAC) competed in the College Squash Association (CSA) National Team Championship in the B-Division, which took place at the University of Pennsylvania. The women were seeded 13th in the tournament and fell 2-7 to No. 12 Stanford in the quarterfinals on Friday, with wins from Niki Srivastava ’23 and Mira Kamat ’23. In the second round, the women bested Bowdoin 6-3, with wins from Isabel Kelly ’23, Haley Jefferson ’23, Quan Ng ’23, Kamat, Theresa Kay ’25, and Nora Brant ’25.

The team faced Amherst on Sunday. Despite the Ephs’ victory over the Mammoths in January, they lost 6-3 with wins from Kamat, Deena Iqbal ’26, and Srivastava, leaving the team ranked 14th in the nation.

Women’s basketball pushes past Bates, advances to NESCAC semifinals

The women’s basketball team (18-7, 8-2 in NESCAC) earned its first playoff win on Saturday in the NESCAC quarterfinals, narrowly outscoring the Bates Bobcats (13-11, 5-6 in NESCAC) 62-55. The Ephs traded leads with the Bobcats, dominating the free throw line and coming back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Four players broke double digits in scoring: Mia Holtze ’22.5, Maddy Mandyck ’22.5, Arianna Gerig ’25, and Cortland McBarron ’25. Next Saturday, the Ephs will face the third-seeded Trinity Bantams at No. 1 Tufts, who will host the remainder of the championship.

Men’s basketball powers past Trinity in NESCAC quarterfinals

The first-seeded men’s basketball team (22-3, 7-3 in NESCAC) walked away winners in its NESCAC quarterfinal matchup this weekend. The Ephs’ 62-47 win against the Trinity Bantams (17-9, 4-6 in NESCAC) highlighted their poise under pressure. The Ephs overcame a 30-21 deficit at the end of the first half, powering through the second period to create the 15-point lead. Wins in their last four conference games earned the Ephs home-court advantage throughout the NESCAC tournament for the first time since 2011. The men will face No. 6 Colby next Saturday in the semifinal round, and they will play again on Sunday if they secure the win.