Winter Sports Wind Down
From the slopes to the squash courts, Colby athletes enjoyed a winter of record-setting accomplishments
Paced by historic individual athletic performances and dramatic team efforts, a memorable winter sports season winds down at Colby. Here are some of the notable moments on the snow, at the rink, on the track, in the pool, and on the courts.
Alpine skier Carissa Cassidy ’26 led a deep women’s squad while establishing herself as a top slalom racer in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association. She captured a gold medal at the season-opening Colby Carnival and qualified along with teammates Kate McKenney ’26 and Althea Noyes ’28 for a second NCAA skiing championships, which conclude Saturday, March 14, in Park City, Utah. On the men’s side, Townsend Mikell ’28 secured his spot as the lone male alpine representative at the NCAA championships in Park City.
Cassidy and Mikell will compete in the slalom on March 13. Men’s runs are at 11:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m., and the women’s runs will be at 12:15 and 3 p.m. , all EDT. Both will be livestreamed.
Four Nordic skiers qualified for the NCAAs, as well: Andrew DeFor ’27, Ben Lewis ’27, James Underwood ’29, and Lola Villafranco ’26. DeFor will be entering his second NCAA appearance, while the other three make their debuts. This marks the sixth consecutive season the Nordic team has qualified three or more skiers for the NCAA championships.
To the very end of a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the NESCAC championship, resilience defined the No. 4-ranked women’s ice hockey team this year. That trait was embodied by a marathon triple-overtime victory over Middlebury to reach the conference championship, giving the team 18 wins on the season. And while the men’s ice hockey team did not qualify for tournament play, Colby Browne ’28 earned a spot on the 2026 All-Conference First Team, and Cooper Rautenstrauch ’28 was among the top goalies in the NESCAC.
Records were set at the TRACK at New Balance in Boston, where the women’s 4×200-meter relay team—Charlotte Brake-Hoffman ’28, Kaitlyn Ewald ’27, Simone Waheed ’27, and Tally Zeller ’26—set a D-III record with a time of 1:39.16. The men’s 4×400-meter relay of Levi Biery ’26, Jackson Coelho ’26, Mark Graubart ’27, and Sam Graubart ’27 earned a second-place finish at 3:15.94.
On the courts, men’s squash achieved its highest national ranking, reaching the Hoehn Cup finals and falling 5-4 to top-seeded MIT. Reflecting the excellent season, a trio of Mules was selected to the All-NESCAC team: Seif Ashraf ’27, Hamza Wessam ’29, and Carlos Zendejas ’27. On the women’s side, Laavanya Kugan ’26 capped her career with a fourth straight All-NESCAC First-Team selection, joined by Abhisheka David ’26 and Nathalie Sim ’27, who both earned their second All-Conference awards.
In the pool, the Mules claimed a program-record 12 All-Conference awards. Women’s swimming and diving finished third at the NESCAC championships, the best in program history. They’ll compete in the NCAA championships March 18-21 in Indianapolis. Individually for the women’s team, Alexis Coates ’28 won three All-Conference awards, Kellen Mottl ’26 won two All-NESCAC awards, and Avery Rappaport ’26 won one.
For the men, Brandon Xiong ’26 captured the NESCAC title in the 50-meter backstroke and placed third in the 100-meter backstroke, while Brendan Kirberger ’29 had an All-Conference showing, finishing third in the 1,650-meter freestyle.
In basketball, the men’s team made it to the NESCAC quarterfinals, while the women’s team finished with a 13-11 mark and an All-NESCAC first teamer in junior guard Kate Olenik.
