Sports

UMass football: Yale QB Grant Jordan, UTSA RB Rocko Griffin among new transfers signing with Minutemen

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — It’s become quite clear that UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak was very busy recruiting throughout the holidays, as he’s signed five transfers since Christmas — four coming in the month of January alone.

Amherst’s Ryan Leonard named MVP of World Juniors as Team USA wins gold in OT

OTTAWA, Ontario — Teddy Stiga scored on a breakaway at 8:04 of 3-on-3 overtime to give the United States a 4-3 victory over Finland on Sunday night in the world junior hockey championship game.

Former Amherst basketball star Jamila Wideman named Washington Mystics GM

By GARRETT COTE

Jamila Wideman has added another chapter to an already illustrious basketball career, as the WNBA’s Washington Mystics announced Wideman as the organization’s general manager late last month.

Amherst’s Jameson Dion excited for future after committing to play football at the University of New Hampshire

By GARRETT COTE

Jameson Dion was fresh off a 295-yard, five-touchdown rushing performance against Putnam in the opening contest of his senior season at Amherst Regional, and the Hurricanes were set to host Springfield International Charter School in their first night...

Boys basketball preview: New Belchertown coach has high expectations for Orioles

By GARRETT COTE

After spending the last several years as head coach of the Hopkins Academy boys basketball team, Jim Hart is now in charge of a different Hampshire County program just up the road. Hart accepted the Belchertown job in the offseason, and after speaking...

NATIONAL CHAMPS! Amherst College men’s soccer takes down Connecticut College in PKs to claim D3 title

By GARRETT COTE

Hollywood script writers couldn’t have come up with a more perfect story for the Amherst College men’s soccer team on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas.After 110 minutes of soccer wasn’t enough to decide a winner (0-0) between the Mammoths and...

UMass athletics: Men’s soccer, field hockey tourney runs highlighting final A-10 seasons

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — There may be plenty of reasons for UMass fans to lament the athletic department over the past two weeks – a third-straight disappointing football season and a subpar men’s basketball start (3-5 record) among the results-based reasons outside...

UMass football: Amid coaching search, pair of blunders has athletic department in the spotlight

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — In the midst of trying to hire a new head football coach, the University of Massachusetts athletic department can’t seem to get out of its own way.While Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford hasn’t addressed the fanbase since firing former head...

UMass AD Ryan Bamford speaks on football coach Don Brown’s firing: “We just didn’t feel like we were able to turn the corner competitively”

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — Perhaps the passionate followers of the UMass football team weren’t necessarily surprised when news hit last week that Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford had fired former Minutemen head coach Don Brown after a 6-28 record with the team; it...

Cross Country: Amherst girls place second at MIAA Div. 2 State Championship (PHOTOS)

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

DEVENS — The Amherst girls cross country team nearly walked away with the program’s eighth state championship last Saturday during the MIAA Division 2 State Championship at Fort Devens. The Hurricanes ran about as well as they could have hoped, led by...

Colleges: UMass field hockey beats Harvard, advances to first NCAA Final Four since 1992

For the first time in 32 years, the Minutewomen are Final Four-bound.UMass claimed a historic 1-0 shutout victory over No. 10 Harvard in the NCAA Elite Eight on Sunday at Nancy Stevens Field in Storrs, Conn. With the win, the Minutewomen advanced to...

UMass fires head football coach Don Brown after nearly 3 seasons

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — UMass Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford announced on Monday morning that Minutemen football head coach Don Brown has been released of his duties with two games remaining in his third season leading the program.The 69-year-old Brown finishes...

UMass football: Minutemen QB Taisun Phommachanh out for the season due to injuries

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — UMass football head coach Don Brown confirmed Monday that Minutemen starting quarterback Taisun Phommachanh will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an injury against Mississippi State on Nov. 2.UMass had a bye this past...

Belchertown girls blank rival South Hadley for WMass soccer title

By GARRETT COTE

LUDLOW — It wouldn’t feel right if the Belchertown and South Hadley girls soccer programs didn’t meet in a Western Mass. final. And last Friday, for the fourth consecutive year, the two teams battled it out in the Class B playoffs — the third time in...

Game-winning penalty kick lifts Granby past Hopkins for WMass championship

By GARRETT COTE

LUDLOW — Mabel Carillon stood at midfield and hesitated before making the long walk to the penalty stripe. A make would crown the No. 1 Granby girls soccer team as Western Mass. Class D champions, a miss would allow No. 2 Hopkins Academy a chance to...

Field hockey: Frontier knocks off Greenfield to win third straight Western Mass. championship

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

HOLYOKE — The Frontier field hockey team is making a habit of collecting Western Mass. championship trophies. For the third year in a row, the two-time defending champion Redhawks squared off with Greenfield in the Western Mass. Class C title on Oct....

Amherst girls dominant in capturing 3rd consecutive Western Mass. Class A Cross Country Championship (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

WESTFIELD — The Amherst Regional girls cross country team’s day almost ended before it even began on Sunday afternoon.The Hurricanes were awaiting a bus to pick them up at the school and take them to Stanley Park in Westfield for the Western Mass....

UMass basketball alum trains one of Calipari’s top recruits

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Though it’s been more than two decades since Ross Burns played under John Calipari on UMass’ 1996 “Refuse to Lose” Final Four team, the former walk-on still carries with him lots of lessons from his time with one of the giants of college basketball...

Amherst Golf Club pro Dave Twohig to retire after 46 years

By GARRETT COTE

Throughout the 125 year history of Amherst Golf Club, a member of the Twohig family has been the head golf professional for 65% of the time.After Ed Twohig Sr., who began his tenure in 1944, stepped down following 35 years, Dave Twohig took over and...