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By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Six Amherst track and field athletes and the Holyoke girls 4x100 squad made the trip to Eugene, Oregon for Nike Outdoor Nationals held on June 12-15.It was the first trip to Nike Outdoor Nationals for all 10 athletes. Holyoke had never sent a team to...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

UMass men’s basketball coach Frank Martin signed a two-year extension to keep him in Amherst through the 2028-29 season, UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford announced Thursday.Martin led the Minutemen to a 15-16 mark in his first season in 2022-23...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

BELCHERTOWN – Cheeseburgers were sizzling on the Blackstone, pulled pork was fresh out of the smoker and a pickup lacrosse game was on the horizon.Belchertown boys lacrosse had just finished its last regular season game of the year, a 16-6 win over...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

SPRINGFIELD – Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School boys tennis’ dream undefeated season came to a close on Tuesday afternoon with a 5-0 loss to Manchester-Essex in the MIAA Div. 4 semifinals at Forest Park.The No. 3 Hornets not only ended...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Amherst placed in the top 10 in five events at the 77th New England Interscholastic Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at the University of New Hampshire.State 400 meter champ Moriah Luetjen placed fourth in the event (55.94 seconds),...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

SWANSEA – They were six outs away.Six outs from a second straight trip to the MIAA Division 4 semifinals, six outs from an upset over the No. 1 seed and six outs from revenge over the team that beat them in last year’s state title game.But then it all...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

GEORGETOWN — The Hopkins Academy baseball team flooded out of the dugout and crowded around home plate. First baseman Liam Flynn had just cranked a two-run bomb over the right-center field fence, and the No. 9 Golden Hawks were now up 3-1 in the fifth...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

(This is part two of a two-part series. Part one can be found here.)The landscape of college athletics is changing. And it’s changing fast. In February, UMass became the latest FBS Division I school to announce a conference move, leaving its home of...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

(This is part one of a two-part series. Part two can be found here.)Late last month, the NCAA’s Board of Governors and the Power 5 conferences reached a $2.8 billion proposed settlement in NCAA v. House, a consolidated antitrust litigation of three...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

HOLYOKE – After a 7 a.m. exit and a two-hour bus ride to the North Shore on Tuesday, the Valley Blue Sox came back home to MacKenzie Stadium and won their home opener, 6-4, over the Sanford Mainers on Wednesday night.The Blue Sox scored three runs in...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

PITTSFIELD – No. 3 Pittsfield started off Tuesday’s state playoff game against No. 14 Easthampton with five straight singles – and five straight runs. Although the Eagles played the Generals tight for the remaining six innings, that first inning...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

HOLYOKE – After last season’s NECBL West Division championship, the Valley Blue Sox are returning for the 2024 season with almost an entirely new roster of collegiate players ready to develop their games over 44 games this summer.The Blue Sox season...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

TURNERS FALLS – The Hampshire Regional softball team didn’t move a runner past first base until the seventh inning and lost to Pittsfield 6-2 in the Western Mass. Class B championship game on Thursday afternoon at Gary Mullins Field.In last year’s...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

SPRINGFIELD – South Hadley assistant girls lacrosse coach Julia Miele picked up senior captain Maddy McArdle on her back and ran from the bench all the way downfield to the mob of Tigers players surrounding the goal.Top-seeded South Hadley had just...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Almost every day, Matt and Alexi Bonenfant drive to school together. Matt is the athletic director and softball coach at Gateway Regional, and Alexi is his daughter and senior captain of the softball team.On their way to Huntington, they’ll listen to...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

WESTFIELD – Logan Alfandari sat by the shot put circle, crossed his legs and leaned his back on the fence. It was the middle of the shot put final at the MIAA Division 4 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and Amherst’s mammoth thrower was taking a...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

SPRINGFIELD – Ava Shea ripped a crosscourt backhand, turned around, faced her teammates and raised her arms in the air. A wash of relief spread across her face.Belchertown’s No. 1 singles player had just clinched the Orioles’ first Western Mass. girls...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

WESTFIELD – Northampton and Amherst athletes competed at the MIAA Division 4 Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday evening, and Amherst’s Logan Alfandari (discus) and Moriah Luetjen (200) secured second-place finishes.The championships are...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

BELCHERTOWN – Four years ago, Belchertown girls tennis advanced all the way to the Western Mass. Class B championship match, only to be swept by Longmeadow.Last year, they made it back, but lost a heartbreaker to Ludlow, 3-2.This year, after handling...

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

WESTHAMPTON – Hampshire Regional senior student-athletes gathered on Tuesday to sign letters of intent to play collegiate athletics. Seven graduating seniors will play college sports at the Division I and III levels.Fresh off a Western Mass....