Published: March 30, 2026
New York, New York
The Women’s Basketball team called time on an illustrious season following their defeat to No.19 Wisconsin-La Crosse in the NCAA Division III ‘Sweet Sixteen’.
Lead by Jaycie Christopher, Lucy Wiles (both of whom named to the LEC First-Team), Liz Cote, Dakota Shipley, Avah Ingalls and Izzy Morelli, the Huskies finished the season with a 27-3 record – the highest since 2013. Almost two decades in the making, their return to the Sweet Sixteen highlighted their team chemistry, character, and resilience. Bringing home the LEC regular season and the tournament titles, the Huskies went on to defeat No.7 Bowdoin in the second round of the NCAAs.
In the third round, hosted by NYU, Cote and Wiles scored 15 points apiece, with Christopher on yet another double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
With the Huskies up by the end of the first quarter, the Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles came out hard with an unanswered 6-0 run. They outscored USM and flipped the scales in their favour throughout the second, trading baskets back and forth throughout the third quarter but still finishing on top and keeping the Huskies at bay with a 20-point lead. Ultimately, the game finished 66-45 in favour of the Eagles.
Though their magical run came to an end, the Huskies determination defined a season to remember – and with plenty of talent returning, next season is looking just as promising.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Senior Jake Craig placed fourth in the NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championship on Saturday March 14th and concluded an outstanding career with another All-American title). Winning his quarterfinal matchups 12-1 and 4-2, he reached the semifinals for the 133lb bracket.
Thankful for his teammates and the people he has met throughout his career, Craig said “this sport has taught me everything I know. There is no such thing as a shortcut. Yeah, I came up short, but if I was asked to do it all over again for the same result, I’d do it in a heartbeat”.
Insisting he will “always bleed yellow and blue”, Craig finishes his career as one of the most decorated wrestlers in programme history, as the first three-time All-American (2023, 2025, 2026) and with four appearances at the National Championships.
Birmingham, Alabama
Zoe Barnes, a fifth-year senior became the third woman in Huskies history to hold a NCAA Division III National Championship title. On Saturday March 14, she bested her own programme record to win the shot-put title. Her first throw came in at 14.10 meters, and after fouling on her second attempt, threw 14.49 meters to put her at the top of the leaderboard heading into the finals. Her last attempt came in at a whopping 14.84 meters. At the end of a paramount career, Barnes finishes as a two-time All-American also with second team honours in the 2025 Division III Outdoor National Championships for discus. A long list of accolades includes 10 U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region selections, 9 Little East Conference event titles and 5 Little East Conference Field Athlete of the Year awards. She leaves Southern Maine as the record holder in indoor and outdoor shot put, weight throw, and discus.
Freshman Ryker Paradis also competed, placing 19th in shot put with a 15.15 meter throw. Rounding out a very impressive first collegiate season, the Little East Conference Rookie of the Year set several programme records and competed as the only Freshman in the field.
As the ‘winter season’ sports come to a close, we now turn our attention to the Huskies competing in the Spring. Baseball and Softball are currently in Florida for their annual Spring Break tournament; both outdoor track and field teams start their season at the end of the month; and both Lacrosse teams have already kickstarted their season with the Women’s side already winning 4 from 5.
