Ben Niewoehner

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Articles from The Williams Record

Explore a selection of my articles!

The Williams Record •

Men’s cross country nabs second at NESCAC Championships

Men’s cross country put together a strong race at the NESCAC Championships hosted by Connecticut (Conn.) College in Waterford, Conn., on Saturday morning. Led by Eli Welch ’28, who claimed the individual conference title, the Ephs placed second with 57 points, 27 points behind Tufts.
The Ephs found themselves in a familiar setting on Saturday, having raced the same course at the Conn. College Invitational just two weeks prior. “I took it as a confidence booster,” Malcolm Oakes ’28 said. “Running...
The Williams Record •

Chabad house to open in Williamstown

A Chabad religious center is opening in Williamstown this fall, providing Orthodox religious services for Jewish students and other community members. The center’s leaders Rabbi Mendel Volovik and his wife Tzivia Volovik will conduct services separately from the Williams College Jewish Association (WCJA) in the new center. 
Chabad is a Hasidic Jewish movement headquartered in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. It has student centers on over 950 college campuses worldwide. Each student center houses a marr...
The Williams Record •

Women’s cross country maintains winning streak, takes first at Purple Valley Classic

No. 2 women’s cross country put on a dominant performance on Saturday at the Purple Valley Classic (PVC) on Mount Greylock Regional High School’s campus, defeating No. 17 Tufts, No. 22 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and Trinity to earn first place with just 20 points. Led by Kate Swann ’26 in second place, five of the top six finishers wore spotted cow print as the Ephs delivered success at an event celebrating the team’s seniors and alums.
The Ephs returned six of their seven finishers...
The Williams Record •

Swimming legend Sophia Verkleeren ’25 prepares for one last lap

Sophia Verkleeren ’25 began swimming by a mere twist of fate. “Swim practices were at the same time and place as my brother’s wrestling practice,” she said. It was not her first choice of sport as a six-year old. “I wanted to do ballet, but my parents made me do swimming, and I hated it,” she said. 
For a swimming career with such begrudging beginnings, Verkleeren’s success in the pool has been remarkable. Verkleeren, who will conclude her college swimming career at the NCAA Swim & Dive champion...
The Williams Record •

Club tennis team clinches first place in home tournament

The club tennis team swept its matches against Bowdoin, University of Vermont (UVM), and UMass Amherst to win the six-team “Ephvitational” hosted at the College this past weekend. This strong showcase highlights the program’s competitive growth over the last two seasons.
Club tennis has existed at the College for years, but the team has recently expanded, according to its current president, Josh Rubel ’26. “It wasn’t a super-organized club when I got here,” he said. “There was a team, [but] it w...
The Williams Record •

Men’s squash defeats Tufts at CSA Championships, concluding a momentous season

No. 11 men’s squash (16-6, 8-0 NESCAC) concluded its season on a high note this past weekend, defeating the No. 12 Tufts Jumbos (11-10, 5-2 NESCAC) 5-4 on the last day of the College Squash Association (CSA) Championships. The victory made the Ephs the eleventh-ranked team in the nation, their best finish since 2013. It came on the heels, however, of losses on Thursday and Friday against the No. 7 Drexel Dragons (11-9) and No. 11 Dartmouth Big Green (7-10).
The Ephs rode a wave of late-February...
The Williams Record •

Women’s basketball splits weekend series, makes NESCACs

Women’s basketball (14-10, 4-6 NESCAC) qualified for the season-ending NESCAC tournament this weekend after splitting a pair of home games. Despite a senior day loss to the Amherst Mammoths (18-6, 6-4 NESCAC) on Saturday, the Ephs’ 66-54 victory over the Hamilton Continentals (15-9, 4-6 NESCAC) the previous night gave the team the head-to-head tiebreaker, solidifying them as the eighth seed for NESCACs. 
The importance of this weekend’s games — especially Friday’s matchup against the Continental...
The Williams Record •

Football crushes Amherst 21-0 at Homecoming

“As the saying goes, ‘Beat Amherst: You’ll be happy forever.’” Those were the words of defensive captain Ethan Scott ’25, the day after football (5-4, 5-4 NESCAC) clinched a resounding shutout victory over Amherst (2-7, 2-7 NESCAC) during Homecoming. The Ephs were cheered on by a raucous crowd as they secured an early — and ultimately decisive — lead en route to a memorable win.
Team leaders noted a heightened sense of urgency, since the game was the last of the season. “There is no tomorrow,” q...
The Williams Record •

Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy ’10 talks life on the court, new ALS foundation

Long before he became the head coach of the Utah Jazz, Will Hardy ’10 was taking seminars as an English major at the College. Despite the differences between a seminar classroom and an NBA locker room, Hardy noted that his academic experiences influenced his coaching philosophy. “The classes were smaller and far more conversational than lecture style, and that’s sort of how I like our film session with [the Jazz] to be,” he said.
A series of Williamstown connections led Hardy to his first positi...
The Williams Record •

Men’s cross country places second, Chuckie Namiot ’25 wins individual title at Purple Valley Classic

No. 16 men’s cross country placed second out of five during the Purple Valley Classic on Saturday. Chuckie Namiot ’25 closed out his final home course race with an individual victory, finishing with a time of 26:53.
The meet was the team’s second race of the year, two weeks after a runner-up finish to No. 14 Amherst at the Little Three Championships. According to the Ephs’ more seasoned athletes, the relatively young team is rounding into form nicely, despite some early competitive defeats.
“We...
The Williams Record •

Kristi Kirshe ’17 earns bronze in women’s rugby sevens at Olympics

“I don’t think I’ll ever experience a high like that again in my entire life,” Kristi Kirsche ’17 said of the moment she and her teammates became Olympic medalists by clinching a 14-12 last-second thriller against Australia in the rugby sevens bronze medal match.
A love for competition and a commitment to athletics have been crucial aspects of Kirsche’s identity for her entire life, she told the Record. “I basically played every single sport that I could growing up,” she said, recalling her time...
The Williams Record •

WUFO qualifies for national championship for third consecutive year

Last weekend, the Williams Ultimate Frisbee Organization (WUFO) — the College’s ultimate frisbee club team for male and nonbinary athletes — successfully advanced to the USA Ultimate Div. III College Championship. The team took on a strong New England regional field, posting five convincing wins in a row to make it to the regional final, before succumbing to the Middlebury Pranksters, ranked first in the nation. Given the strength of the New England region, which was allocated three teams to sen...
The Williams Record •

Softball splits doubleheader series with Colby over the weekend

Softball (11-8, 5-3 NESCAC) split a tough two-game series on the road against Colby (11- 11, 3-3 NESCAC) last Sunday. Led by Sadie Leonard ’26 on the mound in the first game, the Ephs won a back-and-forth battle 8-5 before coming up short 2-6 to the Mules in the second matchup of the day. The Ephs now stand at second place in the NESCAC, trailing first-ranked Tufts (22- 5, 10-2 NESCAC).
For the Ephs, the season has been challenging but rewarding thus far. An early round of the Ephs’ games in Cal...
The Williams Record •

Men’s basketball sweeps weekend in buzzer-beater victory over Trinity, senior day win over Wesleyan

Men’s basketball (18-5, 8-1 NESCAC) picked up two home victories over the weekend, ascending to first place in the NESCAC. On Friday, the Ephs took down the No. 4 Trinity Bantams (21-1, 7-1 NESCAC) in a 55-54 buzzer-beater victory to end the Bantams’ undefeated season. On Saturday, the Ephs triumphed 76-65 over the Wesleyan Cardinals (12-10, 3-5 NESCAC) in a senior day game, securing the Little Three Co-Championship title.
Friday night presented an exciting matchup for the Ephs against a red-hot...

Articles from The Berkshire Eagle

Explore a featured selection of my writing work below.
The Berkshire Eagle •

Berkshire Food Project hit by unprecedented demand, receives record donations

NORTH ADAMS — The Berkshire Food Project has seen unprecedented demand, with service surging 117 percent during the late-2025 SNAP crisis, a spike Executive Director Matt Alcombright called “unbelievable.”But with the help of community volunteers, the organization continues to deliver.In a January meeting, leaders announced that the organization — which serves a free hot nutritious meal...
The Berkshire Eagle •

Reza Pahlavi, a Williams College student once, tests his moment in Iran’s unrest

WILLIAMSTOWN — Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has wanted a hand in the future of Iran ever since he and his family escaped to the United States nearly five decades ago — settling briefly in Williamstown.Now he and some in Iran’s opposition movement are renewing calls for him to return to Iran, perhaps even lead it, after decades of opposition in exile.Pahlavi, 65, hasn’t set foot in his native country since his father, the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was overthrown in 1979 by a coalition...
The Berkshire Eagle •

Rep. Moulton pushes for faster, more modern approach for West-East Rail plan

PITTSFIELD — For years, many Massachusetts Democrats have supported improving and expanding the state’s high-speed passenger rail network.U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton agrees, but is concerned that the current West-East Rail plan would be “outdated” before it is even built. Moulton favors a modern, high-speed solution for the West-East Rail project.The congressman from Salem, representing the 6th Congressional District, spoke with The Eagle editorial board this week. Moulton is campaigning for the Demo...
The Berkshire Eagle •

Pittsfield City Council elects Earl Persip III as president

PITTSFIELD — The new City Council is ready to get to work: In its first order of business, Earl Persip III was elected president, and the former council president, Pete White, was chosen vice president.The inauguration of Pittsfield’s City Council and School Committee on Monday drew city officials, residents, friends and family members, who packed into council chambers at City Hall to watch new and familiar faces be sworn into service.City Clerk Michele Benjamin also took her oath of office and...

Articles from Eph Sports

Explore the recaps that I've written for a number of Williams sports teams!

Williams College •

Ephs stay undefeated with 90-77 win over Emmanuel - Williams College

BOSTON, Mass. - The Williams College men's basketball team hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Emmanuel Saints 90-77. A tight game turned into a relatively stress-free Ephs victory thanks to big-time defense and shot-making, allowing the Ephs to improve to 4-0 on the season. 

With 9:49 to play in regulation, the Saints made a circus layup off the top of the backboard to cut the Ephs' lead to 70-69, but on the next Williams possession, Aidan Yates...
Williams College •

Ephs hold off Middlebury in exciting 24-17 win - Williams College

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Williams College escaped Farley-Lamb Field with a 24-17 victory on Saturday afternoon in a back-and-forth battle with the Middlebury Panthers. The Ephs overcame a slow start to take a lead into halftime, and then staved off the Panthers' final effort to preserve a hard-earned win.

The outcome came down to a Middlebury 4th-and-11 from the Williams 11-yard line, with 41 seconds left. The Panthers had one last chance to cap off a furious drive with a touchdown that would ha...
Williams College •

Ephs surge early for a 35-17 win over Bowdoin - Williams College

Williams spoiled Bowdoin's homecoming festivities on Saturday afternoon with a decisive 35-17 road victory over the Polar Bears.

Jon Oris and Owen Johansen continued to lead the way on offense for the Ephs, gashing Bowdoin for a combined 214 rushing yards – their third game with 190+ combined yards this season. Oris especially shined, with 144 yards on 13 carries.

The win marks the second straight for Williams against Bowdoin and continues a long string of success for the Ephs against the...
Williams College •

Ephs take first loss in overtime thriller - Williams College

Williams fell to Trinity 34-28 in a back-and-forth affair at Farley-Lamb Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Ephs made a valiant effort to fight back from a 14-0 first half deficit and take a fourth-quarter lead, but overtime went the Bantams' way to deal Williams a tough loss.

Quarterback Owen Johansen made a number of huge plays during the game, finishing with a season-high 311 passing yards in addition to 75 yards on the ground, but the biggest moment  was a 73-yard touchdown pass to Zach F...
Williams College •

Ephs run past Colby, 38-0, in home opener - Williams College

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Williams used a dominant run game, led by quarterback Owen Johansen, and a shutdown defense to earn a 38-0 win over Colby College in the home opener on Saturday afternoon.

Johansen, making his home debut at quarterback, finished the game with a whopping 223 rushing yards on 11 carries. 

"We knew Colby is a very difficult team to run against, they always have been for us," Head Coach Mark Raymond said after the game. "But our guys were up to the challenge today, they j...
Williams College •

Williams Loses in a 9-8 Nailbiter at Bowdoin - Williams College

Wintry weather and a three-hour delay failed to stop No. 23 Williams and the Bowdoin Polar Bears Bears in a thrilling showdown on Saturday afternoon. In a matchup that came down to the wire, the Polar Bears were ultimately able to score the decisive goal in a 9-8 win and celebrate their Senior Day in style. The loss brings Williams to 6-6 on the season and 3-5 in the NESCAC, while Bowdoin improves to 6-6 and 2-6 in the NESCAC.

HIGHLIGHTS

Franny Donohue got the Eph scoring started, catching the...
Williams College •

Ephs Women's Lacrosse Completes California Sweep, Beats No. 11 Pomona-Pitzer 16-6 - Williams College

CLAREMONT, CA. -- Williams women's lacrosse finished off its West Coast swing in style on Wednesday night, using a hot start to defeat the No. 11 Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens 16-6. Six goals in the opening quarter gave the Ephs early momentum en route to a comfortable victory. The win, the Ephs' third in a row, pulls them to 4-3 on the season. With the loss, the Sagehens fall to 9-2 this year.

HIGHLIGHTS

Sydney Puntus opened the scoring for Williams, cutting to her right and finishing into the roof...
Williams College •

Williams Surges to an 11-5 Victory at No. 15 Trinity - Williams College

HARTFORD, CT -- Women's lacrosse shook off an early deficit to cruise to an 11-5 win over No. 15 Trinity Bantams. Williams played impeccable defense to hold Trinity to just two goals over the final three quarters, en route to winning its first NESCAC game of the season. With the win, Williams improves to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in NESCAC play, while the loss drops Trinity to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the NESCAC.

HIGHLIGHTS



Claudia Russell opened the scoring with a free-position goal to make...
Williams College •

Ephs Fall 9-7 Against Bates - Williams College

LEWISTON, ME -- Women's lacrosse lost 9-7 on Saturday afternoon in a tight game against the Bates Bobcats. Despite grabbing an early lead, the Ephs struggled throughout the second quarter, and could not complete the rally in the second half. The road match up was the Ephs' first in 2025 NESCAC play. 

HIGHLIGHTS



Bates got on the board first, as Caroline Taggart drew an early foul and converted her free-position shot just 49 seconds into the game.


Williams responded quickly. Cl...

National Sports Articles

Explore a section of my college football-focused writing work below.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish On SI •

AP Top 25 Poll Release: Where Notre Dame Football’s Opponents Rank

The Associated Press unveiled its preseason Top 25 Poll, setting in stone the media’s expectations for the 2025 college football season. Notre Dame slotted in at sixth, despite finishing as last year’s national runners-up. More intriguingly, with the poll, Irish fans can see where the team’s opponents stack up in what is still the most popular ranking out there, at least, until the CFP rankings are revealed.Last season, Notre Dame had two matchups with pre-season AP-ranked teams – against No. 10...
Notre Dame Fighting Irish On SI •

Notre Dame Football 2024 Schedule: ESPN FPI Breakdown and Analysis

Amid the chaos of conference realignment, Notre Dame football remains independent, untethered to any of the shifting power conferences. This independent status allows the program to craft a unique schedule year after year, full of regional variety. The 2024 season is no different, as the team will travel from coast to coast. But which teams on the docket pose the biggest threat to the Fighting Irish? ESPN's FPI system identifies a few dangerous matchups and provides a preview of what to expect f...
The Sporting News •

Oregon's Dan Lanning Shares Exciting Benefit to Ducks' Big Ten Move

Oregon enters the 2024 season with lofty expectations. Coach Dan Lanning has executed a fairly seamless transition after taking over from Georgia, with a 22-5 record in his first two seasons in Eugene.His Ducks are currently viewed as one of the top teams in the country, ranking second overall in ESPN's FPI and also taking second place in this week's preseason Big Ten Media Poll. Most experts predict that Dillon Gabriel and company will be participating in the expanded 12-team college football p...
The Sporting News •

Penn State's James Franklin Describes Impact of Expanded Playoff, Conference Realignment

No team in college football may be more excited for the expanded CFP than Penn State. The Nittany Lions under James Franklin have been defined by near-misses in the modern playoff era, finishing a whopping six seasons within the top 12 teams in the CFP rankings but never making it to the promised land of the playoff.Consistently losing against Michigan and Ohio State in the big games has meant that, despite constant success, Penn State fans are desperate for more. The new twelve team format appe...