Baseball
The 2001 baseball team centered its strategy around the combination of talented pitching and clutch hitting. Countering a nagging shoulder injury to Co-captain pitcher Kevin Downes '01 that kept him on the bench for much of the season, head Coach Bill Thurston gave the starting nod to younger hurlers Jeff Leduc '02, Andy Kerns '04, Dave Krauser '02 and Jonah Ansell '03. Chris Vecsey '03, Downes and newcomer Duncan Webb '04 picked up the relief duties for the season. Together, the seven pitchers posted a 3.91 ERA, led by Leduc's minuscule 1.74 mark.
On the offensive end, third baseman Ryan Whitmarsh '01 led the way with a .435 batting average. Whitmarsh led the team in nearly every offensive category, including hits, doubles, home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. In addition, Whitmarsh tied for the team lead in RBIs with classmate Jordan Krall '01. Rounding out the offensive push were Devin Haran '03, Joe Katuska '03, John Brody '02 and Co-captain Dave Siegle '01.
The Jeffs posted a 15-12 regular season record, including wins over Hamilton College, Middlebury College and Wesleyan University to pick up the second seed in the West Division of the inaugural NESCAC Tournament, behind Williams College. At the NESCAC Tournament, the Jeffs fell early to Tufts University on May 11 by a 6-3 score. The next day, the Jeffs crushed Trinity College by a 4-1 score on the strength of a two-for-four day from Whitmarsh and a solid start by Krauser. But the Jeffs fell to Tufts in the loser's bracket final by a 7-3 score, ending their season at 20-14. Krall was named a Verizon Academic District I Team selection and Whitmarsh picked up All-NESCAC first team honors, while Siegle and Leduc were given All-NESCAC second team accolades.
Softball
After posting a 6-4 record in Fort Myers, Fla. over spring break, the softball team went on a tear to begin the northern part of its regular season. After winning eight straight games, the Jeffs dropped to 14-6 on after being swept by eventual NESCAC champion and NCAA-bound Tufts University. Despite taking doubleheaders from division foes Wesleyan University and Middlebury College, the squad faltered somewhat in the last third of its regular season to drop to 19-10. During the course of the regular season, the Jeffs held their own in the NESCAC and headed to host Tufts as the Western Division two-seed for the NESCAC Tournament. In Medford, Mass., the squad fell to Tufts again by a 4-1 score before falling again to Bowdoin College on May 5 by a tight 1-0 score on a Polar Bear home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, leaving its 2001 record at 19-12.
Offensively, the Jeffs were paced by Co-captains left fielder Meg Nelson '01 and second baseman Carline Kelly '01. Nelson hit for a team-leading .374 average from the three-spot in the lineup for the Jeffs, with 14 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 17 RBIs. Kelly knocked out a .327 average, legging out seven doubles and four triples, while pushing 11 RBIs across the plate. Following Kelly and Nelson's lead was Gina Scribner '04, who took over the cleanup spot in her rookie season with a .324 average and 14 RBIs.
On the defensive end, pitchers Emily Melia '03 and Lauren Peloquin '02 combined for a stunning 1.44 ERA. Melia kept hitters at bay, limiting the opposition to a .298 average in 79.2 innings of work. Peloquin continued to dominate the competition, recording only eight earned runs and 23 walks on the season, while fanning 170 batters in 129.1 innings to grant her a 0.43 ERA.
Several Jeffs racked up postseason awards. Peloquin was named NESCAC Pitcher of the Year, and Scribner was given Rookie of the Year honors. Peloquin and Nelson were named All-Conference first team selections, with Kelly and Scribner given second team distinction. In addition, all four were given All-New England honors by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Men's lacrosse
After beginning its season on a 5-1 hot streak, including wins over Wheaton, Bates and Colby Colleges, the men's lacrosse team took a turn for the worse. The Jeffs suffered several heartbreaking losses to come away with a final regular-season record of 5-7. However, the Jeffs earned a spot in the seven-team NESCAC Tournament. In the first round, against Wesleyan University, the Jeffs mounted a comeback attempt against an early 8-1 deficit, behind a two-goal, four-assist effort from Co-captain Eric Edelson '01. However, the effort was not enough to propel the Jeffs past the 15-1, second-ranked Cardinals, as the Amherst visitors fell 16-11 to end their season.
Several seniors contributed to the Jeff effort. Edelson and classmate Rob Gibson '01 led the team with 43 and 21 points, respectively. J.P. Bruneau '01 posted three goals, while Mark Cahill '01 notched an assist and a goal on the year. Between the pipes, Inside Lacrosse preseason All-American Co-captain Corey Simonson '01 was stellar, recording a 0.58 save percentage and a 9.67 goals against average. Simonson was named to the All-NESCAC first team for his impressive season.
Women's lacrosse
The women's lacrosse team continued its dominance on the national scene. After tearing through its regular season with only two losses-both to Middlebury College-the Jeffs headed to Baltimore for a NCAA National Championship showdown against the Panthers See story, p. 40.
Men's tennis
The men's tennis team, coming off a 4-1 record in its fall campaign, concluded its 2001 season with a fourth-place finish in the NESCAC Championship and an 11-6 record.
After posting victories over Tufts University, Wesleyan University, Middlebury College and Bowdoin College in the regular spring season, the squad traveled to Williamstown to take part in the inaugural NESCAC Championships. Host Williams College came away with the gold, but several Jeffs made their mark on the conference with one finals appearance and five semifinal-round appearances. Rob Feeley '03 fought through two opponents in the number-six singles spot before falling in the championship round.
The Jeffs headed back to Williamstown on May 11 to participate in the NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament. However, they fell to a seemingly innocuous Bowdoin squad. Dave Wellner '02, Andy Tsai '03 and Feeley each posted singles victories, but the Polar Bears prevailed through the doubles matches.
Next year promises to be a strong one for the Jeffs, as no seniors will be lost to graduation from the 2000-2001 squad.
Women's tennis
Coming off a strong fall season in which they posted a 6-1 record and a second-place finish at the NESCAC Championships behind Wesleyan University, the top-ranked women's tennis team steamrolled its way to San Antonio in search of an NCAA Championship. See story, p. 40.
Track and field
After grabbing second and fifth places at the Connecticut College Invitational, the men's and women's track teams continued to shine through the spring season. The teams performed well through the Little III Championships at Williams College, highlighted by 110m hurdler Pat Hayes '03, running his event in 15.46.
At the NESCAC Championships, the men took seventh place behind exceptional individual performances, most notably a fifth-place finish from Ben Kozyak '02 in the 800m run and a fourth place, 2:20.06 finish from Laurel Kilgour '03 in the women's side of the same event. Finally, at the Division III National Championships, the men's and women's teams proved their dominance on the national scene, grabbing 10th and 18th place finishes, respectively. However, the men's 4x400 relay had one more push, as they sprinted to a 3:15.91 school-record finish at the Open New England Championships two weekends ago.
The teams will lose a wealth of seniors to graduation, including Greg Baker, Tom Dewire, Brian Larivee, Jay Santos, and Tri-captains Brian Gilliss, Rob Long and Jared Moshe on the men's side. Meanwhile, the women will lose Megan Duncan-Smith, Katie Famous and Tri-captain Courtney Jennings.
Golf
The men's and women's golf teams posted respectable seasons this spring. For the men, Captain Mike Blaisdell '02 and Jude Volek '03 led the way, heading up the individual scoring for the Jeffs in three of their four tournament appearances. Following several top-10 finishes, the Jeffs took second place in the Little III Championships behind Williams College. The men's squad will lose Charles Franklin '01 to graduation.
On the women's side, Captain Jamie Ratner '02 and newcomer Kathryn Kuchefski '04 took the helm for the Jeffs. After rallying to defeat Embry-Riddle University by eight strokes in Daytona, Fla. over spring break, the squad headed back north to post in the top 10 team finishes in three tournaments. Finally, at the Northeast Championships, Jeannie Limpert '03 shot a career-best 40 on the front nine en route to a 102-91-193 total and a ninth-place team finish. The team looks to be strong again next year, with no graduating seniors.