In her four years and twelve varsity seasons as a Jeff, Diamond has spent 5979 minutes in goal for the soccer team, 884 minutes on the court for the basketball squad, and 3238 minutes in between the posts for the lacrosse team. She has tallied 31 career shutouts in soccer, amassed 33 steals on the courts and recorded over 500 saves in lacrosse. Whether she is scoring points or saving goals, the sheer amount of time the three-sport athlete has devoted to sports is remarkable.
That effort more than paid off for Diamond last weekend as she and her women's lacrosse teammates won the national championship with an 11-9 win over Middlebury College. Diamond was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player as she racked up 25 saves and allowed just 19 goals during the Final Four. This was Diamond's first win in a championship game in three tries. "Brooke was just not going to be denied," said Head Coach Chris Paradis of her goalie's determination during the championship game.
Life before Amherst
Devotion to sports has always been a part of Diamond's life. She started playing soccer at age six, basketball at age eight, and lacrosse at age 14. "Athletics are my passion and have shaped so much of who I am that I can't imagine my life without sports in some shape or form," said Diamond, who plans on learning to play golf, squash and tennis in the upcoming years. "Whether it's playing on recreation league teams, coaching my kids, or maybe coming back to the coaching world in the future, I know my life after Amherst will continue to involve athletics," she asserted.
When searching for a college, Diamond was interested in the combination of athletics and academics. Amherst's golden reputation in both areas, as well as the friendly atmosphere she encountered during her overnight visit and the allure of being able to play multiple sports as a Jeff inspired Diamond to apply early, and forego other college options such as Williams and Davidson Colleges and the United States Naval Academy. Since her four years of high school athletics at the Loomis Chaffee Academy had allowed the Longmeadow, Mass. native to amass several All-State and All-New England awards, Diamond was one of the top recruits in her incoming college class. Amherst wanted her, and she wanted it.
Soccer superstar
"Soccer is my first sport. It is what hooked me on athletics," proclaimed Diamond. After injuring her own fifth grade team's goalie, Diamond was forced to fill in at the position, and became hooked on that too. Eleven years later, Diamond continues to be thankful for that fateful day.
Diamond's love for the sport is easy to spot. "Brooke is possibly the most passionate athlete that I have ever met," said teammate Tracy Montigny '05. "Not only is she an unstoppable goalkeeper, but she also possesses the incredible ability to give herself over, heart and soul, to the game every time she steps on to the field."
The two-year captain for the Jeffs soccer squad led the team to a National Championship runner-up finish to Ohio-Wesleyan University in 2001 that had all the makings of a classic Cinderella story. The season had been a trying one for Diamond due to coming to terms with the events of September 11, as well as dealing with a bout of mononucleosis that forced her to miss the first month and a half of competition. Yet after beating a previously undefeated Williams squad in overtime at the NESCAC Finals in order to propel themselves into the NCAAs, the Jeffs continued their run right up until their heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the title game.
Taking her game inside
At 5'8", Diamond has spent the past four years making her presence felt both offensively and defensively on the basketball court. Alternating between the positions of guard and forward, the 2002-2003 tri-captain played in a whopping 84 games and totaled 58 field goals and 179 points. In keeping with tradition, Diamond helped a young Amherst squad beat Williams on Eph territory in overtime two years ago. Even though she didn't start on the team this season, she was certainly a team leader.
Constantly covering
Lacrosse is the newest addition to Diamond's athletic repertoire. Although she only began playing the sport in high school, since then the talented goalie has been named to the 2001 and 2002 NCAA All-Tournament team, voted the 2002 Div. III Goaltender of the Year and 2002 First Team All-American, and titled the 2003 Preseason Player of the Year. Her team made it to the NCAA Finals in 2001 and to the NCAA Final Four in 2002 before finally winning it all last week in one of the greatest wins in the storied history of Amherst athletics. See article on page 24.
More than just an athlete
As a double major in Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought (LJST) and Psychology, Diamond has maintained a superior academic transcript, and her highly-competitive job in the New York investment banking division of Goldman Sachs upon graduation is a testament to this.
Four years can go by pretty quickly, especially when you are as busy as Diamond. "I can't even fathom how fast my time at Amherst has passed," she said. But with diversity, activity and involvement as her mantras, and excellence as her standard, things seem to have worked out pretty well for Diamond. "If given the chance, I would do it all over again-even the bad things," she said, before adding that, "Perhaps I would stop an additional ball here or there though."