Cross country
Even though six of the top seven women's cross country runners were underclassmen, the Jeffs were still a force to be reckoned with this season. Sophomores Kim Partee, Heather Wilson and Meg Ray along with first-years Nicole Anderson, Caitlin McDermott-Murphy and Zandra Walton joined co-captain Shauneen Garrahan '07 for a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Div. III Championships, capping off a season of high finishes.
The Jeffs were dominant from the start, winning the Amherst Invitational and the Tufts Invitational. Their strong racing carried into the championship season as they placed second in the NESCAC Championships and first in the ECAC Championship meet. A third-place showing in the NCAA Regional meet earned the Jeffs a berth in the national meet.
Garrahan was the front-runner for most of the season, taking home individual wins at the Amherst Invitational and the Tufts Invitational. She also led the way with a second-place finish at the NESCAC meet, earning First Team All-NESCAC honors for the third year in a row. Anderson, Wilson and Partee joined Garrahan on the All-NESCAC squad, earning Second Team plaudits for their respective eighth-, ninth- and 14th-place finishes. Additionally, Anderson was the top rookie finisher, making her the 2005 NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Amherst has now claimed the NESCAC Rookie of the Year for three years in a row, as Garrahan and Partee earned the title in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
In the National Championship meet, Partee took her race to a new level. She finished in 34th place with a time of 23:00.3 on the 6,000-meter course. Her performance gave her All-American honors for the first time in her career.
Tomas Morrissey '08 was the star of the men's cross country team this year. He led the team to an eighth-place showing in the NESCAC Championships. For his 11th-place individual effort he earned a spot on the Second Team All-NESCAC squad for the second year in a row. The 2004 NESCAC Rookie of the Year excelled on the national scene as well. He placed seventh in the NCAA Regional meet and got the nod to compete in the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career. Morrissey did not disappoint. The sophomore sensation finished 19th in the country to earn his first All-American honors.
Women's tennis
Although the tennis season doesn't heat up until the spring, the women's tennis team was on fire this fall. Led by senior co-captain Kristen Raverta, the Jeffs were undefeated in dual matches, besting NESCAC foes Wesleyan University and Bowdoin, Colby and Williams Colleges. The team also dominated at the New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament, beating the second-place Ephs by 10 points. In the tournament, Alicia Menezes '08, Jennifer Murphy '08 and co-captain Hadley Miller '06 took the third, fourth and fifth singles titles, respectively. Raverta and Menezes teamed up to win at first doubles, while duo of Monica Snyder '08 and Murphy was unstoppable at second doubles.
Men's soccer
There was one opponent that the eight seniors on the men's soccer team had not beaten in their first three years as Jeffs: Middlebury College. This season, the curse was broken. Twice.
The Jeffs toppled the Panthers, 2-1, in the regular season, but the win was not without a cost. Starting goaltender Greg Lockwood '06 was injured with about nine minutes remaining. However, Jeff Grover '09 filled in brilliantly, and junior forward Mike Wohl's pair of goals stood up to preserve the win. The second Jeff-Panther match-up of the season was in the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament. Senior forward Joe Gannon was crucial to the Jeffs' post-season success, posting an assist in the 1-0 victory over Middlebury and a goal in a 2-1 overtime win against Bates College in the quarterfinal round. Gannon's efforts earned him Second Team All-NESCAC honors, while Wohl was named to the First Team All-NESCAC squad.
Unfortunately, the fourth-seeded Jeffs fell to Wesleyan University by a score of 3-2 in the finals of the NESCAC Tournament. Senior defender Christian Alexander joined Gannon on the Second Team All-NESCAC, and Grover finished the season with the third best goals against average in the conference.
Men's tennis
The men's tennis team put together a 3-0 fall campaign and added some strong individual performances. Co-captains Josh Rilla '06 and Danny Babkes '06 and junior Lenny Lepner all reached the round of 16 at the ITA New England Regional Men's Tennis Championships. At the Wallach Invitational, Babkes reached the final round of the "A" singles tournament and Lepner and Geoff Schwatz '08 fell in the finals of the "A" doubles bracket. Meanwhile, the Jeffs had two victories in the "B" and "C" level competitions. Sophomores Tal Avrahami and Jeff Wan took the "B" doubles title and Jon Godsall '06 defeated teammate Austin Moller '08 in the "C" singles finals.
In team play, Amherst had commanding victories. The Jeffs blanked both Slave Regina and Brandeis Universities, 7-0. They also conquered NESCAC foe Colby College in a 6-1 rout.
Women's soccer
The women's soccer team compiled a 9-3-3 record, with a 6-2-1 conference mark. In the middle of the season, the Jeffs rode a six-game unbeaten streak-including wins over Wesleyan University and Connecticut, Middlebury and Williams Colleges-to earn the second seed in the NESCAC Tournament. Also included in that streak was a 0-0 tie with Colby College; an ominous bit of foreshadowing.
As the second seed in the conference tournament, the Jeffs drew a home match with the seventh-seeded White Mules in the quarterfinal round. Again, the teams battled to a 0-0 stalemate. In the tournament, however, a winner must be declared. After two extra sessions failed to produce a victor, the game went to penalty kicks. With a slight 4-3 advantage in PKs, the Mules upset the Jeffs.
The Amherst defense was completely intact from the 2004 season, and the veterans proved they were the best defensive unit in the conference. The Jeffs led the league in goals allowed (10) and goals against average (.69) and ranked second in shutouts (7). Goalie Piper Crowell '07 anchored the defense, posting the NESCAC's best goals against average. Defender Margaret Chute '06 was also a major contributor in the backfield, and she earned First Team All-NESCAC, First Team NSCAA/Adidas All-New England and Second Team NEWISA All-New England honors.
In the offensive zone, the Jeffs were led by midfielder Lesley Pruzansky '07 who was first in the league in assists per game. Pruzansky was also named First Team All-NESCAC and First Team NSCAA/Adidas All-New England while forward/midfielder Stephanie Yesnik '09 claimed a spot on the Second Team All-NESCAC squad.
Football
When the football team won, the Jeffs absolutely dominated their opponents; they outscored the losing team 145-18, posting two shutouts in five wins. In the three other games, the Jeffs refused to fall as easily as the teams they beat. The total point differential in those games was only 80-56.
Amherst did not disappoint in the Homecoming game against Wesleyan University. The Jeffs downed the Cardinals 37-0 for their seventh-straight Homecoming victory. But the most exciting game of the season came in the form of a 30-20 loss to still undefeated Trinity College. Despite the loss, junior quarterback Nick Kehoe had the best outing of his career, going 22-43 with 323 yards passing and three touchdowns.
Seven Jeffs landed spots on the All-NESCAC squad. Wide Receiver Mark Hannon '07 led the way, getting the First-Team nod as both a wide receiver and a return specialist. He was first in the league in all-purpose yardage (148.1 yards per game), touchdowns (10) and punt return average (10.9 yards per attempt), and ranked third in receiving with 64.5 yards per game. Hannon was tabbed NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year. Joining Hannon on the First Team was Kehoe, tri-captain noseguard L.J. Spinnato '06, tri-captain defensive back Nick Zieler '06, tailback Ngai Otieno '06 and offensive lineman Ryan Smith '07. Outside linebacker Justin Roemer '06 earned Second Team honors, in addition to having the second most field goals in the NESCAC.
Volleyball
It's amazing what a home crowd can do to help its team. With LeFrak Gymnasium packed with fans, the volleyball team was able to overcome an 0-2 deficit to beat Williams College 3-2 in the regular season. The Firedogs had lost the previous 11 games against their Eph opponents; a streak that dated back to 2001.
The victory over Williams, combined with wins over Trinity College and Wesleyan University down the stretch, put the Firedogs in a five-way tie for third place in the NESCAC. Unfortunately the worst-case scenario unfolded, and Amherst was given the seventh seed in the NESCAC Tournament. In their 13th-straight post-season appearance, the Firedogs fell to second-seeded Tufts University in the quarterfinals.
Two Firedogs received Second Team All-NESCAC honors: outside hitters Kristin Quinn '07 and Jaclyn DeMais '08.
Field hockey
The field hockey team jumped out to a 3-0 start this season, tallying wins over Trinity, Smith and Bates Colleges. The victory over Smith was a 5-1 bench-clearing rout. The Jeffs also dominated Western New England College later in the season with a 3-0 shut out.
Defender Amy Watson '07 and midfielder Rachel Carr-Harris '07 earned Second Team All-NESCAC honors. Tri-captain forward/midfielder Katherine Skrivan '06 joined Watson and Carr-Harris on the Second Team Dartfish/NFHCA Div. III All-New England West Regional squad.
The young Jeffs are returning their entire defensive unit from 2005, including goalie Kathleen Boucher '08-who had the fourth best saves per game percentage in the NESCAC-and defender Catherine Calvert '09-who led the league with six defensive saves.
Men's golf
Sean Jules '07 was the leader for the men's golf team in its fall campaign. He posted a two-day score of 76-75-151 at the NESCAC Championships and tied for fifth place. Jules' individual effort earned him a spot on the First Team All-NESCAC squad for the third time in as many years. His score led the Jeffs to their best two-day team score of the season: 321-319-640.
Another highlight of the fall season was the longest drive competition at the 71st Annual NEIGA Championships. At this tournament for teams from every division, first-year Glenn Wong delivered the longest drive of anyone in New England with a 345-yard shot. Wong's blast won each member of the Jeff squad a new club.
Women's golf
Junior co-captain Sarah Harper led by example in the women's golf fall campaign. Harper tallied the low score for the Jeffs in ever fall tournament. Her best round was an 80 at the one-day Wellesley Invitational, good for third place. Two weeks prior to that, Harper shot an 81-81-162 to finish fourth at the 2005 NESCAC Women's Invitation Golf Tournament.