Women's tennis
The women's tennis team was dominant this year, winning its third-consecutive NESCAC title and finishing with a 12-4 record. They also acquired their 12th-straight bid to the NCAA Div. III Championships at the University of California at Santa Cruz and made their ninth appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals, where they lost to Trinity University (Texas).
The Jeffs' success was due in part to the leadership of Kristin Raverta '06, NESCAC Player of the Year and the runner-up in the NCAA Div. III Singles Tournament. A first team All-NESCAC member all four years, Raverta was a tri-captain of the squad and invaluable to the teams successes, notching an 87-19 record in her four seasons. She was the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association's National Senior Player of the Year. Her teammate and first doubles partner, Alicia Menezes '08 was another standout player for the Jeffs. Together they made First Team All-NESCAC and reached the NCAA Div. III National Doubles Tournament.
Women's lacrosse
With the youngest members of the 2003 National Championship team leading the way, the women's lacrosse team had another excellent season. Boasting an excellent set of starters and a deep bench, the Jeffs finished their season with a 14-4 overall record. The team made its sixth-straight trip to the NCAA Championships and went into the NESCAC Tournament as the second seed. The Jeffs reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Div. III Tournament but fell to then-undefeated Gettysburg College, who went on to finish second in the nation.
Leading the Jeffs' offense was junior attacker Alyssa Broidy who earned First Team All-NESCAC and Third Team IWLCA Preseason All-America honors. She was NESCAC Player of the Week during the season, and notched the game-winning overtime goal against Colby College. She ranked third in the NESCAC in goals (49), fourth in goals per game (2.72), and second in total points (76); statistics that are evidence of her versatility as both a shooter and feeder. Anchoring the best defense in the conference was senior tri-captain Laura Brown, who has achieved Second Team All-NESCAC honors twice. She was a force on the Jeffs' defense which had the lowest goals against average in the conference.
In the midfield, rookie Mary Noonan had an excellent first season and gained Second Team All-NESCAC honors. She was third on the team in goals with 37, and snatched the most draw controls as the team's starting center. She notched a career-high five goals in one game against Wesleyan University in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament. Linda McEvoy '08 was a solid goaltender, and was the top netminder in the conference for a large part of the season. Another standout, and the team's Most Improved Player, forward Amy Craig '09 had an impressive 37 goals, good for 11th in the conference.
Outdoor track and field
The women's track and field team had an amazing season, taking fourth place in the NESCAC Championships and second in the Little Three Championships. Also, three runners have qualified for the NCAA Div. III Championship meet May 25-27. Junior Shauneen Garrahan qualified in the 5,000-meter run. She will also compete in the 3,000-meter steeple chase as the defending National Champion. She was the runner up in the steeple chase as a first-year. She won both the 5,000 and the steeplechase in NESCACs, contributing 20 points to her team's score.
Sophomores Kim Partee and Heather Wilson will compete in the 10,000-meter event. During the season, other standouts included senior co-captain Ginger Polich, who took fifth in NESCACs and won the 800-meter event in Little Threes with a school record-breaking time. Elise Tropiano '09 won the steeplechase in Little Threes and finished in fifth place at NESCACs. In the Little Threes, rookie Zandra Walton ran to a third-place finish in the 1,500-meter run, co-captain Julia Rucker '06 took fourth in the 400-meter dash, junior Hannah Campbell captured third in the 100-meter dash, and Maria Millard '07 won both high jump and the 400-meter hurdle events. Sophomore Meg Ray had a breakout season. She slaughtered her personal record and finished fourth in the 1,500 at Little Threes.
The men's track and field team finished 11th in NESCACs and third in Little Threes, where junior Rich Wilson won the steeplechase and classmate John Babbot won the 1,500. In the same meet, senior co-captain Nick Canevari placed third, fourth and fifth in the discus, shot-put, and javelin events, respectively. co-captain and team MVP Sam Hayman '07 took third in the 1500 and Basile Beaty '08 ran to a fourth-place finish in the 800. Rookie Harrison Lakehomer broke the first-year record in both the 10,000 and 5,000 this season, placing third and fourth in NESCACs and Little Threes, respectively dropping 29 seconds off his personal record in the 10,000.
Softball
The softball team finished second in the NESCAC West with an 18-12 record. New Head Coach Lynn Hersey guided the team to its first NESCAC Tournament appearance since 2002. Although they lost a close game in the first round to Tufts University, the Jeffs' improvement this season should not go unnoticed. Amherst was led by co-captain pitcher Miya Warner '06, who notched her third First Team All-NESCAC honors and led the NESCAC in strikeouts and wins. She had 603 career shutouts and ranked 24th in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings. She was also chosen for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Softball First Team by College Sports Information Directors of America for the second consecutive season.
Men's tennis
The men's tennis team had a great season, making its second appearance in the NCAA Div. III Tournament and finishing with a 14-8 record. The Jeffs barely lost to Middlebury College 4-3 in the NESCAC semifinals, and fell to the Panthers again in the NCAA Regional Match. They were led by senior co-captain Josh Rilla, who was awarded the Clarence Chaffee Sportsmanship Award-an award voted on by the NESCAC coaches. Rilla gained all-NESCAC honors for the third time and started at the number one singles spot for three consecutive seasons. He was also ranked 24th in the nation for singles play this year.
Men's lacrosse
The men's lacrosse team finished its season with an overall record of 4-10 and had three players receive all-NESCAC honors. Co-captain long stick midfielder Andrew Wilcox '06 notched all-NESCAC honors in all four of his seasons as a Jeff and was named to the first team this season. He was a preseason All-American and got NEILA All-New England Div. III First Team honors. Leading the Jeffs' attack was junior co-captain Derek Cherney, who also receieved First Team All-NESCAC honors for the third consecutive season. The 2005 NESCAC Co-Player of the Year and 2004 Rookie of the Year had the 11th most points in the NESCAC in 2006. Sophomore Will Ferrer received Second Team All-NESCAC plaudits. Ferrer notched four hattricks this season.
Baseball
The baseball team narrowly missed the NESCAC Tournament this year, finishing up its season with a 22-9-1 record-good for third place in the NESCAC West. The Jeffs had three players receive All-NESCAC honors and two players make the ESPN The Magazine All-District I Baseball Team. Senior Andrew Green was Second Team All-NESCAC and first team on the ESPN squad, while Joe Vladeck '06 was second team ESPN The magazine All-District I Baseball and First Team All-NESCAC for the second season. Vladeck was NESCAC Pitcher of the Year and was selected to particpate in the 2006 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Senior All-Star Game at Fenway Park in Boston. He posted a perfect 7-0 record this spring and led the conference in earned run average, opposing batting average and wins. Also, for the second consecutive season, Vladeck notched First Team New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-New England honors.
Men's Golf
The men's golf team's spring campaign was not as successful as their fall season, as the Jeffs finished third in the Little Three Championship. Junior Andrew Bruns had the best average on the team. He posted two of the team's four sub-80 rounds for the season.
Women's Golf
Although they were unable to field a four-person squad, the women's golf team members competed as individuals. Leading the team were sophomores Kristin Beneski and Ali Berman. At the Jack Leaman Women's Championships, the pair scored 100 and 103 to place 50th and 55th, respectively.