Men's basketball
To say that the men's basketball team had a terrific season this winter would be a huge understatement. Not only did the Jeffs have a stellar record of 30-2, but they also captured the program's first National Title. Bouncing back from a loss against Williams College in the NESCAC final, the Jeffs came out fighting with hunger and desire in the National Tournament.
Strong leadership from four seniors, Mike Salerno, Dan Wheeler, Dan O'Shea and Tim McLaughlin, provided the Jeffs with motivation and determination to be the number one team in the country. Also aiding in this endeavor were junior stars Andrew Olson, Kevin Hopkins and Brandon Jones.
Olson received myriad awards for his efforts including NESCAC Player of the Year, NABC Northeast Player of the Year and the National Co-player of the Year. Wheeler also racked up a number of awards including d3hoops.com Honors and First Team All-Northeast Honors. Although an impressive group of seniors are leaving, the Jeffs have their sights on keeping the National Title next February.
Women's swimming
This winter was a special season for the women's swimming and diving team. At the NESCAC Tournament, the Jeffs took second place, while junior Brittany Sasser was named the Swimmer of the Meet and senior Piper Petterson was named Four-Year High Point Swimmer for her entire swimming career. Sasser was also named the CollegeSwimming.com National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week.
The Jeffs led the conference with 37 All-NESCAC Honors as 11 members of the squad placed in the top three of at least one of their events. Contributing to the team's success was sophomore Meaghan Stern who, along with Sasser, earned seven All-NESCAC honors.
With momentum from the impressive season, the Jeffs were confident going into the National Tournament. After two days, the team racked up 250 points and was only behind Kenyon College. The next day, Sasser lowered her own national record in the 100-yard backstroke but this could not stop Kenyon, who eventually became the National Champions. Amherst finished second in the nation and will be a force to reckon with next year with Sasser leading the squad.
Women's ice hockey
The women's ice hockey team also sparkled for the Jeffs this winter. The team finished as one of the top squads in the country with a 20-7-3 record, the best in program history. The Jeffs also defeated Williams College, giving Amherst its first win over the Ephs in the regular season with a score of 5-4. With a great record, the Jeffs earned the third seed in the NESCAC Tournament, which they won by beating Middlebury College in triple overtime. The women's ice hockey team then advanced to the NCAA Div. III Tournament, and finished fourth.
Much of its success is owed to the team's remarkable first-years. Goalie Krystyn Elek got the most press, as she was named NESCAC Player of the Week twice, USCHO.com Defensive Player of the Week, NESCAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-American. Elek's awards are deserving. To name a few key statistics-she had a string of 15 consecutive shutout periods and made 65 games in the NESCAC title game. Sophomore Tarasai Karega was the points leader for Amherst, led the nation in game winning goals and finished tied for fifth in the nation in power-play goals. Head Coach Jim Plumer earned NESCAC Coach of the Year honors for orchestrating a phenomenal season.
With a multitude of young players returning, the Jeffs are odd on to repeat their success in 2008.
Indoor track
From the beginning of the winter, the indoor track and field team looked very promising, which translated into an exceptional championship season. The women took third at the Div. III New England meet, and tied for 11th at the Open New England Championships. Continuing their successes, the women competed in the ECAC Championships where they placed sixth.
Finally, the Jeffs had the National Championships to conquer. Six runners traveled to the meet, and all six runners came away with All-America Honors in every race they ran. Sophomores Caitlin McDermott-Murphy and Carly Levenson, and tri-captain seniors Maria Millard and Shauneen Garrahan captured third place in the distance medley relay while setting a new school record. Garrahan then placed third in the mile run. The final event of the weekend for Amherst was the 5,000-meter run. Garrahan, sophomore Elise Tropiano and junior Heather Wilson placed second, seventh and eighth, respectively. As a team, the Jeffs finished in seventh place.
The men's squad achieved much in a consistent season. In the Husky Carnival sophomore Steve Stewart placed 10th in the 800-meter and junior Romulo Cabeza placed first in the mile and 1,000-meter run. At the second Tufts Invitational, the Jeffs placed fourth out of 16 teams. Senior tri-captain John Babbott took first place in the 3,000-meter run for his first time. At the Div. III New England Championships, sophomore Harrison Lakehomer took third place in the 5,000. For their last scoring meet of the season, the Jeffs competed in the ECAC Championships where they placed 36th.
Men's swimming
Another flourishing winter teams was the men's swimming and diving team. Starting the season on a good note, the squad swept Wesleyan University and Hamilton and Union Colleges. The Jeffs carried the regular season momentum with them into the NESCAC Tournament where they placed second. In addition to their great finish in the tournament, six Jeffs combined for 17 All-NESCAC honors. Sophomore Christian Witzke earned five of those honors, including a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle. The senior co-captains, Ethan Treat and John Ancona, attained for four runner-up finishes as Treat placed second in the 800-yard freestyle relay and Ancona finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke. For the divers, junior Connor Boyd picked up a second-place finish in one-meter diving.
Men's squash
Despite difficult opponents this season, the men's squash team still managed to hold its own. The Jeffs finished with a record of 10-9 and faced some tough competition within and outside the NESCAC. Impressively, Amherst upset the ninth-ranked team in the nation, Cornell University, with a score of 6-3, and followed that victory with another win over Hobart College, 9-0. In the Little Three Tournament, Amherst placed second as sophomore Drew Blacker and senior Auloke Mathur ousted their opponents decisively. At the CSA Individual Championships, Mathur represented Amherst well; he made it through to the semifinal round but was unable to complete the match due to injury.
Women's squash
Like their male counterparts, the women's squash team made impressive strides against some very fierce competition. In their season opener, the Jeffs squashed their Northeastern University opponents. Later in the season, the Jeffs ousted Smith and Wellesley Colleges with scores of 8-1 and 9-0, respectively. The team also made it to the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Tournament where they shut out the Tufts University Jumbos by a score of 9-0. At the CSA National Tournament, the Jeffs took second place in the Walker Cup after falling to William Smith College. Despite the loss, the Jeffs completed a very successful tournament, taking wins from Connecticut and Franklin and Marshall Colleges.
The Jeffs finished the season ranked 18th in the nation. Representing the Jeffs in the CSA Individual Championships was senior co-captain Caroline Shannon. She won her first-round match against Emily Kraff of Vassar College but fell in the next round to the eventual champion, Kaitlin Sennatt of Princeton University.
Men's ice hockey
The men's ice hockey team, like other Jeff squads, did very well this winter season. Finishing with a record of 14-10-1, the Jeffs proved to be a tough team to contend with. In the season opener against Wesleyan University, Amherst showed its tenacity with a come-from-behind win. A few weeks later, the Jeffs took on Wesleyan again for the McCabe Championship, which they won handily 6-3. After the championship victory, they managed to beat the second-ranked team in the nation, Norwich University. They continued their NESCAC success with wins against Connecticut and Hamilton College. Adding to their impressive season, was a win over 13th-ranked Skidmore College.
Overall, the Jeffs finished third in the NESCAC in scoring offense. Senior captain forward Sean Ellis earned Second-Team All-NESCAC Honors and senior goaltender Josh Fillman was named the MVP of the McCabe Tournament. Sophomore forward Joel Covelli earned First-Team All-NESCAC honors.
Women's basketball
Facing very tough competition, the women's basketball team still had a very notable winter. The final record of 12-13 does not do justice to the talent and desire of the Jeffs. In its season opener against UMass-Dartmouth, Amherst annihilated its foe by a score of 71-50. The Jeffs then qualified for the NESCAC Championship Tournament as the number six seed, but fell in the quarterfinals to Bates College. Amherst finished second in the NESCAC in field goal percentage and rebounding defense. First-year guard/forward Samantha Swensen earned NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors and finished second in the conference in field goal percentage. Junior tri-captain guard/forward Stefanie Reiff received Second Team All-NESCAC honors and was named Pioneer Valley Classic MVP as well.