Women's tennis
The women's tennis team was the story of the spring season. Despite losing a pair of close matches to NESCAC foes, the Jeffs bounced back to win their fourth straight NESCAC title, defeating Williams College, 5-4.
Their NESCAC Championship earned the Jeffs their 13th-straight bid to the NCAA Div. III Championships, held this year at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Seeded number one, the Jeffs had high expectations going into the tournament. After receiving a bye in the first round, the Jeffs won four straight matches to reach the National Finals, where they played Washington and Lee University. After their long run to the finals, they Jeffs fell just short, losing 5-2.
The Jeffs' lineup only included one senior, co-captain Katie Hudson, who played fifth singles and second doubles. Leading the rest of the squad were juniors Alicia Menezes, Monica Snyder, Jen Murphy and Laura Stein. First-year Brittany Berckes added a boost to the team, jumping in at the second singles spot and forming the nation's best doubles team with Menezes. Stein was named the winner of 2007 ITA Arthur Ashe, Jr. award.
Having lost just one senior, and with a promising class coming in, the Jeffs will have the opportunity to take their game one step further and win the team's second-ever National Championship.
Track and field
The ever-impressive women's track and field team had another successful season; one that continues this weekend at the NCAA Div. III meet. Even before the weekend of national competition began, however, there were many spectacular races to speak of.
In just the second meet of the outdoor campaign, the Jeffs made the short trip to UMass to face some rare Div. I opposition. The women held their own, and finished in fifth place. As they have been all season, the Jeffs were led by a core group of runners. Senior co-captains Shauneen Garrahan and Maria Millard and junior Heather Wilson all posted individual victories, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, the 400-meter hurdles and the 5,000-meter run, respectively. Garrahan and Millard each posted school and UMass facility records.
The Jeffs' success continued into the championship season as Garrahan had a win in every meet she raced-Little Three Championships, NESCAC Championships, Div. III New England Championships and Open New England Championships-with events ranging from the 1,500-meter run to the 10,000-meter run. Garrahan also joined Wilson and sophomore Elise Tropiano on a trip to the prestigious Penn Relays. Garrahan placed third among all collegiate and Olympic Development runners, posting at time that goes beyond most Div. III college runners' dreams: She qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials. Wilson and Tropiano were also impressive, qualifying for Nationals in the 10,000 and 5,000, respectively.
Currently, four Jeffs are at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for the National Championships. Wilson, Garrahan and Tropiano will be competing in the 5,000 and 10,000, with the latter two also racing the steeplechase. Millard is entered in the 800-meter run and the 400 hurdles.
The men's track and field squad also had a few standout performers this spring. Senior Nate Freese had an excellent championship season in what was truly a breakout year. He finished second in the 10,000 at NESCACs before winning the 5,000 at Div. III New Englands, and following that up with another second place finish in the 10,000 at Open New Englands.
Also impressive in the long-distance events was first-year Daniel Murner. He raced to a second-place finish in the 5,000 at NESCACs, then flip-flopped with Freese and won the 10,000 at Div. III New Englands. Another product of a strong first-year class was Carlyle Eubank. Eubank won the 5,000 at Little Threes, and joined senior tri-captain John Babbott under 4:00 in the 1,500 at Open New Englands. Babbott was the Little Three Champion in the 1,500.
Garrahan is certainly not replaceable on the women's side, and Millard and Babbott leave big shoes to fill as well. However, the multitude of underclassmen look promising for both the men and women.
Men's tennis
The men's tennis team had another strong season, making its third appearance in the NCAA Div. III Tournament and finishing with a 14-6 record. For the second straight year, the Jeffs fell to Middlebury College in the NESCAC Tournament. However, their strong regular season campaign still earned them a bid to the tournament.
After winning their first match and advancing to the Sweet 16, the Jeffs had to play the tough Middlebury squad once again, falling 5-2 to end their season. The Jeffs were led by sophomore Zack Lerner who advanced all the way to the Round of Eight in the NCAA Individual Tournament before being eliminated. Lerner was named the Northeast Regional Player to Watch for 2007 by the International Tennis Association.
A rather young team, the Jeffs are only losing seniors Karti Subramanian and Jeff Lawrence. The Jeffs suffered a couple injuries this past season, and with a new class coming in and a summer to heal, Amherst will once again be a force to be reckoned with.
Women's golf
The women's golf team made huge strides this year, compared to last year when they were literally unable to field a full squad. However, with the addition of three first-years, Kinnie Schwartz, Jordan Chafetz and Alex Chang-Graham, and sophomore Amanda Otieno, the squad was complete.
Led by senior captain Sarah Harper, the Jeffs had an amazing season, highlighted by a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Div. III National Tournament. The team's four-day score of 1416 put them third of all NESCAC schools. And Harper's 80.75 scoring average placed her 13th individually. Schwartz's 341 over four rounds was good for a 46th-place finish. Chafetz finished tied for 79th, junior Ali Berman 103rd and Chang-Graham 110th.
The Jeffs will certainly miss Harper's consistent play at the top of the leader board, but now have a promising young core to work around for the future seasons.
Baseball
After just missing out in the postseason last year, this year the baseball team finished 20-14 on the season and 9-3 in the NESCAC West. Amherst finished the regular season in red-hot form, winning seven games and primed to make a postseason run.
The Jeffs took the first game in an 8-7 thrilling victory over Tufts University in the NESCAC Tournament. However, after getting off to an early lead, they fell to Williams 6-3. In the following game, Amherst was eliminated from the tournament by the Jumbos in a 9-4 loss.
Despite being eliminated from NESCACs, the Jeffs achieved their goal of reaching the postseason. On the year, senior co-captain outfielder Jared Banner led the team with a .407 batting average. Junior catcher Neal Allar led the team in the power category with six homeruns and 43 RBIs, playing in all 34 games. Senior outfielder Tom Scott hit .361 and sophomore Brendan Powers had a great season at third base with five homeruns and 30 RBIs. Sophomore pitcher Ryan Platzbecker led the team with five wins, and first-year John D'Angelo was 4-1 and had a nifty 1.93 earned run average in 32.2 innings pitched.
Scott, Allar and Powers were all named to Second Team All-NESCAC, and Allar was also named to the EIBA All-New England Team. Although youth is on the Jeffs' side, they will have to cope with the loss of four seniors who were regulars in the lineup.
Women's lacrosse
Ranked number one in the preseason poll, the women's lacrosse team did not quite live up to expectations. The Jeffs finished the season 9-7 overall and 5-4 in NESCAC play.
After defeating Wesleyan University 13-5 in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Tournament, Amherst fell 10-8 in a close semifinal game against Colby College. Despite leading late in the second half, the Jeffs squandered the lead to end their season.
The Jeffs were led by senior quad-captain Alyssa Briody who was named First Team All-NESCAC for the second straight year. Also receiving all-conference honors was senior defender Emery Sweeney and sophomore attacker Amy Craig, each was named to the second team.
Junior goalie Linda McEvoy had a .492 save percentage in the net. Craig led the NESCAC in goals and Briody lead the conference in assists. Craig was also tops in game winning goals .
After the disappointing season, the Jeffs will be hoping to bounce back next season, but must strive to fill the gaping void left by seven graduating seniors.
Men's lacrosse
The men's lacrosse team got hot at the end of the season, but ultimately fell to Williams 9-5 in the NESCAC quarterfinals. On the year the Jeffs finished 7-8 overall and 5-4 in NESCAC play.
The highlight of the season undoubtedly came in the 10-9 victory over Williams on April 14. In an overtime thriller, first-year attackman Thomas McDonnell netted the game-winner. However, the true MVP of the game was senior tri-captain attackman Derek Cherney who netted five goals and one assist. Cherney's dominant play all season earned him NESCAC Player of The Year honors, his fourth straight year named to the First Team All-NESCAC.
Cherney led the team with 31 goals and 28 assists, followed by McDonnell's 22 goals and sophomore attackman Brett Miller's 14 assists. Sophomore goalie Matt Pietroforte posted 163 saves and a .622 save percentage, good for second in the NESCAC.
With a cadre of rising sophomores that have proved to be key in the clutch, the Jeffs will look to be competitive next year as they lose only four seniors; however, including Cherney.
Softball
The softball team finished the season 14-18 overall, with a 4-8 NESCAC record. The Jeffs' season ended when Williams swept them in a three-game series. However, Amherst showed some promising young talent.
First-year outfielder Jackie Tyler led the Jeffs offensively and was named to the first Team All-NESCAC. Tyler was everything and more that a team can ask from the leadoff spot. She led the NESCAC with a .513 batting average, a .562 on-base percentage, a .744 slugging percentage and 19 steals. Unfortunately, she was limited down the stretch by injuries. First-year shortstop Emily Neil led the team with 21 runs batted in and senior third baseman Caroline Polales slugged five homeruns on the season. Sophomore pitcher Maddie Tamagni led the team with a 3.50 ERA and Alex Chang-Graham won a team-high six games.
The Jeffs will have to part ways with Polales and senior shortstop Annalise Rodli, but this young squad looks as promising as any.
Men's golf
The men's golf team finished second in the Little Three Championships behind Williams College. The Jeffs concluded the season with a third-place finish at the Williams Quad Challenge, placing ahead of Middlebury College.
Seniors Drew Russ, who earned All-NESCAC honors in the fall, Andrew Bruns and Sean Jules were three of the team's top players. However, players like sophomore Christopher Valentine and first-year Adam Shniderman will be expected to make their mark next season.