#8 Hamill, Nelson lead the way
The women's cross country team produced its greatest season ever in the fall of 2001. Their hard work culminated with a seventh place team finish at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Rock Island, Ill. on Nov. 17.
Under a bright sun and unseasonably warm temperatures, the Lord Jeffs were led by the finishes of Carter Hamill '05 and Martha Nelson '03, who placed 18th and 19th respectively. In the process, they earned second team All-American honors for their efforts.
Hamill, the third freshman to cross the finish line overall, found herself in a pack of nine at the end of the race but a strong late kick secured 18th for her. "I've never felt so tired in a race. Our super fans really helped keep me going," said Hamill.
Nelson's 19th place performance was a personal best for the harrier, topping her old time by 24 seconds. The race was even more remarkable, considering Rock Island was one of the most difficult courses the Jeffs have run this season. Finding herself in the back of the pack early, an amazing final mile allowed her to finish right behind her teammate. "I feel like I'm on cloud nine," said Nelson after the race.
Aparna Nancherla '04 continued her strong late season with a 58th overall finish as the third top Jeff runner. Despite not racing for four weeks because of an injury, Emily Lobsenz '02 also had an impressive race, finishing 19th overall and fourth among the Jeffs with a season-best time of 18:52. Fellow seniors Becca Woo, Diana Rancourt and captain Molly Burnett followed close behind.
Coach Ned Nedeau was very pleased with his team's performance. "Our goal at the beginning of the year was to get top 10 and we accomplished that," said Nedeau. "While it is going to be difficult to replace the losses from graduation, I am quite optimistic when thinking about next year, considering that our top three runners are all coming back."
Despite the graduation of so many top runners the future of the cross country program is bright. The emergence of Nelson, Hamill and Nancherla should make Amherst cross country one of the top programs in the nation for many years to come.
"The seniors have laid the foundation for great success and the underclassmen are showing that they are willing to continue and accomplish even greater things," Nedeau added.
#7 Cohen reaches semifinals
The women's tennis team reached their fourth consecutive Final Four in the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships on May 18, after a big win against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) in the quarterfinals.
The number one team in the nation and top seeded Lord Jeffs, cruised by Wisconsin-Eau Claire winning four out of six singles matches and all three doubles matches on the day. NESCAC and ITA Northeast Player of the Year Jamie Cohen '01 set a winning tone early with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire number one player Molly Cope. Cohen wasn't done, though. She later teamed with Vass Kozoulina '02 in the top doubles match to defeat Cope and Andrea Muellner 9-7 in the number one doubles game.
Kozoulina's role in the tournament should not go untold. In a marathon game with Eau Claire's Barb Nellis, she managed to outlast the feisty Nellis 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3. Heather Cole '02 also had her hands full with UWEC's Jenny Stafford, using a second set tie-breaker to defeat Stafford 6-0, 7-6 (7-1). Finally, co-captain Carolyn Pastel '01 then took down Muellner in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1 to add to the Jeffs' singles wins.
In addition to Kozoulina and Cohen's win, the other two Jeff double matches also ended in victory. Cole and teammate Stephanie Fong '02 topped the team of Stafford and Suzie Hickman, 9-8 (9-7) in the second doubles match. Amherst followed with their final doubles win with the team of Pastel and Susanna Burke '03, who handily defeated UWEC's Alison Hover and Megan Tauer 8-4.
The women went on to lose to tournament host and defending national champion Trinity University in the Final Four placing fourth and ending their exciting run through the tournament.
But the tournament wasn't over for Cohen, as she managed to reach the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Singles Championships. The defending national champion Cohen fell to Joanna Toke of the University of Rochester, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the semifinal round.
Cohen was dominant as the second-seed this year, posting straight-set wins over Trinity College's Diana Goldman and Denison University's Lauren Gerlach to advance to the national semifinals.
For her impressive performance she was named the National Senior Player of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. With her national title she has also left an indelible mark on Amherst sports history.
#6 Men's hockey loses in OT
They say that the closer you come to your goal the more it hurts if you don't succeed in reaching that goal. Perhaps no team can express that credo better than the men's hockey team who fell within one game of winning the NESCAC Tournament as well as earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The second-seeded Lord Jeffs reached the finals of the NESCAC Tournament after a stellar regular and postseason and faced the Panthers of Middlebury College on March 3.
The first period was marked by a plethora of penalties committed by both sides. The Jeffs used the commotion to take an early lead and hold the lead for the rest of the period.
"The emotion on both sides was high coming into the game," commented tri-captain Chris Orszulak '01. "There was a huge crowd-it was the number one versus the number two seed-and we had two battles during the season and, when all of that comes together, you tend to have more penalties."
A short-handed goal 3:51 into the second period by Scott Cooper off an intercepted Jeff pass allowed the Panthers to tie the score at one a piece. But the Jeffs did not let the goal rattle them, converting on a power play just minutes later off some fancy puck work. Tri-captain Gregg DiNardo '01 and Jim Smith '01 assisted Bob Miele '02 and put the Jeffs back on top.
With 2:10 left in the period, this time it was the Panthers who scored a power play goal by John Dawson. Middlebury and Amherst would continue to trade goals ending regulation with a score of 3-3.
Just past the midpoint of the overtime period Dawson would once again prove to be the thorn in the Jeffs' side. His goal sealed the win for the Panthers, the NESCAC title, and the most important prize of them all: an NCAA bid.
Though disappointing, the Jeffs have nothing to hang their heads over. Smith, who led the Jeffs with 12 goals and 22 assists during the regular season and who added four more points in tournament play, was named First Team All-NESCAC. Goaltender Nick Reiser '01, who led an Amherst defense that finished the regular season second in the country in goals against average (GAA), finishing with a 1.91 GAA, 92.4 save percentage and a record of 14-4-2, joined Smith as a fellow selection.