Bathing in the Florida sun was an unexpected yet welcomed way to spend the last week of school at Amherst. With substantial team improvement from their 2005-06 season, the Amherst women's golf team traveled to Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., to compete with the most talented and accomplished Div. III women's golf schools in the country. Amherst finished in 13th place in the nation with a solid four-day total of 1416 points. However, the major highlight of the week was the play of senior captain and All-American Honorable Mention Sarah Harper '07, who placed 13th individually among a viciously competitive field.
Luckily for Amherst, the Jeffs welcome alum, Sarah Harper, back this season as an assistant coach for the squad after being named the Hitchcock Fellow for 2007-08. Harper will join Head Coach Michelle Morgan and Assistant Coach Jim Plumer. Senior Ali Berman, who demonstrated the ability to lead and score well for the Jeffs, will fill the void left by Harper as the team's captain.
Berman will lead a team that features depth and talent-something Berman notes will be a very useful aspect of this year's squad. "We are very excited for all of [our first-years]," explained Berman. The Jeffs welcome four first-years to the squad this year: Hayley Milbourn, Alissa Korpi, Rachel Egan and Tracy Jarrett. From the looks of it, this year's class of first-years may rival last year's class in its immediate contributions to the team. With Harper leaving, the first-years will be relied upon to break into the starting five.
Amherst will also rely more heavily on this year's sophomores, who experienced a lot as rookies. Jordan Chafetz, Kinne Schwartz and Alex Chang-Graham bring heart and consistency to the table with every round, and each golfer has shown the ability to go low. Chafetz and Schwartz posted scores in the 80s quite often and have shown the ability to play with the best in the NESCAC. Chang-Graham adds very solid depth and will offer an option of consistency to the team.
Berman has played solidly throughout her career with the Jeffs. She showed her poise under pressure when she fired an 88, which was good for sixth place at the 2007 Vassar Invitational. She also posted a solid three-round performance at Jekyll Island, S.C.
The women will look for their increased depth and ability to catapult them to a level comparable with the best in the nation. After taking steps in the right direction last year, the Jeffs aim to take advantage of the new first-years' potential as well as the experience of returning veterans to achieve NCAA glory.