The Jeffs concluded their season this weekend, competing in the College Squash Association National Tournament. The Jeffs arrived at the tournament ranked 16th, last in the Hoehn (B) draw. Knowing that the only direction they could move was up, the team entered play excited about their ability to play with reckless abandon.
The opening round pitted Amherst against the ninth-seeded University of Rochester Yellow Jackets. The Jeffs struggled mightily as only juniors Jerome Giovinazzo and Ben Bishop were able to push their matches to five games in a competition the Jeffs lost 9-0. The loss moved Amherst to the consolation half of the bracket, where they faced the Bowdoin Polar Bears. The game was a rematch of the Feb. 2 NESCAC Tournament opening round, a match the Jeffs lost 7-2. Saturday’s match was much closer, as it took a win from Brooks Crowne, playing in Bowdoin’s ninth position, to pull out the 5-4 victory for the Polar Bears.
The Jeffs’ final match of the weekend was another rematch, this time against the 14th-seeded Franklin & Marshall Diplomats. The Jeffs earned their only victory of the weekend against the team they lost to 6-3 on Jan. 12 to claim 15th place. “It was great for us to return the favor to F&M,” said Bishop.
The 1-2 finish at CSA leaves Amherst’s season record at 10-11, and is perhaps a fitting end to a season some players feel was a bit of a disappointment. The Jeffs struggled at times throughout the season to pull out close matches, and that trend carried over into the final tournament. “It would have been nice to capitalize on Bowdoin,” said junior Drew Blacker.
During the course of the season, the young Amherst team, which played only two seniors, showed promise and had some very important wins. However, Bishop noted, “I think it would be wrong to classify the season as a success.” Added Blacker about the team’s original objectives, “The goals I remember were staying injury-free and beating Williams. We did neither.”
However, to paint the picture of the Jeffs’ 2007-08 season as all gloom would be unnecessarily bleak. The team will return seven of its nine starters next year, including three current juniors in Blacker, Bishop and Giovinazzo, who had tremendous seasons. The three juniors were the only players to collect multiple wins for the Jeffs at CSA. Bishop sees the promise as he looks at what the Jeffs have for next year. “Nationals were a promising tournament for the future. Jerome played incredibly well at nationals and is a true champion. We return seven starters next year, and I think nationals was a great chance for some of our younger guys to see the skill, patience and intensity that it takes to win at that level.”
The team may have not played well enough to give senior co-captains Mark Rapisarda and Andrew Slutsky the send-offs they deserved, but there were certainly aspects of the performance that the Jeffs will look to utilize for next year. Said Blacker, “It was important to do well this weekend to try to add some up side to the team’s results for this season. I think it does well for next year knowing that we can upset [Franklin & Marshall].”
If Blacker, along with Bishop and Giovinazzo, can continue at the level of play they exhibited this season, it may very well be other teams looking to upset the Jeffs.