Maybe AP ranking should have been more important than U.S. News in my college search? Maybe I should have traded in Amherst’s great professors for Ohio State’s coaches? How about Tony for Tebow? Or Jeffs for Jayhawks?
As an incoming first-year, for me, Div. I envy was intense. Friends were going off to Michigan, Wisconsin or Syracuse while I was off to Amherst (no, not UMass)—not exactly a powerhouse in the world of sports. I wanted to talk trash with my Michigan buddies, but there wasn’t anything to say. Our quarterback’s smarter than yours? Our stadium is older? Marcus Camby was a member of our Five-College Consortium? Not much bite in those.
Yet, Div. I envy should never last past the first week of school, so long as you know the fool-proof prescription: embrace the Amherst Div. III sports scene. Don’t mope in your room every Saturday morning, bitterly watching Lee Corso and the assembly of students behind him. Instead, get pumped up for the afternoon of sports to come. You’ll have great seats—I guarantee it. And you’ll see great sports too.
Div. III schools are often heralded as one of the few remaining venues for athletes to play sports in its purist sense, without money or future opportunities on the line. This purity is present in the land of fandom as well. Div. III sports are accessible, free and without frill. Where else could you take a study break by walking two minutes out your dorm and watching a half of a soccer game or an inning of baseball? Div. III fandom is certainly different from D-I, but this does not have to be a bad thing.
Amherst wins a lot, too, which should do wonders to take down Div. I envy. Last year Amherst was the national champion in cross country and the conference champion in women’s basketball, ice hockey and tennis. Our basketball team made it to the Final Four for the third consecutive season, while the women’s tennis team took home the NCAA individual doubles title for the second straight season. We also have a sophomore golfer, Hayley Milbourn, who could take on Michelle Wie without a problem, and a women’s ice hockey goalie that would make Martin Brodeur jealous.
And so below is a brief first-year sports primer that I wish I had when I first arrived on campus:
-Lord Jeffrey Amherst: Lord Jeffery Amherst was a soldier of the King who came from across the sea in the mid 18th century. He had absolutely nothing to do with the College or the town, despite the fact that both were named in his honor. In 1760, amidst the French and Indian War, he led the capture of Montreal, wresting control from the French. He is perhaps best known for suggesting the use of smallpox infested blankets to prevent a Native American rebellion. If you’re lucky, you may see the recently rehashed Lord Jeff mascot running, cheering and dancing along the sidelines of a sporting event.
-The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC): Our sports conference and home of some of the strangest mascots in sports. Along with our Lord Jeffs are, among others, the Tufts Jumbos, the Connecticut College Camels, the Trinity Bantams, the Williams Ephs and the Colby White Mules. It’s also the conference with the perennially best squash team in the nation in Trinity College.
-Pratt Field: The home of the football team (and maybe spring rugby), Pratt Field is the third oldest NCAA football playing site in the nation, hosting its first game in 1891. If you listen very, very closely at home games, you may hear some music in the distance. That’s our pep-band.
-LeFrak Gymnasium: Lord Jeff Nation is most spirited during home basketball games in LeFrak, which often fills to capacity when the Jeffs face rival Williams or host NCAA Tournament games. The gym was built in 1986 after the original gym burned down in an electrical fire.
-Gooding Field: The newest addition to the Amherst sports complex, Gooding Field is the school’s only turf field, and is host to a slew of teams, including field hockey, lacrosse and often soccer.
-73-32: The final score of the first intercollegiate baseball game ever, which Amherst won on July 1, 1859. The Lord Jeffs triumphed over Williams in 25 innings.
-The Amherst-MLB Connection: Bizarrely, a ton of Amherst alumni are executives in the Majors. Pirates GM Neal Huntington ’91 tops the crop, along with Dan Duquette ’80 and Ben Cherington ’96, among others.
November 8, 12 p.m., Pratt Field, Amherst vs. Williams: Invite some of your friends from big universities to this game—then they’ll know what it feels like to experience Div. III envy.
This is not my regular column—I prefer the relative anonymity of news writing. If you are interested in writing a sports column throughout the year, send an e-mail to the sports editor at sgelles10@amherst.edu.