Women
On Friday, the Jeffs headed across Pioneer Valley to the Massachussetts State Championships, hosted by Mt. Holyoke College at Orchards Golf Club. Just two other squads competed in the one-day, 18-hole tournament: Mt. Holyoke and Wellesley College. Wellesley fielded just three players, however, and thus did not have a place in the team scoring.
With a score of 80 on the par-72 course, sophomore Hayley Milbourn tied for first with a Wellesley player, Kim Eaton. But after a one-hole playoff, she had to settle for second place. The one-two finish by Eaton and Milbourn was identical to last year’s result at the same tournament.
Three rookies were the Jeffs’ next-best scorers. Laura Monty ’12 was close behind Milbourn with a score of +11 to tie for fourth place in the 13-player field. Elaine Lin ’12 shot an 88 to tie for seventh while classmate Nina Yoo ’12 posted a score of +19 to finish ninth. Senior Amanda Otieno rounded out the scoring with 101 strokes to finish 11th. The Jeffs’ team score of 342 was just one stroke better than the host team’s 343.
The next day, the same five Jeffs returned to Orchards Golf Club to host a tournament of their own — the Jack Leaman Championship. Amherst emerged victorious for the third tournament in a row, finishing first in a field of 11 teams. Their two-day score of 657 landed the Jeffs 20 strokes ahead of their nearest competitor, Middlebury College, and 40 strokes ahead of sixth-place rival Williams College.
Lin, who finished tied for third individually at the tournament with a score of 161, said that the team’s finish echoed the season thus far. “I think throughout our spring season we have been especially competitive; knowing that we can win and have won tournaments has made us want it more. In particular, this weekend, we may have had a couple bad holes during the rounds, but everyone found the confidence and game to bounce back to finish with a good score.”
The Jeffs were again led by Milbourn, who placed first individually among 55 players with a score of 154. Yoo (11th place), Monty (20th place) and Otieno (41st place) rounded out the Jeffs’ first-place team with scores of 168, 174 and 195, respectively.
The team will head to Williams this weekend, where Milbourn says the Jeffs hope to continue their recent success. “What is most important is that we have been using this success to go into the next tournaments with confidence rather than with the nervousness that comes along with the pressure of winning.”
Men
The men’s team played in the Worcester State Invitational yesterday, placing sixth among 15 teams. The Jeffs were led by senior tri-captain Chris Valentine, who shot a +2 on the par-72 course to finish tied for third individually among 76 players.
Adam Shniderman ’10, Matt Parsons ’12, Peter Theiss ’12 and Mike Belkin ’11 finished with scores of 82, 83, 86 and 87, respectively, to give Amherst the Jeffs one of their best finishes of the year. The team will head to Wesleyan University on Wednesday for the Little Three Championships.