Heading into the last weeks of the season and coming off three consecutive tournament victories, the women’s golf team travelled to compete in a tournament hosted by archrival Williams College. Despite defeating their Little Three and NESCAC opponent, the Jeffs finished third overall at the Williams Spring Invitational this weekend, breaking their winning streak. The men’s team had a weekend free from competition but will play in their final tournament of the season today at Wesleyan University, where it will take on the host Cardinals and the Williams Ephs.

Women

At the conclusion of play on Saturday, the Lord Jeffs sat in second place with a team score of 328, just one stroke behind Middlebury College’s 327. Coming off three straight wins in two weekends of play (the Vassar Invitational, the Massachusetts State Championships and the Jack Leaman Championship), the Amherst contingent seemed poised for another very successful weekend.

Laura Monty ’12 led the Jeffs in the first round with a score of 81 on the par-71 course. Right behind the first-year were sophomore Hayley Milbourn and first-year Nina Yoo with matching scores of 82. Elaine Lin ’12 posted an 83 while senior Amanda Otieno rounded out the scoring with a 102.

The Lord Jeffs’ fivesome returned on Sunday for the second round, hoping to overtake the Panthers and claim a fourth consecutive win. But the team added 11 strokes to their team score, to post a 339 and two-day total of 667.

Middlebury dropped 10 strokes to make their team score a 327-317 644, dominating the field of seven teams. Mt. Holyoke College overtook Amherst on Sunday after finishing one stroke behind them on Saturday. The Lyons posted a two-day score of 662.

The Jeffs were led by Milbourn and Monty, who each finished with 161 strokes to tie for sixth place in the field of 44.

Monty said the team was somewhat disappointed in the tournament’s final scores. “The first day set us up in a strong position for the second round. However, I would say that the heat did affect the way we played. The almost 90 degree weather came a bit sooner than we expected and we all fell short of the usual energy that we have.”

The team will compete in the Wellesley Invitational this weekend and hope to compete in the NCAA Championships two weeks later in Fort St. Lucie, Fla. The Jeffs have not appeared in the national tournament since 2002, when they finished third.

“Though we are disappointed with third place, we look to finish strong in our final tournament and at Nationals, assuming we are selected,” said Monty.

Men

The men have had a frustrating season, with no finishes above sixth place. They will look to conclude their season on a strong note today at the Little Three Championships at Wesleyan. At NESCACs last September, the Jeffs finished 12 strokes behind Williams and 10 strokes ahead of Wesleyan, so the tournament should prove exciting.