Both golf teams travelled north on Saturday, as the women competed at the Dartmouth Invitational and the men played at the Williams Invitational. The women finished their tournament in a tie for ninth place of 20 teams after a big improvement on Sunday while the men earned seventh place of 16 teams after a similar second-day score drop.
Women
The field of 20 teams at the Dartmouth Invitational proved to be competitive as the Jeffs took on several Div. I opponents. After a first-round team score of 335, Amherst sat in 13th place at Hanover Country Club.
“It’s always nice to move your way up the standings on the second day and improve from the previous day’s efforts. We didn’t fare as well as we’d have hoped after the first day, so as a team we came together and made the second effort count,” said captain Kinne Schwartz ’10.
Thanks to a 14-stroke improvement on the second day of play, the Lord Jeffs moved into a tie for ninth with Williams College. The Jeffs and Ephs shared the honor of top Div. III team while the only other NESCAC school in the tournament, Middlebury College, finished in last place. Towson University claimed the team title while Boston College earned runner-up honors.
In a field of 103 golfers, first-year Liz Monty tied for 10th with an 81-75 156 to lead the Jeffs in her first collegiate tournament. She was pleased with her team’s play this weekend.
“Hanover Country Club is a difficult and hilly course, making it physically and mentally demanding, but I think everyone fought through it very well. Some of the girls got unlucky bounces because of all the hills but other than that everyone gave it their all,” said Monty.
The rookie was also pleased with her own improvement on the second day. “Club selection was difficult the first round because I had never played the Dartmouth golf course before. After I shot the 81 I realized that I was being greedy by trying to go for birdies instead of pars. That only ended up hurting my score, so for second round I just played for par and it clearly worked much better,” said Monty.
Schwartz was the team’s second finisher, tying for 25th place with an 84-77 161. “I got to tackle a few holes that have been personally challenging over the years and it was really satisfying to play them well and get the last word in a sense,” said the two-year captain. “It was weird knowing that was the last time I’d compete on that course, so finishing well was definitely rewarding.”
Rounding out the Jeffs’ scoring were sophomores Elaine Lin, Nina Yoo and Laura Monty, who posted scores of 171, 173 and 174, respectively.
Next weekend, the Amherst squad (which will feature different golfers as both Schwartz and Yoo have other comimitments) will compete nearby at the Mt. Holyoke Invitational, where the team will face more familiar competitors. Liz Monty is optimistic about the tournament.
“I think that if we put in the same effort and determination we can be on top. So far we’re off to a good start, but I know that we will only get better.”
Men
Like the women’s team, the men’s team used a significantly better Sunday score to bolster their place at the Williams College Invitational. After finishing play on Saturday in ninth place with a team score of 309, the Jeffs posted a 299 to rise to seventh place. The host Ephs won handily, with a score of 570 and also fielded a fifth-place B team. Middlebury College finished six strokes ahead of the Jeffs. Three other NESCAC rivals — Tufts University, Bowdoin College and Wesleyan University — finished behind Amherst.
Junior Trip Wray tied for eighth to lead the Jeffs, posting a 74-71 145 on the par-70 course. Close behind Wray was sophomore Nate Belkin, who finished with a 75-72 147 to tie for 14th place. Senior Adam Shniderman, first-year Alex Butensky and sophomore Mike Belkin rounded out the Jeffs’ scoring with scores of 157, 161 and 172, respectively.
Next weekend, the men’s golf team will compete in the two-day Middlebury Fall Invitational.