Women
The women’s golf team turned in another strong season this fall — winning both the Williams College and Middlebury College Invitationals, and coming in second at the Mount Holyoke and the rain-shortened Wellesley Invitationals. The team also notched a victory in the second annual NESCAC Women’s Golf Tournament, which was held in conjunction with the Williams Invitational.
The team began their season with a tie for ninth place at the Dartmouth Invitational — rallying to beat out a field of twenty other schools, many of which were Div. I programs, and rally from a poor start on day one.
The Dartmouth Invitational became a jumping-off point for the team’s success: they finished in the top two in their next four tournaments, starting with the Mount Holyoke College Tournament, where they finished second behind a strong outing by junior Hayley Milbourn, the NCGA All-American who posted a 78-76-154 to take home the top individual honors.
Milbourn, however, was not the lone leader on an Amherst squad that featured several standout golfers returning to the team. Sophomore Elaine Lin helped guide the team to a victory the following weekend at the Middlebury Invitational with an individual score of 78-78-156, to mirror Milbourn’s 72-72-154.
“Often a team will have a No. 1 and No. 2 player somewhat defined from week to week,” said Head Coach Michelle Morgan, “but those positions [were] shared by many [on our team,] which is the sign of a deep team.”
That depth was evident during the team’s four-stroke victory over archrival Williams during the Williams Invitational, where senior captain Kinne Schwartz paced the Amherst victory with an individual second place finish. First-year Liz Monty, her sister Laura Monty ‘12 and sophomore Nina Yoo all also showed promise through ought the tournament, sealing the victory for Amherst.
The team’s final event for the season was the Wellesley College Tournament, which was cut short after the first day of play due to inclement weather, leaving the team in second place, a mere four strokes behind Williams.
“This past tournament at Wellesley was very tough,” said Lin. “The greens were fast and unpredictable and the weather was very cold, which especially hurt our feel around the tricky greens.”
Coach Morgan added that, “I felt confident that they would have had the guts to compete and possibly take over the first place standing.”
The team will have to wait to play again until the spring, when the Jeffs will make a run at another national championship appearance.
Men
The men’s golf team, relatively young and inexperienced after losing four seniors over the summer, put in a solid effort this season with a roster that included three first-years.
The team’s season began at the Trinity College Fall Invitational, where they were led by sophomore Nate Belkin, who finished in a tie for third after posting an impressive 73-73-146. Belkin was flanked by junior co-captain Trip Wray, who finished seven strokes behind in a tie for 12th place.
The team’s best outing came during the Williams Invitational, when they rallied to a seventh place finish after four of the five golfers shaved their first-day scores. The team’s second day total, a nifty 299, as well as the overall score of 608, were team records during Head Coach Jack Arena’s ‘75 15-year tenure. The scoring was balanced yet again, with Wray and Belkin heading the charge while senior co-captain Adam Shniderman, first-year Alex Butensky, and sophomore Mike Belkin rounding out the team’s scoring.
The team’s balanced attack continued during its 13th place finish at the Duke Nelson Invitational, with Nate Belkin and Wray once again paving the way for Butensky, Mike Belkin, and Matt Parsons.
The team’s season ended with a sixth place finish at the NESCAC Championship Qualifier in Williams College after they failed to make the cut to advance. The Jeffs will return to action in the spring.