On August 3, the baseball team embarked on a 14-hour journey to the small island country of Japan as part of a cultural exchange. With the help of alumni, coaches and the school administration, Amherst rekindled a partnership with the prestigious Japanese liberal arts school, Doshisha University.
Men’s soccer returns to action in 2014 following a team trip to France this past summer and two consecutive Elite Eight appearances. Last season, the Jeffs finished with an 18-1-2 overall record and an 8-0-2 mark in NESCAC play. The team also won the 2013 NESCAC Championship and attained a no. 1 national ranking for the first time in program history.
What an amazing year it was for the Amherst men’s tennis team, losing just three times in nearly 40 matches and garnering a NESCAC and NCAA title along the way. It’s hard to think the season could have gone any better.
Baseball
The baseball team returned to NCAA Div. III Regionals this spring for the second straight season. After qualifying for the NESCAC Championships as the second seed in the west division, the Jeffs saw their chances of a repeat conference title crumble before their eyes, as they lost 9-5 to Tufts and 4-2 to Bates the next day.
Women’s Basketball
After starting the season with a 14-game win streak, the women’s basketball team suffered its earliest NCAA tournament exit since 2008. The Jeffs went 26-4 this past year with their only losses coming at less-than-ideal timing. The first was against Tufts (63-56), which snapped their opening winning stretch, while the second was a 65-63 thriller at the hands of Williams.
Field Hockey
Riding a 12-game win streak into the NESCAC tournament, the field hockey team’s unbeaten stretch was snapped by Middlebury in the 59th minute of the conference semifinals, halting their postseason run earlier than they had both expected and hoped.
For coaches in today’s NBA, simply winning is not enough. Teams are increasingly aggressive and impatient in evaluating coaches. Last season, after being named the NBA’s Coach of the Year, George Karl — a great coach — was unceremoniously let go by the Denver Nuggets due to a lack of postseason success. Vinny Del Negro — a bad coach — improved upon the Los Angeles Clippers’ record in each of his three years in charge before the Clips announced they would not be extending his contract.
