DEAR GOMES:
With the NCAA Div. I basketball tournament right around the corner, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about how the "one and done" rule has affected the game I love so dearly! Is going to college for that one year really worth it for the top NBA prospects? How can I expect to see the next Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett if talented players are no longer allowed to go straight to the league? As much as I love March Madness, it's frustrating to watch stars, who are ready to play at an NBA level, outshine their collegiate opponents. What do you think?
The men’s ice hockey team’s season came to a close this past weekend in a thrilling double overtime showdown in the NESCAC Championship game. The Jeffs took down the Ephs on Saturday to advance to the finals, where they faced off against the Bowdoin on Sunday. The latter game resulted in some of the best hockey of the entire year.
On Saturday, March 8, Amherst men’s basketball turned a two-point halftime deficit into a 63-51 win over the York College to advance to the NCAA Third Round for the fourth consecutive season. Now, the Jeffs, who sport a 25-3 overall record, stand just four victories away from repeating as National Champions.
Without the presence of both sophomore guard/forward Connor Green and sophomore forward Ben Pollack, Amherst’s depth was tested by a talented and athletic York squad.
The Amherst baseball team had a Cinderella run last season, winning their first NESCAC Championship since 2005 and setting a new program record for wins with 27. After a promising 2012 campaign fell short, the Jeffs broke through to defeat Wesleyan for the 2013 NESCAC title, securing a spot in the NCAA Regional Championship in the process. Amherst saw its season come to a close, however, in a loss to third-ranked SUNY Cortland at the NY Regional. This season, the team is back with something to prove this spring with hopes of going all the way to the 2014 College World Series.
Women
Led by another excellent performance from senior Naomi Bates, the women’s indoor track team won the ECAC championships last weekend. The Jeffs’ 38 points were just enough to hold off the MIT women, who collected 36.5 points.
Bates won the long jump and set a meet record in the process, posting a mark of 5.85 meters. She also took fourth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.81 seconds. Karen Blake ’17 edged out Bates for third, also recording a time of 7.81. Blake’s semifinal time of 7.75 seconds set a program record.
The Amherst women’s basketball team fell short of another NESCAC title, losing to Tufts 62-46 in the NESCAC Championship this past Sunday. Even with the loss, the Jeffs will continue their season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after receiving an at-large bid. Despite the gut-wrenching end to the regular season, Amherst still proved to be a team to watch with their decisive victory over Bowdoin in the NESCAC Semifinals.
The Amherst men’s and women’s diving teams traveled to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York to compete in the NCAA Regional Diving Championships from February 28 to March 1. 44 divers from the Northeast-North Region’s 65 schools competed for seven available spots in the NCAA meet. The student-athletes qualify in one of two ways: by meeting the qualifying standard twice during the qualification period or once at their conference championship meet on either diving board.
