It was perfection last year for the football team, going 8-0 en route to their second-ever NESCAC title. The program — which had never won a conference championship before 2009 — has transformed under the leadership of Coach E.J. Mills.
With two perfect seasons in the last three years, the Lord Jeffs have risen to the top of the NESCAC, going 22-2 in their last three seasons.
Bolstered by the return of core offensive players, the men’s soccer team looks to recapture the NESCAC title this season. Led by dynamic attacking players in as Spencer Noon ’13, Jae Heo ’14 and James Mooney ’13E, the Jeffs enter the season ranked sixth in the nation, well ahead of their NESCAC rivals (the only other ranked team is Wesleyan, at No. 24).
What a difference a year makes.
In 2010, the women’s soccer team struggled to an 8-7-2 record, finished middle of the table in the NESCAC and did not qualify for the NCAA tournament.
In 2011, the Lord Jeffs won the NESCAC with a perfect 17-0 season and made a deep run in the NCAA tournament, falling to eventual winner Messiah, 3-1, in the Sweet Sixteen.
MEN
Ranked No. 1 in ITA’s preseason rankings and set to defend their 2011 National Champion crown, the men’s tennis team rode the success of the 2010-2011 season into the 2012 season, as they started the year off with 13 straight wins.
The women’s volleyball team, or Firedogs as they like to be called, are hoping to build on a 2011 campaign that saw them finish 20-7 and grind their way to the No. 5 seed in the NESCAC tournament.
The highlight of the regular season was undoubtedly their come-from-behind victory over Williams, in which Amherst prevailed, 3-2, after trailing by a 2-0 score.
In the quarterfinal round of the conference championship, the Amherst women fell to Trinity, 3-1, despite a strong effort from stalwart Cristy Meier ’12.
Coming off one of the best years in school history, field hockey looks primed to continue their success this season with a strong group of returning players. The Lord Jeffs were three wins away from a national title last year, and they’ll try to improve on that mark while playing a challenging NESCAC schedule.
Golf
Women
The women’s golf team, which has evolved into one of the premier Division III squads in the country under the tutelage of head coach Michelle Morgan, achieved yet another strong season this year.
