What seemed impossible a mere few months ago is now days away from fruition: an NBA regular season, albeit a condensed version, is nearing completion as the month of April winds down. Despite suffering through a lockout that nearly wiped away the NBA for a year, fans have been treated to perhaps one of the most enthralling regular seasons in recent history. A plethora of subplots have emerged and faded over the course of the past few months, and this trend shows no sign of abating as the grind of the season comes to a close in anticipation of the playoffs.
Women
After a successful fall campaign, the women’s golf team began their spring season with an impressive win at the 8th Annual Vassar Invitational this past weekend. The two-day tournament, held at the Dutchess Golf and Country Club in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., featured 11 teams, including NESCAC rivals Williams and Middlebury.
The men’s and women’s track and field teams continued to build up towards their upcoming championship meets last weekend, traveling across town to participate in the Univ. of Mass Spring Meet.
The competition featured several Division I teams, including the host UMass contingent. Despite the stiff Division I competition coupled with a bevy of other strong squads, the Jeffs held their own.
While the women finished 11th out of 15 teams with 21 points, it was a solid effort highlighted by the outstanding performances of Naomi Bates ’14 and Keri Lambert ’13.
Mired in a nightmarish slump, the men’s lacrosse team suffered a brutal setback against Tufts last weekend, losing 15-5 to the No. 5 Jumbos at Bello Field on Saturday. Back on the field three days later, the Jeffs then endured a gut-wrenching 5-4 defeat against Conn. College on Tuesday. The losses dropped Amherst’s record to 8-5 (4-4 NESCAC), marking another disappointment in an underachieving season.
On the evening of April 5, the women’s soccer team produced a variety show in Valentine Dining Hall to fundraise for Relay for Life, a 24 hour walk/run headlined by the American Cancer Society that raises money and awareness for cancer research, celebrates survivors, and remembers those who have lost their lives.
The team then participated in the event on Friday, April 13 on the Amherst College track. The team re-imagined traditional fundraising methods for the race by brainstorming a creative way to raise money without simply soliciting donations.
Bolstered by a rejuvenated offense and a superb 22-save performance from senior goaltender Sam Jakimo, the men’s lacrosse team eked out a 12-11 victory at Middlebury last weekend, snapping a two-game losing streak in the process. The Jeffs – No. 13 in the national rankings – improved their record to 8-2 (4-2 NESCAC) and now sit one game behind Trinity (5-1) and Tufts (5-1) at the top of the conference standings.
Women’s Tennis
Last weekend, the women’s tennis team traveled to Wellesley College to compete in the Nor’Easter Bowl. The third-ranked Lady Jeffs dominated the competition and, with three straight impressive performances, earned themselves the tournament crown.
