The puck dropped for the first time this 2016-2017 season for the Amherst women’s ice hockey team last Friday, Nov. 18. The purple and white faced off against Connecticut College for its opening series. In two very close games, the Camels prevailed, beating Amherst 1-0 on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday.
Before Thanksgiving break, the Amherst men’s cross country team traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to compete at the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships. The eight harriers, along with coaches Erik Nedeau and Luke Maher, boarded their flight to Louisville with the goal of placing in the top-10 at the meet for the third consecutive year. Although they came up just short of their goal, placing 12th as a team, the team has much to look forward to in seasons to come.
The Amherst women’s basketball team is off to a successful start to its 2016-2017 season. Ending last season with a NESCAC championship and a trip to the NCAA Final Four, expectations for this year’s edition of the purple and white are high.
Football. America’s most popular sport, right? Actually, that’s not the case lately. The National Football League’s ratings have been dropping steadily, around 12 percent yearly, and have seen a significant decrease especially in the 2016 season. How could this be? Some blame it on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest; others say the presidential election coverage distracted them from football. Whatever the reason, what does it mean for the NFL going forward and for football in general?
The Amherst women’s soccer team is headed to the NCAA Sweet 16 after defeating Lasell College and Swarthmore College this past weekend. The purple and white opened NCAA Division III tournament play at home on Saturday and finished with a decisive 4-0 victory.
Amherst came out with a strong start, scoring three goals in the first half. Emily Hester ’17 kicked off the offensive pressure just three minutes in, when she narrowly missed a shot over the crossbar. At the 7:32 mark, Rubii Tamen ’19 was the first to find the back of the net, giving Amherst a 1-0 lead.
Amidst the homecoming excitement and activity this past weekend, the Friends of Amherst Athletics hosted Eras of Triumph: Celebrating 40 Years of women’s athletics at Amherst on Friday, Nov. 11 in Alumni Gymnasium. The 2016-2017 school year marks the 40th anniversary of women’s athletics at the college, and the event was organized in an effort to honor both the pioneers of the integration of women in athletics and the decorated athletes that have helped Amherst to become one of the most competitive NCAA Division III institutions in women’s sports.
In its final week of competition, the Amherst women’s cross country team managed to clinch seventh place out of 59 teams at the New England Regional Championship held at Westfield State University.
As had been the case all year, first-year Katherine Treanor and junior Nicky Roberts were outstanding for the purple and white. Treanor placed third overall in the 406 runner field, with a time of 21:22.37, trailing second place finisher Megan McCandless of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by a mere six seconds and first place Brittany Bowman of Tufts by eight.
