This past Sunday, Amherst kicked off their season at the University of Massachusetts Invitational, finishing seventh in the field. The 25th ranked Amherst women’s cross country team proudly returned this year after a strong 2015 campaign. Last fall, they competed in seven local and regional meets, including the University of Massachusetts Invitational, Little Threes and the Purple Valley Invitational.
Following a grueling preseason, the women’s field hockey team had no time to rest with two critical games in the first week of the regular season. The purple and white took on Mount Holyoke under the lights this past Wednesday night and squared up against Bowdoin the following Saturday. Both proved to be well-fought games on both sides, but the purple and white exited the first week of the regular season play with a respectable 1-1 record.
As first-years, Luke Haggerty and Amanda Temares were eager to get involved on the Amherst campus. They searched the college website for activities and both were excited when they found the sailing team. But when they arrived, they were disappointed to find out that the team no longer existed on the Amherst campus. Still intrigued, Luke found out that the Unviversity of Masscahusetts has a sailing team and in the fall of sophomore year, he decided to join.
Competing against five impressive Division I squads, the Amherst men’s cross country team opened its season with a successful fourth place finish at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
Running a time of 19:35 in the six-kilometer race, sophomore Cosmo Brossy led the team with a ninth place overall finish. Just two seconds behind, senior Steven Lucey earned the 12th spot overall. The remainder of the purple and white’s scoring runners finished within the top-54 of the talented 95-runner field.
The Amherst women’s soccer team launched its 2016 campaign with two important wins, followed by a tough loss. At the home opener, the women defeated Mount Holyoke 2-0, and this past Saturday they upset NESCAC rival Bowdoin in overtime 2-1.
Last Tuesday, the purple and white overwhelmed the Lyons, outshooting them 22-3. After near misses from Hannah Guzzi ’18, Emily Hester ’17, Rubii Tamen ’19 and first-year Erin McClave, Ashlyn Heller ’17 was able to squeeze two past the goalie and into the net.
As reigning Division III National Champions, the Amherst men’s soccer team has a lot to live up to this season. Fortunately, the 2016 squad seems to have both the talent and the depth to match the success of last year’s team.
The women’s soccer team recently hired Jeannette Boudway to assist Jen Hughes this upcoming 2016 season. Boudway comes to the Pioneer Valley from iconic South Bend, Indiana where she assisted Notre Dame’s Division I women’s soccer program through five prestigious years. She helped lead the Fighting Irish to a 78-14-6 record consisting of two Final Four appearances and one big National Championship in 2010. Boudway was a jack-of-all-trades in Indiana, also serving as the coordinator of soccer operations. She handled the video, travel, equipment, recruiting, all the way to budgeting.
