Men
The Lord Jeffs are coming off a 14-9 campaign, which is the best program record since 1977, that saw them finish 19th in the national rankings. They took home third place in the 2011 Summers Cup at the end of last season as part of the C Division, but they aim to return to the B Division this season, which means they will need to earn a rank between ninth and 16th nationally. If they succeed, the Jeffs will play in the Hoehn Cup in February, where they will hope to re-establish their place among the country’s elite programs.
This season, the Jeffs have the honor of hosting the Individual Championships in March, which will take place on Amherst’s newly renovated Davenport Courts. They also plan to play in San Diego, Calif. over winter break and, if league rules permit, make a trip abroad at some point in the year.
The Jeffs lost four players to graduation, including Andrew Kriete ’11, who received Second Team All-NESCAC honors last year. Still, they will be gaining depth with the acquisition of six first-year players: Jake Albert, Scott DeSantis, Max Kardon, Emmett Knowlton, Peter Mack and Alex Southmayd. Amherst also welcomes back eight returners, including NESCAC All-Academic selections Stephen Severson ’12 and Todd Lavine ’12. Head Coach Peter Robson begins his 25th season at the helm of the program.
Amherst’s most formidable regular season opponents will include Bates, Brown, Columbia, Middlebury and, of course, Williams. Still, the Jeffs, who feel they have something to prove this winter, do not expect any of their match-ups to be easy.
Women
The women’s team will also host the Individual Championships in March, and they too will accept nothing short of B Division excellence. The Lady Jeffs, however, did manage to make the B Division Kurtz Cup in 2010-2011, where the finished sixth, ending their season with a 16-8 record and a national ranking of 14th. If they are to reach the top of the B Division, they will have to get past key foes Bates, Brown, Middlebury and Williams.
The Amherst women lost an impressive group of seniors: Allie Dalglish, Mimi Bell and Caitlin Demkin ‘11 were All-Academic last year, while Hayley Milbourn made the All-NESCAC second team. They gain first-years Arielle Lehman and Martha Reiser, who are both expected to play in the top nine and make an immediate impact.
Despite the losses, Robson still speaks of his squad’s “great team chemistry,” and with good reason. All-Academic players Chandler Lusardi ’13, Anne Piper ’13 and Anna Scheidt ’12 are among the Jeffs’ seven returners, as is Evelyn Kramer ’14, an all-conference selection in 2010-2011. Scheidt will join fellow seniors Kate Savage and Megan Clower as this season’s captains. The Lady Jeffs’ abundant leadership will prove critical to pushing the team to the next level.
