The Amherst men’s golf team embraced the stakes this weekend at the NESCAC Fall Qualifier hosted by Trinity College. They managed to clinch the last qualifying spot for the Spring NESCAC Championships, in which only the top four teams compete for the conference championship and the potential for a shot at a national championship later in the year.

After gaining some experience on this same course earlier in the year, Amherst used this familiarity to their advantage and just edged out Hamilton for fourth place out of ten teams, finishing behind the powerhouse trio of Trinity, Williams and Tufts.

Following its pattern of play this year, the purple and white used a stellar second day to move up from their fifth-place position after day one.

Cameron Clark ’20 led the comeback as he trailed the rest of the Amherst roster on the first day with a score of 83 and surged to the top of the pack with an outstanding score of 67 on day two.

Clark’s performance lifted him to eighth overall with a total score of 150.

“We had a rough first day, but slipping into the top 4 was all we needed to do in the qualifier, so we knew we just had to remain focused as a group,” Clark noted. “Personally, it felt great to post 67 and help get us into that fourth spot.”

Behind him, Jack Burlison ’19 added to his already notable season as he grabbed a tie for 14th place. Burlison himself cut six strokes off from day one to day two (81 and 75 respectively).

Jeffery Herr ’20 shot an even 79 on both days for a total of 158 and a 20th-place finish, while fellow Nicholas Kumamoto ’20 followed two shots behind to tie for 24th place.

Kumamoto shot 82 and 78 on the weekend for a total of 160.

Cole Vissicchio ’18 rounded out the Mammoths with a weekend score of 80-84-164 to claim 32nd place.

“Ultimately, we’ve got a really talented group, and hopefully we can make the most of this going forward into the spring championships,” Clark said. “I’m so glad we could show our mental toughness this weekend, and enter the last part of the fall season on a high note.”

The Mammoths return to action this weekend for their first home tournament this year on Sunday, Oct. 8 at the Elms Invitational.