For the second time in three weeks, the Amherst men’s and women’s track teams visited Boston Univ. to compete against Div. I, II and III athletes.
The women competed on Friday, and, just like their last appearance in Boston, the best performances were in the 200-meters by first-year Karen Blake and senior Naomi Bates.
The week before the Super Bowl is rarely a time when sportswriters have trouble finding a story, but this year’s controversies were particularly juicy.
Men
The Amherst men’s indoor track team took three of the top five spots in the 600-meters on its way to a fourth place finish at the Springfield Invitational Saturday. Senior Matt Melton won the event in 1:22.40, while Brent Harrison ’16 (1:23.60) and Nick Codola ’15 (1:24.93) finished second and fifth respectively.
The Amherst track teams began their season in earnest in the last couple weeks, with meets at Tufts, Wesleyan, and Boston University. The women’s team’s stellar performance at the Terrier Invitational in Boston was particularly impressive, as three different athletes set school records.
The Jeffs had one meet before Winter Break at Smith College on December 7th. The majority of the team’s cross-country runners did not compete, according to Coach Erik Nedeau, who said that the meet was “primarily for our jumpers and sprinters.”
The Amherst women’s soccer season came to a close on Sunday when the Jeffs lost 2-0 to Messiah College in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The defeat came on the heels of Saturday’s 1-0 victory in the first round over Springfield College.
The Jeffs’ first round game against Springfield was a rematch of a regular season contest, which ended in a dominant 4-0 Amherst victory. This time, Springfield was much more competitive, but the Jeffs were able to preserve a 1-0 win.
On Monday, the Amherst women’s soccer team learned that it had earned its third consecutive NCAA tournament bid.
The Jeffs, who had been on the bubble after a first-round defeat in the NESCAC tournament, will face Springfield in the first round this Saturday.
The Pride, who are 13-4-4, won the NEWMAC conference tournament to qualify for their fourth straight NCAA tournament.
“Springfield is a team we know well,” said Head Coach Jen Hughes.
The Amherst women’s soccer season most likely came to an end this week, with two one-goal losses to Trinity.
The second loss bounced the Jeffs from the NESCAC tournament in the first round, which will more than likely leave them on the outside of the NCAA tournament field.
Amherst and Trinity each entered their final regular season contest with 18 points in conference play, which tied them for fourth place. The winner of Wednesday’s game would therefore host the first round of the eight-team NESCAC tournament.
