On Nov. 30, both Amherst squash teams made short work of Vassar and began their seasons in strong fashion.
The men’s team won every game of the match by at least four points, an accomplishment underscored by the outstanding play of its freshmen. Scott DeSantis ’15 played at the top of the lineup, while Max Kardon ’15, the Jeffs’ number seven, shut out his opponent in two of his three games. Number two David Kerr ’14 did the same, and co-captain Steve Severson ’12 (number six) also earned an 11-0 game.
Women
On Nov. 19 the women’s cross country squad finished 11th at the NCAA Championships in Winneconne, Wis.
The 12th-ranked Lord Jeffs finished behind fellow NESCAC teams Middlebury and Williams, the second- and third-place finishers, respectively, in the field of 32 teams.
Standout Keri Lambert ’13 led the Jeffs with a time of 21:12.68 in the 6 kilometer race, placing fifth individually and becoming the first Amherst top-ten finisher at NCAA in three years.
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.
Last week, I envisioned my first non-baseball column of the year as being fairly unremarkable, a way for me to buy time until a bigger and more exciting story came along. “Big,” yes. “Exciting,” not exactly. I’m referring, of course, to the ongoing scandal at Penn State, one that has shaken Happy Valley and the sports world to its very core.
It’s official: with Theo Epstein headed to the Cubs, Ben Cherington ’96 has taken over as the Red Sox General Manager. Epstein, who had unofficially resigned from his post three weeks ago, formally announced his departure last Sunday. Although Epstein’s move comes under sour circumstances, he took time to thank the city of Boston, taking out a full-page ad in The Boston Globe.
It’s fair to say that the 2011 baseball season did not go the way any of us expected.
Amidst the recent media firestorm and with Theo Epstein all but out, the mess for the Red Sox has only just begun.
I’ve never been a particular fan of Red Sox owner John Henry. After what has gone on since the Red Sox epic 2011 collapse, however, my disdain has progressed to a slightly more pointed dislike. Sure, he’s saying and denying all the right things to the press now. But he has been at the center of plenty of controversy in the last three weeks, much of it having to do with two of the most prominent figures in Boston baseball history — both of whom are on their way out.
