This weekend, the Amherst men’s track and field team made the quick trip to Springfield College to compete at the Massasoit Classic, a non-scoring meet. With many members of the men’s cross country team now eligible for indoor competition following the conclusion of the investigation of the team’s emails, the team was at full strength.
The men’s track and field team enjoyed a successful interterm break, placing second at both the Little III Championship and the Pioneer Invitational Tournament.
The team opened the year at the Little III tournament, which was hosted by Wesleyan on Jan. 14. This is the third year that the meet has been held during the indoor track season, after being held during the outdoor track season prior to 2015.
Little III has a unique scoring system, as a team may only earn points for their first two finishers in each event.
After a lengthy fall of workouts, the Amherst men’s track and field team opened its season at the Smith Winter Classic. With nearly all of the cross country and longer distance athletes just getting back into training after a long and competitive cross county season, only a portion of the track and field team competed at the meet. For nearly all of the track and field athletes who don’t compete in cross country, it was their first time running in competition since the 2015-2016 season. And for the first-years, it was their first time competing in the Amherst uniform.
Before Thanksgiving break, the Amherst men’s cross country team traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to compete at the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships. The eight harriers, along with coaches Erik Nedeau and Luke Maher, boarded their flight to Louisville with the goal of placing in the top-10 at the meet for the third consecutive year. Although they came up just short of their goal, placing 12th as a team, the team has much to look forward to in seasons to come.
This Saturday, Nov. 12, the Amherst men’s cross country team made the short trip to Stanley Park in Westfield, Massachusetts for the NCAA Division III New England Championships, hosted by Westfield State University. The team placed third in the competitive 52-team field, scoring 141 points and earning an at-large bid for the NCAA Division III National Championships.
With its third-place finish, the team earned its third consecutive berth to Division III Nationals, demonstrating the strength and consistency the program has enjoyed in recent years.
With the NESCAC title the goal for the weekend, the Amherst men’s cross country team traveled to Waterville, Maine to compete at the NESCAC Championships, hosted by Colby. Though Amherst came up short, placing second to Williams with 100 points to the 83 scored by the Ephs, the team has much to look forward to for the rest of the season.
The men’s track and field team made the trip to Medford on Saturday, Feb. 4 to compete at the Tufts Cupid Challenge, hosted by NESCAC rival Tufts. The purple and white enjoyed a successful day, as many athletes secured qualifying standards for the New England DIII Championships, which will be held at Tufts in two weeks.
