WOMEN
When the collegiate golf spring season kicks off on March 23, the Amherst women’s golf team will take the course as defending NESCAC Champions for the second consecutive season.
The program has developed into a perennial national contender under the guidance of head coach Michelle Morgan, having won 11 tournaments in the past three years. Once again, this team is deep with talent and will likely contend for another NESCAC Championship.
MEN
After capturing the NCAA crown last spring, the men’s tennis team enters the spring season as the No. 1-ranked team in the country, and after an undefeated fall, the Jeffs look ready to defend their title.
The Jeffs began last season by winning their first 17 matches, before falling to the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team while on their spring break trip. Determined to rebound, the Jeffs closed their season with 12 straight wins, including upending the then top-ranked Middlebury Panthers to close out regular season play.
The Amherst softball team heads into the upcoming season looking for its first playoff berth in six years after being shutout of the NESCAC tournament five times since 2006. With the return of its top four hitters and two best pitchers and the addition of a promising first-year class, the Jeffs are confident they can accomplish that goal.
In 2011, the Jeffs overcame a slow start and made their mark in NESCAC play, going 18-3 after returning from their Florida trip. Capturing the Little Three title and earning the top spot in the conference tournament, the Amherst team posted its highest overall win total since 1999. Still, postseason success proved elusive; two tough losses to Bowdoin quickly knocked the Jeffs out of contention for the NESCAC crown, and they did not receive a selection to compete in the Div. III National Championships.
The women’s lacrosse team opened their season with a hard-fought loss to Colby but followed it up with an overtime victory over Bates.
The team posted a 9-6 record last season and enter this year ranked 16th by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association. They return eight of 11 starters and five of last season’s top six scorers. The Jeffs welcome nine first-years this season, which should add depth to the squad.
While the Amherst track and field program has enjoyed an enormously successful winter campaign, the spring season is fast approaching. As the focus shifts from the indoor to outdoor track, the Jeffs are looking to sustain the excellent performances that netted them three national qualifiers from the men’s side (Ben Scheetz ’12, Patrick Grimes ’13 and Matt Melton ’14) and a qualifying women’s team in the distance medley relay that consisted of Lauren Almeida ’13, Naomi Bates ’14, Melissa Sullivan ’12 and Kerri Lambert ’13.
After one of the best seasons in program history, the men’s lacrosse has begun its 2012 season with two hard-fought wins over Colby and Bates. Last year, the Jeffs won 13 games straight en route to their best-ever 15 wins and also went 8-1 in NESCAC play. Led by senior captain Evan Redwood at attack, the Jeffs will look to build upon their national quarterfinal appearance in their first-ever NCAA tournament last year.
