As a student-athlete, full days of classes, practices and extracurricular activities make it dangerously easy to get caught in the “Amherst bubble.” Despite busy schedules, however, the women’s softball team avoids this trap. This year, the Lady Jeffs formed a partnership with Girls Incorporated of Holyoke (Girls Inc.). Through interaction with some of the Pioneer Valley’s vibrant young women, the student-athletes expanded their knowledge of the surrounding community and learned lessons of collaboration and leadership.
Megan Doyen ’13 and Courtney Baranek ’14 netted two goals apiece on Saturday night in Amherst’s 5-1 victory over sixth-seeded Hamilton College in the NESCAC quarterfinals. With the win, the third-seeded Jeffs advance to the semifinals where they will face off against second-seeded Bowdoin, who defeated Williams, 5-3, on Saturday. Amherst is seeking its fourth conference title and the team’s first since 2010.
Frustrated by a tough opposing goaltender, the men’s hockey team ended its season in gut-wrenching fashion, suffering a 4-3 loss to Middlebury in the NESCAC Quarterfinals at Orr Rink last Saturday.
The Jeffs (15-7-3, 11-5-2 NESCAC) mounted a furious comeback in the dying minutes —scoring twice in the final 2:47 to close the deficit from 4-1 to 4-3 — but the spirited rally provided little consolation in the dejected postgame locker room.
“When a season ends there are no moral victories,” head coach Jack Arena said. “The guys were devastated.”
The 20th-seeded men’s squash team finished 21st in the nation after going 2-1 over the weekend in the Summers Cup (C Division) at the CSA National Team Championships held at Wesleyan Univ.
The Jeffs dropped their first match to Bowdoin before defeating Conn. College and Drexel Univ. to end their season on a high note.
The team came into their first match confident, having defeated Bowdoin earlier in the month at the NESCAC Championships, 6-3.
SWIMMING
While the Jeffs’ men’s swimming team was unable to match the women by taking home another conference title, they did finish an impressive second at the NESCAC Championships, which were held at Wesleyan last weekend. Their total of 1824.5 points put them over 700 points ahead of their next closest competitor, Conn. College, and just 112 points behind Williams, who reeled off their 11th straight NESCAC title.
