The stage was set. Guy Mastis ‘09 was set to wrestle for a national championship in Amherst’s first season as a club-wrestling program in the 2008-2009 season. His opponent didn’t even know where Amherst is, nor did most of the field at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championship Tournament (NCWA). That all changed after Mastis won a national championship and earned all-American honors in the 235 pound weight class.
The women’s ice hockey team competed with fervor this season and finished the year third in the NESCAC. Like any successful team, the student-athletes skated with tenacity, skill, and teamwork. Yet it was their “attitude of gratitude” that set coach Jeffrey Matthews and his student-athletes apart.
Mired in a three-game losing streak, the men’s lacrosse team entered Saturday’s game at Hamilton desperate for a victory.
With a NESCAC record of 1-3 and games looming against top contenders Tufts, Middlebury and Conn College, the Jeffs could ill-afford to lose at Hamilton (4-4, 2-4 NESCAC); otherwise, the unthinkable scenario of missing the NESCAC Tournament — (where eight of 11 teams qualify) — would continue to emerge as a distinct possibility.
Softball started the season off strong over the break, compiling a 9-3 record in their Florida tournament before going 3-2 back up north. The Jeffs used strong pitching from co-captain Teresa Kelley ’13 to grind out close wins over Plymouth State and Bowdoin, while the team’s bats — led by Donna Leet ’15, Kaitlin Silkowitz ’14 and Carolyn Miller ’14 — came alive in decisive wins over teams such as William Paterson, Framingham State and Southern Maine. All three Florida setbacks came in close games, including an 8-7 loss to 15th-ranked Plattsburgh State.
The women’s lacrosse team jumped out to an early start in last Saturday’s match-up against Hamilton College with a goal from Meghan Mills ’15 just over a minute into the contest. Three tallies from Priscilla Tyler ‘15 and two goals each from five other players gave the Jeffs a decisive 15-6 victory over the No. 14 Continentals. The win marked No. 11 Amherst’s fourth straight victory as the team improved to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in NESCAC play.
Baseball improved to 9-5 after a 2-1 week that saw them beat Keene State and Brandeis.
Men
Touring Southern California for their season-opening trip, the Men’s tennis team got their 2013 campaign off to a solid start over spring break. Playing 17 matches in six days, the Jeffs underwent a grueling early test and still managed to finish with a 12-5 record. It was an impressive result for this new-look team, who graduated three of its top six players last season; the squad looks poised to make up for those losses with impressive depth and a strong freshman class.
