As Tufts teams returned to action from the holiday break, Amherst and Williams resumed their storied rivalry in matchups with national implications. A combined seven nationally-ranked teams from the two schools faced off on Saturday. A look at the outcomes:
Men's Basketball | Jeffs bring rude awakening to Ephs' undefeated dream
The nationally-ranked No. 3 Amherst men's basketball team exacted some revenge on arch-rival Williams Saturday, dealing the No. 4 Ephs an 87-80 setback at LeFrak Gym.
The two teams squared off in last season's NESCAC championship game, when Williams came back from a double-digit deficit to stun the Jeffs, 70-69, for their first conference title since 2004. Amherst coach Dave Hixon said the memory of that loss made Saturday's victory all the more satisfying.
"It was very gratifying for us, particularly with last year, when they beat us," he said. "We were up 15-0 and 20-3, and they came back by really shooting the ball well. So it was nice to get out and play and beat them this time around."
Down 10-9 at the 16:50 mark of the first half, Amherst went on a 14-0 run to build a 13-point lead it would not relinquish. The deficit grew to as many as 22 before the Jeffs withstood a late charge and won by seven.
Senior Brandon Jones scored a game-high 18 points for the Lord Jeffs in his first career start. Classmate Fletcher Walters added 17 and eight rebounds, garnering co-NESCAC Player of the Week honors alongside Tufts junior Jon Pierce.
Even with the victory, Amherst knows the NESCAC schedule will be a challenge.
"The NESCAC is going to be wide open," Hixon said. "It's going to have some really tight games with some really good teams, and it's just a matter of who can hang on and win them."
Women's Swimming and Diving | Sasser stars as Amherst stays unbeaten
One season after it took home 37 All-NESCAC honors and a second place finish at the NESCAC championships, the Amherst women's swimming and diving team showed that this year, it may have what it takes to get over the top.
The Jeffs won a showdown of two of the top five teams in Div. III swimming Saturday, getting by seven-time defending NESCAC champion Williams, 152.5-147.5.
Senior Brittany Sasser, who was named Swimmer of the Meet at Nationals last season, added NESCAC Performer of the Week honors over the weekend after breaking three records and contributing to four Amherst wins. She took the 100-yard backstroke by nearly three seconds, the 200-yard backstroke by over seven seconds and the 200-yard individual medley by over two seconds. She was also a part of the Jeffs' 200-yard medley relay team which took first place.
Coming off last season's program-best second-place showing at Nationals, Amherst now sits at 5-0 with three meets remaining.
Men's Swimming and Diving | Williams stays unbeaten by downing Amherst
The Williams men's swimming and diving team took a matchup of the top two finishers at last year's NESCAC Championships, winning a dual meet at Amherst, 144-97.
The Ephs, ranked fifth in the CollegeSwimming.com Div. III poll, were led by a pair of freshmen who combined to capture four of the six freestyle events. Ben Wampler won both the 50-yard and the 100-yard freestyle en route to earning NESCAC Performer of the Week honors yesterday, while classmate Gary Roberson topped the field in the 500-yard and the 1000-yard freestyle. In all, the five-time defending NESCAC champions won nine events to pick up their 11th consecutive regular-season victory and fourth this season.
Amherst, ranked No. 17 in the country, suffered its first loss of the season. Two of the Jeffs' four victories came from junior Kai Robinson, who swept both diving events.
Women's Basketball | upstart lord Jeffs top Ephs for first time since 2001
Massachusetts is already home to a World Series champion, an undefeated NFL team and an NBA championship contender. And the Bay State now has a new, smaller-scale, addition to its recent string of sports success: two unbeaten NESCAC women's basketball teams.
Joining the 12-0 Tufts Jumbos in the unbeaten ranks is perhaps one of the most surprising teams in Div. III basketball this season: the Amherst Lady Jeffs. The squad upped its record to a program-best 13-0 Saturday after topping Little Three rival Williams, 65-53, for its first victory over the Ephs in seven years. Senior tri-captain Shaina Pollack paced the Jeffs with 15 points, her fourth double-digit scoring effort in the last five games.
The victory propelled Amherst into the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll for the first time in program history. The Jeffs, who have finished no better than fifth in the NESCAC each of the last six seasons, have already surpassed last year's win total.
