Yasmeen Saeed: A Winding Road to Leadership

Saeed’s friends note that she is willing to take on hard work without asking for recognition — a trait that has carried her as the president of the CACSAC. Photo Courtesy of Yasmeen Saeed ’20. In the face of a devastating and painful injury, most individuals can think of nothing more than returning to normal, doing the things they did before and forgetting the trauma. That is not Yasmeen Saeed ’20. Rather than focusing solely on recovering, Saeed turned her injury into one of the most pivotal a

Coronavirus and Campus Vacancy Suspends Spring Sports Seasons

After Amherst cancelled on-campus classes and told students, with very few exceptions, that they were to leave the campus as soon as possible, one of the knock-on effects was the suspension and disruption of many of the school’s athletic teams’ spring schedules. The decision, while not unexpected given the severity of COVID-19’s spread and the lack of adequate care facilities, still has struck many of the spring and winter season’s athletes harshly. This decision abruptly truncated the careers

Baseball Ending Shortened Season on High Note with Power Surge

In what quickly became a truncated season due to the college’s closure as a result of fears over COVID-19 and the suspension of spring sports, the baseball team opened its season with a resounding 14-7 victory over conference opponent Bowdoin last Monday, March 9. Andrew Nagel ’21 received the opening day start for the Mammoths and hit trouble early in the first inning, when the Polar Bears were able to string together two hits to push one run across. The Mammoths would respond quickly in th

Sue Everden, Head Volleyball Coach, to Step Down After More Than 1,500 Games Coached

One of the most revered and recognized figures in Division III volleyball, Amherst College Head Coach Sue Everden, after more than 30 seasons and 700 volleyball wins, has decided to retire and begin a phased retirement. Everden will step down as head coach at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year but continue to remain involved in the program in some capacity, including planning and leading a team trip to Japan during the spring of 2021. Before Everden came to Amherst, she was an undergradu

Mammoths Split Squad for Weekend Competitions

The Amherst women’s track and field squads impressed over the weekend. The squad was split into two, with one heading to Tufts for the non-team scoring Cupid Challenge and another group headed to the Blue and Orange Invitational held at Utica College. At the Cupid Challenge, notable performances included Isabel Park ’20 notching a new personal record in the 200-meter race. In the 600-meter race, Grace Haase ’21, running the event for the first time this season, clinched a DIII New England qu

Swashbuckling Sheffield United Takes Premier League by Storm

In the dull, flat grey light of an early English morning, the city of Sheffield comes to life. Situated three hours north of London in South Yorkshire, the city stands today as a town reborn, revitalized by a surprisingly vibrant decade and economic growth that has outpaced the wildest expectations for even the most successful post-industrial communities. Sheffield is perhaps best known for its history of manufacturing; the town was once famous around the world for its forks and knives. In the

Women’s Track and Field Finishes Third in Deep Field

Last weekend, the Amherst women’s track and field team finished third in a competitive field of 22 teams at the Branwen Smith-King invitational, held at Tufts on Saturday. The event, while important to the Mammoths’ season, was perhaps most notable for the impressive individual performances, including multiple Amherst athletes who clinched their spots at the DIII New England regional indoor championship meet. Three Mammoths qualified for the championships in the 400 meter race, led by Juanita

Men's Hockey Begins Climbing out of the Cellar

With the recent Amherst men’s hockey victory over Worcester State University on Saturday, Jan. 15, the Mammoths moved to a record of 5-9-2. That record, however, does not tell the whole story; rather, this season could best be described as a tale of two halves. Before last week, the team sat at a dismal 2-9-1, foundering in last place in the NESCAC with the season looking all but lost. The team had a measly one conference win in the opening game of the season against Hamilton, but has since gon

Women's Hockey Poised for Deep Playoff Run

Coming off an important 5-2 victory over Trinity College in Hartford, the women’s hockey team finds itself well-positioned for the stretch run and to potentially make some serious noise in the NESCAC and NCAA tournaments come postseason. With a season marked by consistency and team play, the Mammoths have firmly established themselves as one of the top teams in the nation, ranking inside the top 15 in each of the four national women’s hockey polls. Amherst is ranked as high as eighth in the na

The Biggest Little Game Ends in Anguish for Amherst

Call it the “Biggest Little Game in America.” Call it Amherst/Williams or Williams/Amherst. Call it a huge disappointment for this year’s Mammoth football team. In the only NESCAC game of the year on regional and national television, the Mammoths and the Ephs faced off in what was to become each team’s defining matchup of the season. With both teams eliminated from playoff contention, the 6-2 Ephs and the 4-4 Mammoths took to the field. One game would have to determine whether the Ephs or t

An Isolated Conference in an Age of Expansion

NESCAC football is cloaked in a shroud of bucolic secrecy: the 11 members of the conference have made a commitment to only play each other, each team engaging in a nine-game schedule against every other institution in the conference. The teams fastidiously avoid outside competition, and eschew the Division III playoffs in lieu of competing solely for the conference championship. With that comes a seemingly self-contained joy that few other conferences, and few other institutions, can enjoy. Per

Men’s Tennis Dominates Pair of Opponents in Fall Opener

In what is the team’s only dual matches of the 2019 fall season, the Amherst men’s tennis team scored two dominant victories against Hobart College and Colby-Sawyer College last Saturday. With only one senior and two juniors on the team this season, the Mammoths will lean on their four first years extensively throughout the fall and spring seasons. In the first match of the day against the Hobart Statesmen, Amherst jumped out to an early and convincing lead on the doubles courts, with all thr

It’s Not Just Desire and Dedication that Matter

What is the narrative you most associate with high school or college football? The NCAA would have you believe (and they have conducted an effective propaganda campaign to this effect) that football is the great equalizer: a test of your skill, grit and fortitude, the winner decided by the person with the most heart, the most effort, irrespective of your upbringing and background. Just look at one of the NCAA’s more recent, and more controversial, commercials, which aired during March Madness.

Firedogs Drop Only One Set In Opening Matches

The Amherst volleyball team has always gone its own way and has a long history of leadership from within. The team’s nickname, the Firedogs, speaks to this long tradition of independence. The squad is, after all, the only varsity team at Amherst to eschew the current and past mascot in favor of its longtime moniker dating back to the squad’s club team days. This year’s team is no different from those first trailblazers, in that they are burdened with carrying on a legacy of independent excel

The Dominating Force of the Women’s Soccer Squad

Amherst women’s soccer is as dominant, if not more so, than Alabama football (no, seriously). In Division 1 college football, teams from the top division, the 1A, routinely play teams from the second tier, 1AA in “tune-up” games that prepare their starters for the rest of the season, allow backups to see the field and gives coaches the chance to evaluate their players before more important conference or marquee matchups. Sounds like a win-win, right? Well, it is. For everyone except the 1AA t

Math, With a Minor in Talking

Coming from a small public school in Brookline, a modest town on the outskirts of Boston, Kate Finnerty ’19 has emerged as a quiet and humble leader at Amherst, who, despite their own humility, has managed to leave a mark on campus and on the school’s community. Before arriving at Amherst, Finnerty said that they wanted to go to a small, liberal arts school, applying to “anywhere but Williams.” “My dad and my aunt went here, and I wasn’t completely set on coming to Amherst, but when I got in

Women’s Golf Finishes Fifth in First Tournament of Spring

The Amherst women’s golf team began the spring season with a fifth-place finish at the Vassar Invitational held at the Casperkill Golf Course in Poughkeepsie, New York, in an event hosted by Vassar College. The course is one of the more difficult courses that the team will play on this spring season, with a par of 72 and a total distance of 5,180 yards. The Mammoths opened the first day of the tournament seemingly unable to overcome the rust from the long winter layoff. Senior Maggie Schoeller

Women’s Track and Field Dominates Weekend Meet

Last weekend, Ella Rossa ’21, already a noted hurdler, made a startling breakthrough debut in the heptathlon. This seven-contest event, which includes feats of strength like shot put and javelin, distance races, sprints and hurdles, tests all-around athletic ability. Rossa, along with her teammate Annelise Romero ’22, traveled to Kutztown University in Pennsylvania to compete in the Mondschein Multi-Event Invitational. The event began with Rossa’s speciality, the 100-meter hurdles. In her eleme

Men’s Golf Wins Wildcat Spring Invitational Championship

After a months-long layover, the men’s golf team finally resumed play with the Wildcat Spring Invitational on April 13, playing on the difficult course at Cranston Country Club in Cranston, Rhode Island. The field consisted of 20 teams from in and around New England, with Amherst matching up against NESCAC rival Tufts, among others. The tournament was held over two consecutive days, with each day seeing multiple Mammoths impress in both an individual and team capacity. Leading the charge for t

Softball Finishes Dominant Week With Mercy-Rule Win over Smith

Amherst’s softball team, has strung together a series of impressive performances, going 4-1 with victories over Springfield College, Trinity College and Smith College. The week’s first series saw the Mammoths facing off against Springfield last Wednesday. The week got off to an exciting start, with the first game going into extra innings. Andrea Sanders ’20 slapped a single through the Springfield defense to make the score 1-0. Sanders would score later in the inning to make the score 2-0. Spr

Baseball Beats Dean College in Team’s Highest-Scoring Game Since 2015

“Sunday was a really, really, weird game,” said outfielder Joe Palmo ’21. After a doubleheader against Wheaton College was postponed on Saturday, the Amherst College baseball team traveled to Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts to play a non-conference matchup. Dean came to play, and the Mammoths started slowly and ended up down several runs. Right-hander Davis Brown ’19 got the start for Amherst, but lasted only two innings, giving up three earned runs. By the end of the third inning, Amh

What did you do over break: Men's Tennis

The Mammoths got off to a strong start, downing two ranked opponents before falling to both eighth-ranked Washington University in St. Louis and 14th-ranked Case Western Reserve University. Amherst, however, was not without success, as the team would see itself victorious over 13th-ranked Kenyon College and 15th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University. Jason Fung ’21 was undefeated on the third court over the whole trip, helping the Mammoths to a 4-2 record to begin their spring season.

What did you do over break: Softball

The Mammoths started with a packed schedule, facing five opponents over four days and winning those first games. However, the Mammoths’ undefeated season came to a close against second-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University, who downed Amherst by a score of 8-0. Amherst would go on to finish the break with a stellar 8-2 record, with the team’s only other loss coming at the hands of conference foe Tufts. Ronnie Felasco ’21 led the Mammoths offensively, hitting .452 and knocking in 12 runs.

What did you do over break: Women's Tennis

Other than an 8-1 loss to top-ranked Emory University, the women’s tennis team was perfect over spring break, finishing with a 4-1 record. The Mammoths won crucial victories over three ranked opponents, winning matches against 21st-ranked Kenyon College, 10th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University and 12th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis. Given their previous success, the Mammoths were ranked third in the nation in last week’s polls behind Emory and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College Athena

Student Spotlight: Reggie Brewster '21

Managing Sports Editor Henry Newton ’21 sat down with Reggie Brewster ’21 (above right), member of the Men’s squash team, to talk about the difficulties of balancing a busy schedule as both a student and athlete. Q: Generally, how do you balance being an athlete and a student? A:It’s a lot of time management. I found that finding the little times in the day where you can get even a little bit of reading done add up. Finding opportunities to be productive whenever you can is crucial. Q: Do you

Women’s Basketball Finds Itself in an Unfamiliar Position: Underdogs

It’s not often that you would describe the Amherst women’s basketball team as having faced adversity. They are the fourth-ranked team in the nation, back-to-back undefeated national champions and currently 23-2 on the season. From the moment that the Mammoths lost their first game in over two years against unranked Eastern Connecticut State University on Nov. 20, however, the team has found itself in an unfamiliar role: NESCAC underdogs. At the top of the conference sit the Bowdoin Polar Bears

Economist Devotes Lengthy Career to Teaching

Joseph F. Quinn ’69 does not fit the mold of the traditional economist — he is not a distinguished intellectual who studies Wall Street, the workings of industry or the accumulation of wealth and capital itself. Quinn’s research instead focuses on what comes after such capital is accumulated: on the why and how millions of Americans end up retiring and affording their post-work lives. Quinn arrived at Amherst in 1965, and after graduating, matriculated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technolo

Men’s Golf Returns to Action after Little Three Win with High Hopes

The conclusion of last year’s spring season saw the Amherst men’s golf squad finish a relatively successful campaign with a second-place finish at the NESCAC Championships, hosted by Trinity. Despite this impressive result, the Mammoths walked away from the tournament feeling as if they let an opportunity for a first NESCAC title since 1997 slip through their fingers. The Mammoths entered the tournament with a great deal of momentum after the Little Three Championships, battling back from a

Field Hockey To Restructure after Graduation of Attacking Trio

Amherst field hockey head coach Carol Knerr, now in her 18th season at the helm, enters the 2018 campaign looking to build on a strong core of returning talent. Last season saw notable wins over archrival Williams, Conn. College and Wesleyan, which propelled the team to a 5-5 NESCAC record, just barely missing out on postseason qualification in a wide-open field. The team looks to build on last year’s 10-6 season record, despite losing a trio of offensive studs to graduation in Elizabeth Turnbu

Women’s Golf Expects to Build on Ninth Place Finish at NCAA’s

The Amherst women’s golf team finished the 2017-18 season with an impressive run to the NCAA Division III National Championships, claiming ninth place out of the top 22 Division III women’s golf teams in the nation. The Mammoths did so despite the relative youth and inexperience of much of the roster, which leaves the team well poised to improve upon its already impressive results. At the championship meet, the Mammoths finished well behind the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas, who won their fir