Excited for the return of spring sports? Take a look back at a few highlights from The Williams Record of past spring Eph teams from 10 (2011), 25 (1996), and 50 (1971) years ago.
10 Years Ago (Spring 2011)
- Men’s Crew – Men’s Crew Earns Saratoga Oar – April 20th, 2011 – “In its second trip to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass., in as many weeks, men’s crew defended the Saratoga Oar, claiming victories over the field in the 1V and 2V races and taking second to Ithaca in the men’s novice race on Saturday.” Continue reading here.
- Women’s Crew – Women’s Crew Claims Little Three Title – April 20th, 2011 – “This weekend, women’s crew faced off against Wesleyan on a cold, gusty Lake Quinsigamond in the historic Little Three Regatta. The race, which would normally include Williams, Wesleyan and Amherst, was contested by only Wesleyan and Williams, as Amherst no longer sponsors a women’s crew team. The 1V, 2V, 3V, and novice eight boats all gained first in their respective races.” Continue reading here.
The 1V women dominated the competition at the Little Three regatta on Saturday, topping Wesleyan with an aggressive race that put the women in first by over 40 seconds. - Men’s Track & Field – Men’s Track Stifles Rival MIT for 1st – May 11th, 2011 – “Men’s track and field competed at the Div. III New England Championship at MIT this weekend. Over the course of the three-day, 22-event affair, the Ephs prevailed with 151 points and the New England team title. Close behind the men were host MIT in second with 147 points and Bates in third with 73.” Continue reading here.
- Men’s Tennis – Men’s Tennis Sweeps NESCAC Competitors – April 20th, 2011 – “Men’s tennis (8-5, 2-1 in the NESCAC) took two matches against conference foes this weekend. On Sunday, the men defeated Conn. College 9-0. The day before the men also swept their opponents, taking Wesleyan down 9-0.” Continue reading here.
- Women’s Golf – Women’s Golf Bounces Back for 1st – April 13th, 2011 – “Women’s fold established a great start to its spring season, claiming a win on Saturday and Sunday at the Vassar Invitational in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. After trailing Amherst by one stroke after the first day, the women fought hard to clinch the victory. The team’s 686 two-day total gave Williams a five-shot win over Amherst, who took second. Host team Vassar rounded out the top three with a total score of 700. Over spring break, the women were defeated by South Carolina State.” Continue reading here.
Becky Miller ’13 shot a 168 on the weekend as the women surpassed Amherst to claim victory at the Vassar Invitational. - Women’s Track & Field – Women’s Track Showcases Talent at Brown Invitational – April 20th, 2011 – “Women’s track competed in the non-scoring Brown Outdoor Invitational on Saturday, taking on teams from Brown, UMass-Lowell, Boston University, Bryant and Fairfield. Despite poor weather, the women performed well in Providence.” Continue reading here.
- Women’s Tennis – Women’s Tennis Topples Amherst – May 11th, 2011 – “Second-ranked women’s tennis (13-3) took down No. 1 Amherst 5-3 on Sunday to win the NESCAC championship. The women beat Tufts 5-0 on Saturday to advance to the final round of the tournament. The Ephs earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III Championships as a result of claiming the title.” Continue reading here.
Nikki Reich ’11 earned the deciding point against Amherst on Sunday. Reich claimed a 6-4, 6-3 singles victory from the No. 5 spot as the Ephs topped the Jeffs by a final match score of 5-3.
25 Years Ago (Spring 1996)
- Men’s and Women’s Track & Field – Tracksters Open Outdoor Season with a Pair of Home Victories Over Springfield – April 9th, 1996 – “A cool spring training trip apparently did the Ephs track team some good as they were quite used to the brisk air and turned in some fine performances in their first home meet of the outdoor season. Although the men were able to rest some competitors, expecting an easy win over Springfield, the women were out for revenge over their indoor loss to the maroon-clad women. By the end of the day both teams showed Springfield that they would not settle for second place.” Continue reading here.
Sam Young ’98 jumps out of the blocks in Saturday’s meet against Springfield. Both the men’s and women’s teams triumphed, and look forward to hosting this weekend’s Williams Relays. - Softball – Softball Fights Rain, Continues Season in ECACs – May 7th, 1996 – “Undaunted by the dismal weather Saturday, the Williams softball team (27-5) added another victory as they brought their regular season to a close with a 8-2 win over arch-rival Amherst. Rain brought the doubleheader to an early finish, but could not shut down the Ephwomen as they stretched their winning streak to 17. The win clinches the Little Three crown for Williams for the second year in a row.” Continue reading here.
Kathleen Higgins ’99 connects as the Ephwomen beat Trinity last week. - Men’s and Women’s Crew – Crews Glide Through New England Races – May 7th, 1996 – “Despite cold and rainy weather, flat water and slight tailwind made for perfect racing conditions at the men’s and women’s New England Championships held in Worcester Saturday. The Ephs were eager and excited to show their skills as they competed against some of the best crews in the region.” Continue reading here.
- Women’s Lacrosse – Women’s Lax Finishes 1996 Undefeated – May 7th, 1996 – “Perfection is the only word that can be used to describe the women’s varsity lacrosse team, which ended their regular season unblemished this week, leaving them the second ranked team in the nation with a 13-0 record. Williams handily defeated Middlebury, who holds the nation’s number six ranking, 12-5 Wednesday and claimed the Little Three title Saturday with a convincing 12-7 victory over Amherst.” Continue reading here.
Liz Endress ’97 set the single season assist record with 21.
50 Years Ago (Spring 1971)
- Baseball – Ephmen Split Doubleheader with Springfield – April 27th, 1971 – “If you have to split a doubleheader, it’s always more satisfying to win the second game. That’s what the Ephmen (2-4-1) did Saturday at Weston Field as they held off Springfield, 1-0, in an eight-inning, rain-shortened contest that followed a 9-4 loss. in the process, the Ephs no only handed the angry Chiefs their second loss in twelve games, but also discovered some fine players on their bench: soph sub Tom Geissler (two hits), outfielder Dave Johnson (one hit), and soph pitcher Tom Lee.” Continue reading here.
Tom Lee pitches to Springfield’s clean-up batter in Williams’ 1-0 victory over the Chiefs in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday. The Ephs dropped the first game, 9-4. Lee, a sophomore, allowed only five hits as the winning pitcher in the eight-inning game. - Men’s Golf – Sutter Leads Goffmen over Vermont, Bowdoin – April 20th, 1971 – “Coach Rudy Goff’s varsity golf team opened its official season last Saturday with an Eph victory over both the University of Vermont and Bowdoin on a soggy, half-opened Taconic course. Led by long-hitting freshman John Sutter, who carded a 77 to take individual medalist honors, the Ephs compiled a 401 stroke total, easily under Vermont’s 411 tally, and Bowdoin’s 425.” Continue reading here.
Concentration shows in the form of John Sutter, on his way to a one-over-par 72 at the Taconic golf course Saturday. - Men’s Lacrosse – Laxmen Spank Middlebury – May 7th, 1971 – “The well-balanced Eph lacrosse team downed a mediocre Middlebury squad 10-7 here Wednesday. Playing methodically against obviously outclassed opponents, the Williams crew of stick-handlers pummeled the Middlebury goal throughout the contest and managed to keep possession of the ball most of the game. The lead changed hands three times in the first half, but Williams’ superior physical conditioning was the deciding factor in the second half, as the purple Ephs rolled up an insurmountable lead.” Continue reading here.
