Conference Highlights
April 30, 2006
AMHERST CLAIMS 2006 NESCAC WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
Third-Straight Title for Jeffs
Courtesy Williams Sports Information
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Amherst College women's tennis team outlasted Williams in a hard-fought NESCAC Championship match Sunday, 6-3. The Ephs gained a 2-1 lead after doubles, but couldn't hold on to the lead as Amherst took five singles courts for the win.
Post Season Highlights
May 23, 2006
RAVERTA FINISHES SECOND IN NCAA WOMEN'S TENNIS SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
Courtesy Amherst Sports Information
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – After being named the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Senior Player of the Year on Friday, Amherst College senior tri-captain Kristen Raverta (W. Springfield, MA) finished as the national runner-up in the NCAA Division III women’s tennis singles tournament championship, hosted by the University of California at Santa Cruz Saturday through Tuesday.
Washington & Lee University junior Emily Applegate (Charleson, SC) captured the national singles championship, defeating Raverta 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday afternoon. A three-time ITA All-America honoree and the 2006 NESCAC Player of the Year, Raverta became the first Lord Jeff to reach the national championship match since Jamie Cohen ’01, who won the national title in 2000, and the second straight Amherst recipient of the ITA National Senior Player of the Year award (Rachel Holt ’05 took home the award last spring). Raverta completes her Amherst career with an 87-19 record in singles play and a 70-21 mark in doubles competition.
Raverta opened up tournament play on Saturday with a 6-0, 6-3 first-round victory over Carthage College junior Amanda Sta. Romana (Racine, WI) and a come-from-behind 2-6, 7-5, 4-3 round-of-16 win over Gustavus Adolphus College senior Tara Houlihan (Sioux Falls, SD). Play was suspended due to inclement weather on Sunday afternoon, but Raverta overcame the delay, advancing to her second straight national semifinal appearance with a dominating 6-2, 6-2 quarterfinal win over Wheaton (Ill.) College first-year Jordan Hook (Wheaton, IL) on Monday. Raverta moved on to the championship match by defeating DePauw University senior Liz Bondi (Park Ridge, IL), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinals.
Raverta also teamed with sophomore Alicia Menezes (Staten Island, NY) to make the field in the national doubles tournament, but the pair fell in the opening round to junior Mona Iyer (Charleston, WV) and sophomore Amy Staloch (Midland, MI) of Carnegie Mellon U
Tournament Highlights
Amherst College Women's Tennis
NCAA Champions - 1999
NESCAC Champions - 2005, 2006
NESCAC Co-Champions - 2004
NCAA Finalists - 1999, 2004
NCAA Semifinals - 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005
NCAA Quarterfinals - 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
NCAA Tournament - 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 20
Individual Achievements
Raverta Named ITA National Senior Player of the Year, Finishes as Runner-Up at NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Singles Tournament Championship
May 23 - After being named the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Senior Player of the Year on Friday, Amherst senior tri-captain Kristen Raverta finished as the national runner-up in the NCAA Division III women’s tennis singles tournament championship, hosted by the University of California at Santa Cruz Saturday through Tuesday.
Holt, Menezes Earn ITA Women's Tennis Honors; Jeffs Headed to NCAA Quarterfinals
May 10 - Amherst senior quad-captain Rachel Holt was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Division III Senior Player of the Year, and first-year teammate Alicia Menezes earned ITA New England Rookie of the Year honors as the Jeffs prepare for their eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals, held this year at Kalamazoo (Mich.) College
Jeffs Fall Just Short in Bid for Second National Championship
May 14 - Amherst fell just one victory shy of claiming its second NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship Friday afternoon at the Racquet Club of Memphis, dropping a 5-0 decision to Division III powerhouse Emory University. With the win, Emory (24-1) earned its third national championship and became just the second team in NCAA Division III history to win back-to-back NCAA titles. Amherst finishes its season at 17-4. Full Story
Coaching Achievements
Head women's tennis coach Jackie Bagwell enters her 16th season at Amherst College and 14th as head coach. The Kokomo, Ind., native has led Amherst's women's tennis team to at least the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last eight seasons, including four consecutive Final Four appearances from 1998-2001, another trio of national semifinal appearances from 2003-05, back-to-back NESCAC crowns in 2004-05, and the college's first NCAA Championship in any sport in 1999. Her squads have also produced back-to-back national singles champions and a bevy of All-Conference and All-America performers during her tenure. Bagwell's experience and dedication remains the X-factor for Amherst. She's attracted national and regional attention of late, earning Boston Area Coach of the Year honors at the annual Boston Sports Awards in Sept., 2000. Bagwell competed against Boston Red Sox manager Jimmy Williams and Boston Bruins head coach Pat Burns, among others, for the honor. As an undergrad, Bagwell spent three seasons at Columbus College before transferring to the University of Texas-Permian Basin, where she helped lead the Falcons to an NAIA National Tournament appearance. She then graduated from the University of Indiana in 1986 with a degree in history/physical education and worked as a teaching pro at the Jimmy Connors United States Tennis Center in Florida. Prior to moving to Amherst, Bagwell spent two seasons coaching at Division III rival Hamilton College.
Kristen Raverta '06 joins the Amherst College coaching ranks after graduating this year with a degree in psychology and one of the most distinguished player records at Amherst. As a student-athlete at Amherst, Raverta saw success from her first days on the court, and was named both the NESCAC and ITA Northeast Rookies of the Year. She was named to the NESCAC All Conference Singles First Team four times, and the ITA Women's Division III All American Team four times. During her senior season for the Jeffs, Raverta reached the finals of the women's NCAA NAtional Division III tournament and was named the ITA National Senior Player of the Year, as well as the ITA Northeast and NESCAC Players of the Year. The Amherst Student newspaper named her Athlete of the Year in 2006, and she finished ranked #2 in singles and #7 in doubles nationally by the ITA Division III year end rankings. Raverta is also the Student Life Fellow at the Dean of Students Office at Amherst College at this time.
