This Photo: Lindsey Taylor of Williams (left) and Emily Eisen of Amherst defend the honor of their educational institutions. That Photo: Eliza Temeles of Amherst (left) joins Taylor and Eisen for a photo after the October 23rd Williams show.

IHSA RIVALRIES: AMHERST VERSUS WILLIAMS

In what we hope will become a reoccurring series on Campus Equestrian, we take a look at College Rivalries. One of the oldest such rivalries is between Amherst College (Amherst, Massachusetts) and Williams College (Williamstown, Massachusetts). Though the rivalry between the schools goes back over a century, the two schools have fielded IHSA programs since the 1980's. Amherst and Williams are both members of IHSA Zone 1, Region 3, the smallest region in land miles nationwide. While both have quality riding programs, neither has been able to overcome the gauntlet of Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst during their 20-plus year existances. The result has been a frequent battle for fourth place in Zone 1, Region 3.

In the late 1990's, Amherst had Williams' number, finishing as much as 63 points ahead in 1998-99. Things changed in a hurry with the start of a new decade, as Williams edged Amherst for fourth in 1999-2000 by a 121-120 margin. By 2002-03, Williams was 51 better than Amherst. Some of Williams' success at that time can be traced to open rider Anne Renier, the only Willians rider in the past seven seasons to make the top ten in the Region 3 open rider standings, doing so twice. However in 2003-04 Amherst roared back to finish ahead of Williams by fifteen, 194-179.

Which brings us to the current season. When the final regular season show ends Saturday afternoon, Amherst will have had the better 2004-05 campaign. The "Jeffs" (named for Lord Jeffery Amherst) are already 74 points ahead of the "Ephs" (pronounced 'Eefs,' short for Ephraim Williams) not to mention Amherst is hosting the final show with horses they are familiar with. We spoke with Amherst open rider Emily Eisen, a senior and voice major whose thesis was a vocal performance recital, to get her take on one of America's oldest sports rivalries:

CE: Can you explain the Amherst/Williams Rivalry and how it pertains to other sports?

EE: To the best of my knowledge, the Amherst/Williams rivalry started in 1821 when the President of Williams decided he needed a school a little closer to civilization and took some faculty, students, and books down to Amherst. "Legend" has it that those books are still in the Amherst library, complete with "Property of Williams College" bookplates, and about once a year Williams students come down to Amherst and try to steal them back.

While Williams isn't necessarily our toughest rival in every sport, it's the most important game of each season to the campus as a whole. Whenever a team plays Williams, a ton of people show up to cheer on our side and heckle the other. In football it's one of the longest-standing college rivalries in the country, and ESPN has done pieces on it, I think.

CE: When did you first experience the rivalry as an Amherst student?

EE: I'm actually an alumni child (my father was class of '70), so I guess you could say I've been exposed to the rivalry from birth. As a child I knew to make fun of anyone who went to Williams. It's just the way of the world.

CE: How close are the two campuses located to each other?

EE: The campuses are about 90 minutes apart from each other. It's a relatively straightforward drive, except for the infamous hairpin turn, which makes going to Williams for away games easy.

CE: Is it known when the rivalry started?

EE: I think it started around the time of Amherst's founding - 1821.

CE: Is there anything else you can add about the Williams/Amherst Rivalry?

EE: Although we like to torture the Williams team, it's all in good fun for us - I can't speak for other sports on campus - and we really do like them. We had some Williams riders to Amherst last spring for a party, and they hosted us in return. We've had priceless moments like fighting in the dirt of the UMass ring last fall for the 4th place team ribbon - it was Homecoming and we had to hold our own. We like to think that we take the rivalry in good fun and use it to bring more spirit to Intercollegiate competition.

With Eisen's thesis out of the way, the vocal soprano will ready herself for Oxford, where she will be reading for a Master's in Musicology and Performance. Eisen hopes to keep riding while abroad ("Maybe I'll get to to join a hunt!"). Until then, the Amherst show awaits, which will be Eisen's undergradute finale. Though she made it into the top ten of the Region 3 open rider standings each of the past two seasons, Eisen is tenth at the moment, and though everything is quite friendly outside the ring, Williams open riders such as Lindsey Taylor and Giorgio Mosoni would certainly enjoy going head-to-head with Eisen one more time to play spoiler.

--Steve Maxwell