Even a week after Amherst’s loss to William Smith in the NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen, head coach Jen Hughes still was upset.
She wasn’t mad that her team lost. She was hurt that their season wasn’t continuing.
“This was the first time in my career I sincerely thought we were a final four team,” Hughes said. “We had, in my mind, everything. We had the talent, the leadership, the chemistry, and while I’m still recovering, I’m sad because I liked the team and what we stood for, and it was just one of those years that goes down as being really special.”
The Mammoths entered the 2018 season coming off a down year in 2017 that yielded nine wins, the lowest total since they won eight games in 2010. The team also missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since that same 2010 season.
