AMHERST — Seven hours and 54 minutes to go 423.72 miles and 2,237 feet.
That is the distance between Richmond, Virginia, and Amherst. The distance twin sisters Ali and Meredith Doswell traveled to play the sport the love: basketball.
They, along with Jaimie Renner, are the three seniors on the Amherst College women’s basketball team that is competing in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III tournament. Amherst (29-0) hosts Babson (24-5) at 7 p.m. Friday.
This is the 10th straight appearance in the Sweet 16 under coach G.P Gromacki. After defeating Regis and Mary Washington in the first and second round, respectively, the Doswells will look to continue Amherst’s winning tradition.
Ali and Meredith started playing basketball when they were 5 years old, playing at the local YMCA, then on an AAU team when they were 8.
“We always had fun playing together,” said Meredith. “We never really made a choice as to whether or not we wanted to continue playing. We love playing basketball. We ended up both being pretty good at it. So it worked out.”
After attending St. Catherine’s School in Richmond, Ali and Meredith did not picture their next step coming in Amherst. Having a close relationship with their family played a part in their desire to attend a local university.
Gromacki though had reached out to the sisters, in hopes of persuading them to play in Amherst. Both sisters admit to ignoring his initial phone calls, thinking that Amherst was just too far. Their sudden interest in the school came from their mother, who attended Mount Holyoke just 9.7 miles away. She had nothing but good things to say about the area.
“We finally responded to coach’s calls and visited and loved it,” said Ali. “The basketball program has obviously been a success here and also the academics are incredible. After we visited it was just a done deal.”
Although the distance was nerve-racking, Meredith said having her sister there with her has made all the difference.
“It’s definitely helped, especially freshman year,” she said. “It was a new coaching style, a new team and new environment. It was great having her as a support system.”
Their undeniable chemistry translated on the court through their four years.
Ali Doswell became the program’s all-time leading scorer on Feb. 3 against Bates. She has a program-best 265 3-pointers and 1,507 points.
As freshman, Ali said she was just a good basketball player. The pace of play was an adjustment, but it was only a learning curve through the first few seasons.
“I’ve become more confident over the years, which comes with seniority,” Ali said. “I’ve picked up things from coaches and other players in practice and games and tried to finesse them over the years.”
The pressure that comes with the program’s winning tradition has done nothing but motivate the sisters. Since the day they stepped on campus, their goal was to be better, even training in the gym during their orientation.
“It was more expectation,” said Meredith. “We knew that we were talented enough to make an impact on the team when we were freshmen. So that tradition of success motivated us to do more and get in the gym more.”
The team’s success has enabled Ali and Meredith’s family to watch through online webcasts. Now a family tradition, the family sets up the stream at their grandparents’ house for everyone to enjoy.
As the sisters compete in their final NCAA tournament for Amherst, they are motivated more than ever to keep the streams going.
NOTE: The Sweet 16 matchup will feature Granby native Meghan Sullivan against Belchertown native Téa Spellacy.
Sullivan is a reserve for Amherst and averages 3.7 points and 11.9 minutes per game.
Spellacy comes off the bench for Babson and averages 3.4 points and 12.5 minutes.