The men's swimming and diving team suffered its first loss in its last competition of the regular season on Saturday, falling to defending NESCAC champion Williams last weekend by a decisive 176 to 114 margin. Despite the loss, the team managed to pick up a moral victory, racking up several improved times on the day.
The Ephmen have consistently dominated NESCAC swimming and diving for the past couple of years, and ended their regular season with a 7-0 record. Most of the Jumbos (9-1) expected tough competition from Williams because of last year, when Williams handed Tufts its only defeat in an otherwise perfect 8-1 season.
"Williams has always been really good," freshman breaststroker Chris Valente said. "We knew they were going to be tough to compete against. We lost, but we swam very well for where they stood."
For many swimmers who were not likely candidates to be slated for the NESCAC Championships, Saturday's race was to be their last of the season. Regardless, most of them shaved down for the meet and put up respectable times.
In last year's contest against the Ephmen, junior Scott Hanchar completed the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:36.87. Last weekend, his time was over nine seconds faster (5:27.74).
"Pretty much all the shaved guys swam really well," senior freestyler Josh Joseph said. "All those that did combined for some of their best times. And I think we definitely swam better than we did last year."
Sophomores Tyler Duckworth and Jamie Meyers remained unshaved for Saturday's meet, but that did not hinder their finishes. Duckworth put up two of his best unshaven swims, completing the 200 butterfly and the 200 breaststroke in 1:59.67 and 2:11.35, respectively. Meyers swam the 100 individual medley and the 200 backstroke in 56.95 and 2:05.49, respectively.
With their regular season finished, the Jumbos have three weeks to train for the NESCAC Championships. Tufts has remained in the top five regional positions for the past couple of years, finishing fourth overall in the 1999-2000 season and the fifth last year.
Coach Don Megerle, who has 30 years of coaching experience under his belt, is highly anticipating the championships.
"We will be facing some top of the line teams," Megerle said. "Our team is bigger and better this year. As long as they are giving their best, I will be satisfied with the outcome of the season. It's already been a great year."
It's also been a year that has somewhat mirrored last season. Tufts is hoping to crack beyond last year's fifth place finish, but will have to deal with competition from New England powerhouses Amherst, Hamilton, Middlebury, and Williams, all of which placed ahead of the Jumbos in last year's championships.
"We hope to get close to Middlebury this year," Joseph said. "I will be happy if we end up beating one of those teams and break into the top three or four spots."
There are currently about three to four spots available for the 24-man championship squad. Megerle will announce the final roster this week. Tapering is already well underway, as Megerle will ease the reins on training. Yardage in the pool has been steadily decreasing with the championships approaching.
Megerle tailors his tapering regimen to the specific needs of his team each year. Tapering involves a great deal of muscle relaxation and rest; training in the pool will consist of more sprinting and less distance swimming. The squad's preparation will extend beyond the pool, as many swimmers on the team will be under a strict regimen of less social interaction, early bedtimes, and even refraining from carrying too much weight.
As for the swimmers who ended their season at the Williams meet, many were satisfied with their performance this season. This year's squad was much larger, and was supported by a strong freshman class, and the team's chemistry was further enhanced by the annual winter trip to Fort Lauderdale, FL over winter break.
"This year has been very exciting for us." Megerle said. "Though we did well last year, I'm even more satisfied with this season's performance. We had a good group of freshmen that swam very well, and many swimmers' times were greatly improved."
The NESCAC Championships will be held from March 1-3 at Wesleyan University.
