Going into the winter break with an undefeated record of 4-0, the men's swimming team hoped to improve its strength with an intense training program under the sunny skies of Fort Lauderdale, FL.
"Fort Lauderdale will be good for recovery for the break and good way of figuring how to handle the rest of the season," Megerle said before leaving.
And it seems that Megerle knew exactly what he was talking about. The Jumbos looked well rested as the team remained undefeated with sound defeats of NESCAC rivals Wesleyan and Trinity at Hamilton Pool this past weekend. The meets were Tufts' first league competition of the season, as Magerle's squad extended its perfect record to 6-0.
First up was Wesleyan on Saturday, a 131-99 victory that included some strong individual performances. Leading the way for the Jumbos were freshman Alex Turner (10:27.67), sophomores Aeric Solow (10:33.80) and Kaili Mauricio (10:40.84), who swept the top three positions in the 1000-yard freestyle. Senior captain Tim Bouley and sophomore Tyler Duckworth were also dominant in the 200-yard individual medley, claiming the top two spots with times of 2:01.39 and 2:13.03, respectively.
Then on Sunday, Tufts followed suit against Trinity as it cruised to a 119-93 win. As they had against Wesleyan, the Jumbos again managed to accrue many top finishes as well. In the 400-yard medley relay, Tufts had three of the four top relay teams. Freshman Alex Turner, Mauricio, and sophomore Nick Ghoussaini also took the top three finishes in the 200-yard freestyle, with the respective times of 1:50.11, 1:52.43, and 1:56.36. Freshman Rich Halpert gave a strong performance as well in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing with a time of 50.23.
Earlier in the season, Tufts had a similar experience with two meets in three days against Clark and Bridgewater State. Neither team posed much of a challenge, however, and the Jumbos walked away with two lopsided victories (188-110 and 151-85). Tufts faced weak competition this weekend as well, with Wesleyan and Trinity both entering the meets with losing records. Additionally, the Jumbos brought another advantage to the pool in that they boast a much larger and deeper roster than both the Cardinals and Bantams.
"Though these teams were weaker, we still gave out our best efforts," Solow said. "Two meets in two days is tough, but we managed to make good competition out of these events."
In Florida, the team trained extensively with both morning and afternoon practices. Along with Megerle, many swimmers were also satisfied with the trip, saying the experience proved to be more than just a focus in training. Many felt that the team activities led to the development of better chemistry.
"It was a great team experience," Halpert said. "We really got to bond and got along great with each other."
Despite the hard work in Florida, many players believe that trip's benefits will not come to light until later in the season.
"We still need more training, and the outcomes from our efforts will take a while," said Solow. "The Florida payoff doesn't come until the end of the season, where we taper from the rest of the meets coming up."
The Jumbos will be hoping to progressively intensify their efforts as the season winds down, and will be settling into their usual training regiments for upcoming meets. Although it has a 6-0 record, Tufts has yet to be consistently tested by competitive teams.
But the tests will come soon enough. The Jumbos are slated to face tougher NESCAC competition as the season winds down, including meets against league powerhouses Amherst (6-1) and Williams (5-0). The season will ultimately culminate in the NESCAC championships, where the Jumbos finished fifth last year.
This Thursday, Tufts will find a dose of strong competition in MIT, which also sports an unblemished 6-0 record.
