Tufts Top Ten

Every year, I go to countless games at and away from Tufts, witnessing some good, great, not so great, and some downright sad moments. Unfortunately, I'm usually one of about only ten people from Tufts to witness all of these moments.

So, I thought that for my last column of the year, it would be a good idea to share the best of this year's Tufts sports moments with you. Although a semi-strict word limit will keep me from going into too much detail about each one, I have compiled the top ten best moments in Tufts sports this year.

And away we go...

10. Elliott Wiley learns on The Best Damn Interruption that Wilt Chamberlain is dead.

This one you really had to see to understand, but just trust me. On our TUTV sports show, The Best Damn Interruption, Elliott, Colin Stewart, and I were having a lively debate about Michael Jordan's comeback, when Elliott suggested that Wilt the Stilt could make a comeback.

Colin and I stared at each other for a few seconds, somewhat taken aback, and then we broke the news to Elliott: "Dude, Wilt Chamberlain died, like four years ago."

Elliott sat bolt upright and stared directly at the camera. "He's dead?!?! I didn't get the memo! I didn't get the memo!"

This moment was pure comic genius. Elliott really had no idea that Wilt Chamberlain was dead. It wasn't something you could have ever made up. Without a doubt one of the funniest moments of the year. If you didn't see it (and chances are absurdly good that you didn't) you'll just have to trust me.



9. "Browntown"

"Browntown," or the Zeta Psi heckling section at men's lacrosse games, makes the list of the Tufts Top Ten for entertainment value and school spirit. The Zeta Psi brothers, as well as legions of other revelers turned out faithfully for every men's lacrosse home game, cursing, cheering, and heckling everyone and everything on the field.

Browntown was responsible for the most enthusiastic cheering at any Tufts sporting event I have seen in my three years covering athletics at this school.

My favorite Browntown moment of the year? The "Please stop raining! Bam, bam, bam-bam-bam, Please stop raining!" chant when it started to sprinkle during a home game against Trinity.



8. Football team actually wins a Homecoming game.

Forget that it didn't come against Amherst or Williams. Forget that it did come against a Bates team that hasn't beat Tufts in 17 years. Forget that the Jumbos would only win one more game for the rest of the season.

A 27-0 rout over Bates marked the first time since 1991 the Tufts football team walked off the field victorious after a Homecoming game. The game proved to be one of the last highlights of the season for the team, which, after winning its first three games of the season, lost its last five.



7. Men's lacrosse beats Bowdoin with last minute goal by Bryan Griffin in NESCAC playoffs.

Following its best-ever regular season campaign, the men's lacrosse team won its first-ever NESCAC playoff game in dramatic fashion when sophomore Bryan Griffin scored the game-winning goal with 40 seconds left to beat Bowdoin 14-13.

There could have been no more appropriate goal scorer than Griffin, who led the team all season in goals, assists, points, and hustle. With 101 points so far in his career, Griffin is well on his way to becoming Tufts all-time leading scorer.

The playoff victory over Bowdoin set the tone for the Jumbos' postseason, which saw them run all the way to the NESCAC championship game, which they lost to defending national champion Middlebury.



6. Women's soccer makes a run through the NCAA tournament.

For the second time in the last three years, the women's soccer team thrilled the Tufts athletic world with a NESCAC championship and run through the NCAA tournament. This year's team did not fare as well as the team of two years ago, however, and lost a 1-0 decision to Keene State in the second round on an own goal.



5. Jess Trombly wins five events at New England Div. III Championships.

True, it was amazing, but to say it was surprising would be a lie. After three years as Tufts' premier athlete, there's not much that Jess Trombly could do that would actually surprise anyone. So when she took first place in five (yes, five) different events at the New England Div. III Indoor Championships this winter, everyone was impressed, but nobody was really astounded.

Trombly followed her performance (probably the most impressive in Tufts track history) by running all the way to the NCAA Indoor Championships.



4. Evan Zupancic breaks career interception and career home run marks in the same year.

Rivaling Trombly for Tufts' premier athlete of the last four years, senior Evan Zupancic broke the records for career interceptions and career homeruns in the same year. Zupancic finished the football season with seven interceptions, and finished his career with 19, demolishing the old record of 15 set by Scott Burnham in 1982.

On Apr. 6, Zupancic rewrote the record books again with a first inning blast, his 20th homerun of his career. That pushed him past Bill Canon and Eric Sholds who each had 19 career round trippers.



3. Men's basketball misses last- second shot against Williams, losing in second round.

It would have been a perfect story. Mike McGlynn, the team's best player, charges to the basket and sinks a lay-up as time runs out to beat the Williams basketball behemoth and move on to the NESCAC championship game. But the story wasn't to be, and McGlynn's shot didn't fall. Williams won the game, and went on to win the National Championship. But the thrill of watching that game was easily the most excitement I've ever had at any Tufts game, in any sport.



2. Reggie Stovell dunks over All-American Steve Zieja in Tufts upset over Amherst.

Sure, Amherst didn't have one of its top players, and true, the Jeffs were probably overrated anyway, but Reggie Stovell's jam over an All-American was just plain cool. My first question to every coach and player I could find following the game: "Did you have any idea that Reggie could jump that high?" The resounding answer: "No."



1. Jon Lee throws a no hitter, which Randy Newsom follows with a two-hit shut-out.

It was the second one of his career, and it was in a seven-inning game, but that didn't make Jon Lee's no hitter on Mar. 29 any less special. But what made the day even more remarkable was Randy Newsom's two-hit, 11 strikeout, shutout performance in the second game of the day's doubleheader against Bates. In the doubleheader, Tufts outscored Bates 13-0, allowed just two hits, and struck out 19 batters. Tufts went on to make the NESCAC playoffs yet again, while the Bobcats once again finished with a losing record, out of the postseason.