Team prepares for weekend duels

Never mind the Jumbos' six straight victories over individual NESCAC opponents, their 26-3 record over their past 29 dual-meets, or their impressive third place finish in the NESCAC Championships last season. Thursday's meet at Babson will be just business as usual for the men's swimming and diving team. Tufts will compete with the Beavers in the Jumbos' second league match-up of the 2003-2004 season.

"We've had a lot of success, but if we don't keep pushing ourselves, if we get to the NESCAC [Championships], what we've done in the past won't do anything for us," junior swimmer Seth Baron said. "Dual-meets and championships are so different; we just have to keep working hard one step at a time."

The work has certainly paid off for Baron. Swimming last Saturday against Connecticut College, the Texan won the 500 yard freestyle and the un-scored 200 yard butterfly events.

"He had one of our best swims of the day," coach Don Megerle said of Baron. "[Last Saturday] all the kids swam better than I expected."

The Jumbos dominated the meet at UMass Dartmouth against Connecticut College. Their freshman have been made significant contributions. Divers Connell Cloyd and Todd Putnam swept the two diving events at the meet.

But the Jumbos nevertheless remain tenacious, yet unassuming.

Not even any of the veteran Jumbos seem to allow their success, which is now a staple of Tufts athletics, to alter the approach to the season. Senior swimming tri-captain Kaili Mauricio shrugged off the team's accumulating laurels.

"We don't come into the season with a set of material goals," Mauricio said. "We just want to perform to the best of our ability. We don't just come in here and say we're going to [the championships]."

Unfortunately for the Jumbos, however, their past success will make it hard for people to see anything different. Over the past four years, Tufts has never finished below fifth at the NESCAC/New England Championships, and in the 2001-2002 season Tufts finished its year at the NCAA Division III Championships in Ada, Ohio.

Megerle has built up a reputation similar to that of a demigod, winning six coach-of-the year awards and numerous other team honors in his 33 year career at Tufts. Diving coach Brian Snoodgrass is also creating his own name on the hill, as the former high school champion is entering his 16th year of instruction following a successful diving career at Columbia University.

This year's team is not prepared to undo its success any time soon, and very well could go even farther than it has in the past. The much heralded freshman class and rising sophomores, coupled with the experience of veterans like Baron and senior tri-captains Mauricio, Jamie Myers, and Greg Schmidt will most likely bring the Jumbos into the thick of things before the end of the season.

"This year, we might be a little different in a good way," Mauricio said. "We have been doing more yardage in terms of practicing, we have a lot of depth, the freshman class is extraordinarily good, plus our sophomores are also very strong."

Thursday's match-up against Babson is at 7 p.m., making for what most likely will be a short meet. The home coaches decide what events will be held and scored, and generally make weekday meets shorter than weekend trials due to class and work considerations.

Tufts will make the short trip to Babson Park, Massachusetts, on Thursday. On Saturday the team will travel to Maine to take on Bowdoin. Regardless of the quick turnaround for the weekend meet against another NESCAC opponent, the Jumbos aren't getting ahead of themselves.

"It's one meet at a time," Baron said. "You have to keep your focus."