Despite not getting the seeding they preferred in last weekend's USSRA Five-Man Team Championships at Trinity, the Jumbos made the most of their situation and won the Div. III Championship.
"We were a little disappointed because we wanted to be placed into Division II," freshman Jake Gross said. "I thought we could have done very well in the higher division."
Coach Doug Eng echoed Gross's disappointment with their low placement.
"[It was an acceptable placement] if the competition was good," Eng said. "But that was not the case. Trinity has a habit of underestimating us."
Still, the Jumbos were able to take advantage of their circumstances, and went 3-0 for the weekend to win the title.
On Friday, the Jumbos faced Hamilton and defeated them with relative ease in a 5-0 sweep. Gross won quickly at number one. The two close matches involved junior co-captain Spencer Maxwell, playing number two and winning in four games, and senior co-captain Fernando Kriete, playing number four and pulling out a five game victory.
On Saturday morning, the Jumbos faced an adult squad from New Haven and prevailed 4-1. Tufts was matched up with an adult squad because the competition was an open Nationals tournament, not an intercollegiate event.
Gross won easily again at the top spot, while Maxwell fell at number two in a four game match. Kriete once again managed to eke out a five-game win.
The Jumbos closed out the tournament with a 3-2 win over Trinity's fourth squad, which consisted of the number 15-20 players on the Bantams.
"The Trinity match was definitely our hardest," Gross said. "They defaulted at number one, so I played the number seven player for Princeton in an exhibition match instead."
Gross was defeated in four games by his opponent.
"I didn't play all that well," Gross said. "I was a bit sluggish out there and my opponent was certainly a good player."
Kriete continued to pull out close matches, as he yet again prevailed in five games.
The Jumbos have a big week ahead of them preparing for the CSA Team Championships at Yale next weekend.
"We're going to be taking it lightly for a day or two, and then we'll start trying to fine-tune our shots with some drills as we get closer to the tournament," Gross said.
"We're going to be doing a lot of fine-tuning on drives that stay down and tight," Eng added. "We want to pressure our opponents more, be patient, and stay healthy."
Gross and the Jumbos have high expectations going into the weekend.
"We'll be in the third division for Nationals," Gross said. "I think we can win it."
The Jumbos will begin the weekend as sixth seed in the division and will play Stanford, who they believe they can beat decisively. They will also likely face Connecticut College (who they defeated earlier in the season) and possibly the top seed, Colby (who the Jumbos lost to 5-4 when they were a bit shorthanded earlier in the season).
"We should win the Summers Cup if we play solidly," Eng said. "It is a matter of fact rather than opinion that we are the best team despite the low seeding. But several teams will push it, so it won't be easy. We just need to play like we know we can."
One thing is for sure - the upcoming weekend will certainly hold a lot of dramatic squash, and the Jumbos hope to rise to the top in their division.
