With less than three weeks remaining until the NESCAC championships, the men's swimming and diving team are in peak condition.
The Jumbos capped off a successful regular season with several top finishes and time improvements at the unscored MIT Invitational on Saturday. Now the team is heading into the postseason with a 7-1 record, suffering its only lost to Div. I Boston College back in November.
While the team's previous meet, a 160-65 win over Bates, was described as laid-back and less stressful, the competition was decidedly upped as the Jumbos approach the NESCAC championships, with many swimmers sporting shaved heads in hopes of improving their times.
Six teams competed at the Invitational, including NESCAC opponents Middlebury and Williams, teams which Tufts did not face during the regular dual-meet season. There are only twenty-five spots available on the Tufts postseason delegation, so for swimmers not going to Wesleyan for the championships, the MIT meet was their last of the season. For the swimmers headed to NESCACs, the meet was a chance to swim "off" events and tune-up their racing strategies.
The Jumbos proved their versatility by earning the top four slots in the 400-yard IM, one of the most physically taxing events in the sport. Junior Jason Kapit finished first (4:16.80), followed by senior tri-captain Seth Baron (4:20.60), sophomore Nathan Cronin (4:22.92), and junior Steven Ward (4.28.73).
Baron has been a major contributor on the team during his last season, capping off a successful four-year career at Tufts. He is very satisfied with the way the dual-meet season has gone and says he will miss the experience of swimming on a college team.
"It's going to be bittersweet to finish out this season," Baron said. "[But] I do realize that it is time to move on."
The butterfly superstar attributes his successful season to the challenging workouts Coach Adam Hoyt has put the team through over the season.
"Adam has been incredible," Baron said. "He's an outstanding source of positive reinforcement, and still manages to make us work harder than we have in years."
Junior Seth Rosenberg continued his dominance in distance swimming by finishing second in the 1650 mixed freestyle (10:20.77). Rosenberg also finished fifth in the 200 IM (2:04.69), only two tenths of a second behind sophomore teammate Justin Fanning (2:04.49), who placed fourth.
Senior tri-captain Mike Rochette had great swims in the breaststroke events, finishing second in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.70) and fourth in the 200 (2:20.13). Rochette currently holds the fastest time in NESCAC this season for the 50 breaststroke, attained when he swam a 27.62 at the Trinity meet on Jan. 22.
Junior Brett Baker finished second in the 200 freestyle (1:45.54) and remains the fourth fastest in the conference in that event in addition to his No. 8 seeding in the 100 freestyle in NESCAC with his time of 47.89.
Going into the championships, the Jumbos can rely on junior diver Todd Putnam's consistently strong performances. Putnam studied abroad during the fall semester and his return has added to an already deep team. He is the only member of the team to have officially qualified for the NCAA Division III National championships, and reinforced his reputation at MIT, where he earned third place in the 3-meter (234.50) and fourth in the 1-meter (220.70).
Several Jumbo swimmers may be joining Putnam at NCAA's, depending on their swims at the NESCAC championships, in which the team has a tradition of performing well, having finished fifth or better in the past five seasons. The NESCAC championships will be held at Wesleyan on the weekend of February 25-27.
