After a historic fall season put Tufts in fourth place in the Director's Cup standings, many familiar with Div. III athletics cautioned against early predictions.
But Tufts' winter athletes maintained the University's top-five standing, turning in several postseason runs and maintaining the possibility of a top-10 finish as the spring season, traditionally Tufts' strongest, gets underway.
The Director's Cup is awarded annually to the strongest athletics program in each of the three Divisions, with points awarded for postseason performances in selected sports.
Tufts added to its 252-point fall total as four winter teams combined for 180 points. With a total of 432 points, Tufts currently stands fifth in the 200-plus field, below the College of New Jersey (626.24), NESCAC rival Williams (625.5), Wisconsin LaCrosse (479) and Washington, Missouri (454.5).
Williams has won the Cup nine of the past 10 years, and will be looking for its eighth straight in 2005-2006.
The men's swimming and diving team tallied the most points for Tufts over the winter, earning 67.5 for its 10th-place finish at Nationals. The men's basketball team was right behind with the 64 points it earned for its Sweet 16 run. Men's indoor track and field brought home 38.5 points, and the women's fencing team contributed an additional 10 from freshman Christine Lee's trip to Nationals.
While Tufts has traditionally finished in the top 50 in the Director's Cup standings, the strong showing through the first two legs of the competition is unprecedented. And with the dominant starts and high national rankings of many spring sports, Tufts could find itself within striking distance of a top-10 or even top-five finish.
