This year saw the sun set on many successful coaching careers - men's cross country and track and field coach Connie Putnam retired after 21 seasons; men's swimming and diving coach Don Megerle retired after 33 seasons; and Jim Watson, the veteran coach of the men's tennis team, hung up his whistle after 24 years.
But the next generation of coaches has taken over their respective helms, starting a new chapter in Tufts athletics.
If their first seasons are any indication, it looks to be a successful one. Ethan Barron (men's track and cross country), Tina McDavitt (field hockey), Adam Hoyt (men's swimming and diving), and Kate Bayard (women's tennis) are all within their first two years as head coaches and are wasting no time in making their mark on the Hill.
In only his first season as head coach of the men's track and cross country teams, Barron, 26, picked up NESCAC Coach of the Year awards in both, sharing the cross country nod with Wesleyan's John Crooke.
The Tufts running programs have historically been among the University's strongest, and Barron is keeping pace. He guided the cross country team to a No. 1 New England ranking and a fifth-place finish at Div. III Nationals, and the track team took second at both the NESCAC and New England Div. III Championships this season.
In only two seasons in the water, Hoyt, 27, has taken the men's swimming program to new heights, compiling a 16-2 dual-meet record and leading the Jumbos to a best-ever second-place finish at NESCACs this season. Capping one of the most successful seasons in the program's history, the team sent an unprecedented seven swimmers to Div. III Nationals this year and returned with a 10th place finish.
Hoyt acknowledges the strong coaching system in place at Tufts as part of his early success.
"There are many veteran coaches who lend me helpful advice and guidance when it comes to coaching," Hoyt said. "Their support makes it much easier to coach your team with confidence and enthusiasm."
McDavitt, 27, has turned a floundering program into a league contender in just two seasons. In 2005, she guided the team to a 10-6 record, the program's best finish in five years, and a first-round win in the NESCAC tournament.
"My experience at Tufts has been great," McDavitt said. "The athletes I have worked with on the field hockey and crew teams have been very self-motivated and fun to coach. Everyone wants to work hard and do well and as a coach, that's all you can ask."
One of McDavitt's players, sophomore forward Ileana Katz, cited energy and flexibility as advantages of having a young coach.
"I've only had older coaches, and what I think is most interesting with Tina is that she's very flexible," Katz said. "If something's not working, she'll change it immediately. Or if you do something differently and it works for you, she goes with it, whereas older coaches are much more set in doing what's worked in the past and sticking with it."
Katz also cited the benefits of having a coach that has a more recent - or in McDavitt's case, current - hands-on experience between the sidelines, in addition to alongside them. McDavitt was a standout player at Boston University, captaining the undefeated 1999 America East champion squad, and as a member of the U.S. National Indoor team, she continues to bring her skill and up-to-date knowledge of the game to Bello Field.
"She keeps learning new stuff, and as she learns something, she'll teach us," Katz said. "We're learning from her as she's learning, so she's got a really good perspective. It's neat."
McDavitt became the youngest coach in program history when she was hired in 2005, after having been turned down for the head coaching position at Div. I Lehigh the year before because of her young age.
But according to Athletic Director Bill Gehling, age is less important than whether or not a coach will fit into the Tufts athletic model.
"When I look for coaches, I look for several things: passion for the sport and for coaching, a philosophical match with Div. III athletics at Tufts, and an understanding of the importance of team-building," Gehling said. "I also look for people who care about the student-athlete experience, not just winning. We have had a lot of good fortune hiring young coaches with this approach."
Bayard, 31, the first-year head coach of the women's tennis team, echoed the idea that it is not youth that matters, but developing and implementing a solid coaching strategy.
"I had a vision of how I wanted to run the team, and I did it," Bayard said. "My first priority this year was to create an atmosphere that truly felt like a team, where the members show up eager to play everyday."
Despite her youth, Bayard has significant coaching experience. She started her coaching career at Yale, then moved to a head coaching spot first at Wellesley and later at Dartmouth, before finally arriving at Tufts this season, where she helped lead the women's tennis team to its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Despite their youthful appearance - it's often easy to mistake these coaches for their players - the young coaches of Tufts command just as much respect from their teams as veterans, and their accomplishments on the field show the successful relationship they have built in their short time here.
"I believe that mutual respect between coaches and athletes, good communication, and a level of accountability are characteristics that help build strong relationships between an athlete and coach, no matter the coach's age," Hoyt said.
Gehling stresses the importance of communication and support for all coaches at Tufts, but especially those new to Tufts.
"We encourage all of our coaches to look to each other for ideas and help whenever possible," Gehling said. "We are fortunate to have a strong and talented group of coaches who are very generous with their time. New coaches are encouraged to take advantage of that and are often assigned a specific staff member to help them manage the initial adjustment period."
The wealth of knowledge among Tufts' athletic veterans, along with the shared experiences of their fellow newcomers, has been a valuable resource for these young coaches.
"The staff in the athletic department has been very welcoming and helpful," McDavitt said. "I like that I can go to anyone for advice, and there are coaches that have been there for years and really know Tufts inside and out. There are also a lot of younger coaches that have been in a similar situation that I have been and have dealt with similar issues."
