So far this season the men's swimming and diving team has posted only one regular season loss, demolished the school's previous 1,000 freestyle record, and has placed three swimmers in the NESCAC's top spots for the 50 breaststroke and the 50, 500 and 1,000 freestyle. For many teams, those accomplishments would mark a successful season, but according to the Jumbos, there's more work to be done at the NESCAC championships this weekend.
"I don't place any importance at all in NESCAC rankings," senior Mike Kinsella said. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is who swims fast [this weekend]."
The NESCAC Championships is an all-or-nothing competition in which the final results rest solely on each team's performances in the three-day event. After finishing second in the Championships last year, Tufts will take 24 swimmers to Bowdoin this weekend and will face NESCAC rival and 2006 conference champion Williams.
"When it comes down to the championship meet, everyone is rested, the top competition is there, and the top times list can do some serious shuffling around," senior co-captain Greg Bettencourt said.
Having waited all season for this weekend, the only jitters the squad may be facing are due to excitement, as everyone on the team is physically prepared for the challenges ahead.
"It's not necessarily a question of 'are people gunning for me' but rather 'how well prepared am I,' " Bettencourt said. "And at this time of year after all the work we have done I can't help but say that I am damn well prepared. There is a nervous feeling of excitement and energy that I have come to know is the feeling of being ready to put up numbers that are far and away the best of the season."
And as this is the culmination of the 2006-07 campaign, the team only has high hopes heading into the weekend.
"I knew this team would be defined by how well they were able to handle adversity and how they would respond to a challenge," coach Adam Hoyt said. "Thus far, they have done it all and gone above and beyond my expectations. All of the performances were fueled by a team effort, and I am excited to see much of the same effort at Bowdoin this weekend."
On top of the usual shot of adrenaline that comes with any championship event, the Jumbos have another reason to be excited - redemption. At 10-1 this season, Tufts owes its only blemish on the schedule to the Williams Ephs, who smacked the squad with its only loss of the year on Jan. 14 in a convincing 163-125 victory. This year, Hoyt's crew hopes it can come out on top and dethrone the reigning NESCAC champs.
"I'll be looking forward to swimming Williams the most," Kinsella said. "I can't wait to stick it to them and put them in their place."
Although Williams will be the team to gun for this weekend as it continues to ride on the shoulders of top senior freestyle swimmers Nick Gallucci and Steve Spinelli, the Middlebury Panthers have retained an impressive squad and will be looking to grab a few top spots from the Jumbos. Though the two teams never faced off during the regular season, Tufts got a glimpse of Middlebury during the MIT Invitational held Feb. 2-3, where both teams clinched top spots in nine events. All bets are off during the Championship weekend, however, as each of the 11 NESCAC teams will come out hungry for a top finish.
"The atmosphere of the NESCAC meet is incredible," Kinsella said. "You have some amazing teams all there swimming very fast, and the energy is nearly unparalleled."
"The noise during the final heats [of the NESCAC Championships] echoing off the hard concrete walls of the natatorium is deafening," Bettencourt added. "It's enough to put a shot of adrenaline into the most reserved athletes. The pride and intensity of the meet is something hard to explain. It's unbelievable."
The Jumbos will be looking to seniors Kinsella and Bettencourt to guide the team towards a top finish this weekend. While Kinsella has earned the NESCAC's top time in the 50 freestyle, and Bettencourt has already shattered a school record in the 1,000 free this season, this weekend marks a culmination of their four years as Jumbo athletes, and both seniors have every intention of leaving a mark at this weekend's championship meet.
"When we arrive at Bowdoin on Friday it will not be the story of 24 guys swimming fast and congratulating each other," Bettencourt said. "But rather a three-day success story of a team that has worked its ass off for six months."
"I can see the excitement as the first guy hits the wall with a performance that vindicates all the 7 a.m. practices, double sessions, and break-less winter breaks while pumping a shot of adrenaline into the next guy who is about to step on the blocks," he continued. "Every year this meet is the exclamation point on our season. It carries us through the offseason and brings us coming back for more."
