With the winter season coming to an end, many Jumbos have begun garnering accolades for their performances in the 2006-07 campaign. All-Conference selections in swimming and diving and in basketball were announced this week.
Perhaps the most noteworthy recipient of an All-NESCAC honor is women's basketball coach Carla Berube, who was awarded Coach of the Year for the first time during her five-year tenure with Tufts. A member of the 1995 UConn squad that went undefeated en route to the National Championship, Berube led the Jumbos to a program best 8-1 conference mark and their first-ever trip to the NESCAC title game.
The sole member of Berube's squad to earn an All-NESCAC selection was senior guard Valerie Krah, who enjoyed a breakout year leading the team in scoring after a career hampered by injuries.
On the men's side, junior forward Jake Weitzen was named All-Conference for the first time in his career yesterday, earning a spot on the Second Team. Also honored was sophomore transfer Jon Pierce, who earned Rookie of the Year after leading the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game.
On Tuesday, the NESCAC announced that nine Jumbos qualified for the men's swimming and diving All-Conference team, awarded to the top three finishers in each event at the NESCAC Championships. Earning the honor were seniors Greg Bettencourt, Justin Fanning and Mike Kinsella; sophomores Ben Mitchell, Matt Murphy and Andrew Shields; and freshmen Lawrence Chan, Gene Kurtysh and Rob Matera.
The success of Tufts' individual swimmers keyed a 1,306 point effort that helped the team earn a third place showing, just two points shy of second place Amherst, during Sunday's NESCAC Championships.
Three members of the women's swimming and diving team also received the All-Conference nod. Junior diver Kendall Swett, senior tri-captain Chloe Young-Hyman and freshman diver Lindsay Gardel were all honored for top three finishes at the Feb. 16-18 NESCAC Championships. In addition, diving coach Brad Snodgrass was named the conference's Diving Coach of the Year. The women's swimming and diving team posted a fifth place showing at the conference championships.
-Sapna Bansil and Rachel Dolin
