MAUREEN O'NEILL, SWIMMING
Freshman Maureen O'Neill has made a mammoth impact in the water for the women's swim team so far this season. On Saturday, she swam to victorious times of 30.35 and 55.91 in the 50-yard backstroke and 100 freestyle respectively during the Jumbos' win over Brandeis. Last Saturday she won the 50 freestyle event at the MIT Invitational, as Tufts came in second out of six teams.
During the Jumbos' 3-0 start in dual meets, O'Neill has amassed a total of seven event wins. She has contributed to wins in five different events, including the 400 medley, the 200 medley, the 100 freestyle, the 50 freestyle and the 50 backstroke.
Even more impressive than the first-year's first place finishes is the record which she set on Nov. 28 against Wellesley. While on the way to winning two events that night, she clocked in a time of 24.53 seconds in the 50 freestyle to break the Tufts record.
With the addition of 12 freshmen to the team, Tufts has finished the first semester unbeaten in dual meets. Much of the credit for the team's hot start goes to the roster's young talent.
JON PIERCE, BASKETBALL
This one gives new meaning to the term "no-brainer."
As the men's basketball team opened its December with four wins in eight days, no Jumbo was more vital than junior forward Jon Pierce. Pierce was the team's leading scorer in all four wins - in fact, his 104 points on the week are more than any Tufts player has scored all season.
The Jumbos brought a balanced attack to their Dec. 1 win over MIT, with all five starters scoring in double figures, but it was Pierce who led the way with 18. The Jumbos' upset of Little East powerhouse Keene State Tuesday included another huge performance from the Belmont native, who recorded 25 points and season highs of 11 rebounds and six blocks.
But it was Thursday night against Babson when Pierce really let loose. His 36 points against the Beavers at Cousens Gym were the most in any single game by a Jumbo in over a decade. He was 6-for-10 from beyond the arc and 8-for-8 inside it, leading the Jumbos to an 88-71 victory, their third in a row. He then scored 25 more in the Jumbos' fourth straight win, a 98-88 decision over Clark, raising his scoring average to a NESCAC-leading 23.6 points a game. No one else in the conference is even close.
Pierce was the NESCAC's Rookie of the Year as a sophomore last year, playing his first season of college basketball after transferring to Tufts from Drew.
