The men's swimming and diving team will end a three-week layoff this afternoon when it travels to Middlebury College to participate in the NESCAC Championships.
Tufts has not seen competition since Feb. 9, when it took on stiff competition at the Middlebury Invitational, and NESCACs will bring the Jumbos back to the same pool. With the long break, the Jumbos have had a chance to undergo final preparations for this weekend.
"We trust our coach and know the training will help us after our last meet," junior Ben Mitchell said. "How our training works is: We train less after the last meet and taper off so we have more energy. So as a whole, I'd say our team mentality is prepared and rested."
Last year, Tufts finished the meet in third place, just two points behind second-place Amherst. Williams bested the field by over 700 points before going on to become the only team in the conference to finish in the top 10 at the Div. III NCAA Championships, coming up with a fourth-place finish.
The Ephs should once again best the Jumbos and the rest of the NESCAC's biggest competition over the weekend. Tufts knows firsthand just how good Williams is, as the Jumbos have seen the Ephs twice already this year. In fact, Williams was one of only two teams, along with MIT, that beat the Jumbos this year, and it was by a relatively wide 189-111 margin on Jan. 19.
Tufts has also faced Middlebury this season, and the Panthers should be one of the teams with which the Jumbos will be jockeying at the top of the standings, along with Amherst.
"I think we're one of the top teams," Mitchell said. "Williams has always been an exceptional team, and they have some fast guys. As far as a team at NESCACs, we are one of the contenders for top two. That said, Middlebury and Amherst have some amazing swimmers, but I don't think they have the depth that we have."
"Amherst was second last year, and they beat us by two points," coach Adam Hoyt said. "They are always competitive and Middlebury should be up there. I think we lie right up towards the top. I think Williams will be tough; they have a number of All-Americans returning from last year. But I think we are just as good as everyone else when we put up our best swims."
Tufts will need to rely on its depth and a slew of underclassmen contributors if it wants to have a strong showing in Middlebury. Hoyt's team has seen a number of first-year players emerge as key members of his team.
"We are taking nine freshmen to the meet, so those guys have an opportunity to step up and come up with some great swims," Hoyt said.
The 24 swimmers will be kept busy throughout the three-day meet, with some swimming as many as five individual races.
Freshman Chris Vorlicek has been one of the top distance swimmers for the Jumbos this season and should be up near the top of the pack in both the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle, as well as the 400 individual medley. Fellow freshman Joe Lessard and sophomore Kyle Jones will also be keys for Tufts in the longer races.
The Jumbos also have a pair of freshmen in Matthew Glenn and Michael Del Moro, who have emerged as the top backstrokers for the team. Where Tufts could truly shine is in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke events with sophomore Lawrence Chan and junior James Longhurst. The duo finished first and fourth respectively in the 50-yard breaststroke at last year's NESCACs, and a similar performance would give the Jumbos a big boost.
Sophomore Rob Matera could also gain important points for Tufts in both the 1- and 3-meter dives. He has lost only once this season, and won both events at the Middlebury Invitational.
Though the Jumbos' depth will be a huge edge in the individual races with so many competitors offering numerous chances for points, the team knows that its performance in the relays could make or break the meet.
"We are going to have to be strong in our relays for sure," Hoyt said. "Relays score the most points out of any event in the meet, and everyone has an equal number of relays. Whereas we could enter 10 guys in a race and score as many points because of that, everyone has an A and B relay. It is going to take four guys coming up with good starts and good swims, and that is going to be key this weekend."
With the team well rested and ready for the biggest test of the season, the Jumbos are primed to return to the pool.
"Its always a challenge when you have a long period of time in between competition," Hoyt said. "Our goal is always to be focused on each day as it comes, and then I work on getting us ready toward the end ... Pretty much everyone is healthy and seems relaxed and is focused on what we need to do to be successful."
