At the end of most college crew competitions, it is not uncommon to see the victors awarded the jerseys of their competitors. It is the type of tradition befitting a sport that dates back centuries.
But heading into its fall campaign, the men's crew team wasn't sure just how many jerseys it would be collecting this year.
"We only had 12 or 13 returning varsity rowers," senior co-captain Matt Diffey said. "Going in, I had no idea what to expect of the team. [Junior co-captain] Nahv [Etedali], coach and I made a decision that this wouldn't be a rebuilding year, but that since we had a smaller team it would be different. We decided to focus on competing in the fours."
The decision to put extra emphasis on the four-man races, as opposed to the more marquee eight-man races, proved to be a fruitful choice. The four-man crew - comprised of Diffey, Etedali, junior Robbie Bayless and sophomore Brendan Coggan - placed first out of a field of 12 at the Lake Quinsigamond Snake Regatta in Worcester, the team's first fall victory in years. That result was followed by a very respectable 15th-place finish out of 31 boats at the world-renowned Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge. Those successes sparked the Jumbos to put in extra work this winter, ahead of the start of their spring opener on April 5.
"This was our most successful winter training session since I've been here," Diffey said. "Everyone saw tons of improvement in their conditioning and their scores on the rowing machines.
"Our results in the fall taught me that when we row well, we can hang with any boat in New England," he continued. "With that said, there's still room for improvement, as the Head of the Charles proved. Even though we were happy with how we did, there were still 14 boats ahead of us."
The Jumbos' ultimate goal is to put their training to use at the New England Championships in May, where they hope to finish in the top three. At the Championships, they expect their main competitors to be Trinity, Wesleyan and Williams.
"The main thing for us is to have a good performance in the fours at the New England Championships," Etedali said. "Ideally we'd like to win; that's where our focus is. But ultimately we'd be satisfied with a medal."
The season opens with three home races, which Etedali believes will allow the team to iron out any kinks early on. But he also believes that the strength of the Tufts fours team is its experience.
"We have a bunch of guys who have been together a few years," Etedali said. "The key in crew is to adjust to how everyone else rows so that you balance out the boat. So experience rowing together is a big plus. It's also fun to row in our own river and to compete in a round robin format."
In its first race, Tufts will face Boston College, Tulane and the Harvard freshman squad. Tufts considers both BC and Tulane among its key rivals, and the young Harvard team should provide a stiff challenge.
"We'd obviously like to beat them all," Diffey said. "We've never raced Harvard before, but we've always had good races against BC and Tulane. I know Tulane's coach well because he was Robbie and my coach over the summer while we were training for our races in England. And BC we beat early in the fall, but then they beat us later on in the season."
"We've never rowed the Harvard freshmen before," Etedali added. "But they have one of the most prestigious rowing programs in the country so they'll be tough."
At the end of the race, however, the Jumbos hope they are the ones adding some new shirts to their wardrobes.
"I'd like to take home a couple crimson shirts," Etedali said.
