When competing in the NESCAC, a conference that annually earns recognition as one of the best in the nation, a traditional middle-of-the-pack squad like Tufts' women's swimming and diving team might struggle to form its own distinct identity. But, behind a core of experienced leaders and promising first-years, the Jumbos are seeking to establish themselves as one of the most unified teams in the nation and to ride this cohesion to another solid finish.
Undoubtedly, the team will miss diving champion Kendall Swett (LA '08), who claimed the Div. III national championship last season in both the one- and three-meter dives, leading the team to a 21st-place showing at the NCAA Championships in Ohio. But with the graduation of Swett, junior Lindsay Gardel, who also competed at Nationals, looks to lead the Jumbos this season on the platform. Gardel fed off of Swett's success last year, earning her second All-American honor at Tufts on the diving board.
Meanwhile, sophomore swimmer Megan Kono joined Swett and Gardell at the NCAA Championships last season to round out the Tufts contingent, competing in three events and capturing a 19th-place finish in the 1,650-meter freestyle. Kono, along with fellow sophomore and freestyler Maureen O'Neill combined to break three Jumbo records in the water.
Kono, O'Neill and Swett were the only three All-Conference honorees for Tufts, a number that the team expects to surpass this season. Although roughly half of the squad is comprised of freshmen, the remainder of the roster is filled out by established upperclassmen, including veterans of NCAAs, Gardel and Kono.
"We have a lot of people coming back this year, and I think our team is looking really strong," senior tri-captain Liz Frenette said. "It's hard to say about the freshmen, because they have to prove themselves, but lots of them have definite potential."
In addition to Gardel and Kono, the Jumbos will look to senior tri-captains Kayla Burke (back/free) and Katie Swett (IM/breast) -- Kendall's cousin -- as well as junior Meredith Cronin (free/back) to lead the team in the point standings come conference meets.
In the NESCAC, there is a plethora of talent in the pool and on the diving board, as seven of the conference's 11 schools finished in the top 50 at the NCAA Championship meet last March. What the Jumbos hope will set them apart from the competition is a heightened sense of team unity.
"The upperclassmen this year are taking a great deal of pride in becoming a close team," coach Nancy Bigelow said. "The group really understands the importance of a good team dynamic. Some schools out there in the NESCAC are more talented in the pool, but they certainly don't have as much spirit as we do."
Even with as many as four different practices per day, the Jumbos still manage to hold numerous functions out of the pool, building team chemistry in preparation for the upcoming year. It is this cohesion that the team hopes will help it achieve its goal of finishing among the top four in the league.
"Swimming is such an individual sport, but we think that the team aspects really make everyone go fast," Frenette said. "When you step up on the blocks, it's just you, but at the same time you have your teammates out there, pushing you in practice, giving this sport a unique combo. When we're all invested in each other, when we know what we want to do, it makes it that much easier to go out and get that top time, to qualify for nationals, to get points in dual meets in the NESCAC."
Having taken fifth out of 11 teams at last year's conference championship meet, the Jumbos know they will have their work cut out for them this year. The current seniors have never overcome Middlebury, while Williams is 50-3 against Div. III opponents in dual meets since 1999 and has finished in the top four in the nation seven of the last eight years.
Tufts will dive right into conference play on Saturday with a triple meet against Middlebury and host Conn. College. Despite the strong history of the other NESCAC schools, the Jumbos are not intimidated.
"Obviously we want to try to win every dual meet, but it's not always feasible," Bigelow said. "But we can walk out of a dual meet knowing we put up a great performance by testing ourselves against the best."
"Going up against the Middleburys, the Amhersts, the Williams only makes us better," Katie Swett said. "They're all notorious powerhouses, so just to be able to swim against that talent helps us get better."
Even though Saturday will mark their first meet of the regular season, it could have implications down the road, so the Jumbos are certainly looking to come out of the gates fast. The team will take an almost two-month break from NESCAC competition after the meet against the Camels and Panthers beginning on Sunday, when it hosts Brandeis at Hamilton Pool.
The 2009 portion of the schedule brings stiffer competition from conference opponents -- something the Jumbos insist on being prepared for. Any success the team hopes to enjoy hinges at least partially on its ability to come together. With hoards of Jumbos on the side of the pool screaming at every meet in the pre-season, they seem more than up to the task.
"Last year, we sort of discovered that having the team behind you all the time was the x-factor for us," Katie Swett said. "You can work hard individually, but this sport is all mental, so that's why we push each other every day in practices and at meets."
