If there's anything that the men's swimming and diving team proved this season, it was that it could raise the bar to a new level and have fun doing it.
Just look at the numbers: an astounding 16 records were broken, 15 events made National B cuts, the six swimmers who attended NCAA Div. III Championships were named All-American and nine Jumbos were awarded all-NESCAC honors. Throughout these successes, the team never forgot to enjoy itself.
"This season was incredible," senior quad-captain Ben Moskowitz said. "Coming into the beginning of the year, we all knew that the team was made up of a great group of guys with a tremendous amount of talent, and everyone really gave their all."
Tufts dominated in all but one conference meet, falling only to Williams, which went on to win the NESCAC title for the seventh year in a row. Though Tufts lost to Williams by a mere 23 points, the closest any other conference foe came to overtaking Tufts was Conn. College, which Tufts defeated by a 100-point margin in the first meet of the season.
At the NESCAC Championships, in which Tufts broke 15 team records and qualified six swimmers for NCAA Championships, the Jumbos came in second behind Williams, 1,538-1,775.5. Among the standouts was senior quad-captain James Longhurst, who broke a school, NESCAC, NESCAC Championship and pool record by swimming the 50-yard breaststroke in 25.82 seconds. Additionally, the 200-yard medley relay team of freshman E.J. Testa, Longhurst, senior quad-captain Andrew Shields and freshman Owen Rood shattered the NESCAC record for the event, qualifying for NCAAs with a time of 1:31:04. Other Jumbos qualified for NCAA B cuts in 15 total events.
"One of our goals this season was to make sure that everyone in the NESCAC knew that we meant business when we came to swim, and we definitely accomplished that goal," Moskowitz said. "Seeing our hard work pay off at NESCACs was validation for all of the hard work we did throughout the year."
The team's divers also played an increasingly important role this season. Junior Rob Matera, sophomore Trevor Stack and freshman Alex Freedman performed consistently well even against tough opponents, such as BU and MIT. Over a weekend in which Tufts had back-to-back meets against these Div. I teams, Matera took first place in the 1- and 3-meter dives against MIT and the 3-meter dive against BU, qualifying for Nationals. At NESCAC Championships, Matera and Stack took second and fifth in the 1-meter dive and second and seventh in the 3-meter dive, respectively.
"Both Trevor and Rob dove very well," Longhurst said. "They were both up against really hard competition, and they were able to perform up there with the best."
"The divers really held up their end of the team," sophomore Gordy Jenkins added.
But despite his diving success, Stack still acknowledges the fact that it was a total team effort that led the Jumbos to their historic season.
"Our team is built on overall team strength more than anything else, and while we have people who consistently win events, it's our depth that really lets us do well at NESCACs and against Div. I schools," Stack said. "[Coach Adam Hoyt] also does a good job of getting lots of talent to swim here, and the success of the swim team over the past few years reflects that."
Both the senior veterans and the freshmen were key to the team's successes this season. Shields, who qualified for NCAAs in 2006 as a freshman, currently holds the school record in the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay, which were set at NCAAs last weekend. Shields had broken the record for the 100-yard freestyle at NESCACs, but freshman Owen Rood re-broke the record at NCAAs by swimming the event in 45.53 seconds. After his rookie season, Rood already holds three team records and the NESCAC record for the 200-yard medley relay.
If all goes according to plan, the Jumbos will continue to bring in young talent to build a team that will compete for the NESCAC title next year and in years to come.
"As seniors, we have tried to set a good example for the future classes, and hopefully they both meet and exceed the expectations we have set for them," Moskowitz said. "The future of Tufts swimming is very bright. I can only imagine that the team will continue to swim fast and break the records we have set."
