For some people, all that matters in sports is whether you win or lose. Tell that to the men's swimming and diving team.
Despite placing second at the NESCAC Championships over the weekend, the Jumbos finished their season in spectacular fashion, breaking 15 team records and qualifying four swimmers automatically for the NCAA Div. III Championships en route to their second straight runner-up finish. Additionally, the team made the national-qualifying B-cuts in 15 events.
Senior quad-captain James Longhurst led the way for the Jumbos, figuring in both of Tufts' conference titles over the weekend. On Friday, Longhurst broke the Tufts, NESCAC, conference championship meet and pool record with his time in the 50-yard breaststroke, winning the race in 25.82 seconds.
The following day, Longhurst teamed with senior quad-captain Andrew Shields and freshmen E.J. Testa and Owen Rood to take the title in the 200-yard medley relay, winning in 1:31.04 for an automatic qualifier for Nationals. The mark also set the new Tufts, NESCAC, and conference champion meet records. Through three days of NESCAC meet competition, Longhurst was the ninth-highest individual scorer, raking in 81 points.
"Finishing in the top 10 was a great way for me to end the season," Longhurst said.
Several other Jumbos also found success on Friday to kick off the historic three-day weekend and nail down the team lead heading into Saturday. Rood and Shields, along with sophomores David Meyer and Gordy Jenkins, swam the NCAA B cut in the 200-yard freestyle relay, breaking the school record, and Rood and Shields also hit B cuts in the 50-yard freestyle, with Rood again breaking the Tufts record. Sophomore Chris Vorlicek notched a B cut and Tufts record individually in the 200-yard individual medley, as did the 400-yard medley relay team of Testa, Longhurst, junior Patrick Kinsella, and Shields. Kinsella and Testa added school records in the 50-yard breaststroke and backstroke, while freshman Alex Strittmatter added yet another B cut qualifier in the 500-yard freestyle.
"We worked harder this year than any of the previous years so we knew everyone was going to swim well at the meet," Longhurst said. "Having more swimmers at the top definitely motivated everyone to swim faster. When all of your teammates are swimming fast it really raises the bar for everyone."
The Jumbos continued to find success over the following two days. Vorlicek, Shields and Longhurst each hit B cuts and set Tufts standards in the process, posting impressive finishes in the 400-yard individual medley, the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard breaststroke, respectively. Additionally, Kinsella turned in a B cut performance in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing just over a second behind Shields. Saturday's 100-yard backstroke was also loaded, with Testa and sophomores Matt Glenn and Michael Del Moro pinning down B cut times. Strittmatter came away with his second of the meet in the 200-yard freestyle.
The team finished off the meet with Tufts records and B cuts from the 400-yard freestyle relay squad of Jenkins, Rood, sophomore Andrew Altman and Shields, Vorlicek in the 200-yard breaststroke and Shields in the 100-yard freestyle. Altman added one final B cut in the 200 backstroke to round out Tufts' list of qualifiers.
The divers also padded the Jumbo point total over the weekend, as junior Rob Matera and sophomore Trevor Stack placed second and fifth in the 1-meter dive and second and seventh in the 3-meter dive.
With so many Jumbos posting great times during the meet, the team showed its versatility as well as the capabilities of its deep roster. While its upperclassmen were instrumental in the victory, the team's younger members also played a vital role.
"The freshmen were an integral part of our success this year," senior quad-captain Ben Moskowitz said. "This past weekend freshmen were part of breaking a lot of records and having a wonderful meet. It is always fun to see the way that the freshmen will respond to the pressures of the meet and the guys on our team were incredible. They are a very dedicated and talented class."
The Williams Ephs took first place for the seventh year in a row, beating Tufts 1,775.5 to 1,538. Though the victory strengthens Williams' grasp on the conference's top spot, it's clear that Tufts will continue to make them work for their glory in the future.
"We have been getting closer and closer to outscoring Williams every year, so I am excited to see what happens at next year's championships and throughout the season," Longhurst said.
"Next season I can only expect even more out of the swimmers on the team," Moskowitz added. "Though it will not be the same without this year's seniors, the team will be extremely strong. It is already exciting to think about the possibilities for the future of this team."
