Tomorrow afternoon, there will be a few things on the line for the women's swim team. As they drop into Hamilton Pool shortly after noon against Wheaton, the Jumbos will look to even out their subpar record (currently 3-4), improve their position in the NESCAC standings and perhaps break personal bests.
But putting aside the statistics, records and standings, tomorrow's meet carries a much deeper significance for a handful of swimmers on the team. For the eight seniors on the squad, the meet marks the last time they will race competitively in their home pool.
"I don't think it's hit me yet," senior captain Megan Kono said. "To be honest, I don't think it's hit a lot of the seniors yet. Since training camp, the focus has been on gearing up for conference [meets] and putting ourselves in a competitive position down the stretch. We plan to take one more step in that direction on Saturday."
But winning tomorrow won't come easily. Tufts will be taking on a potent squad from Wheaton, which has posted an impressive 8-4 record in dual meets thus far. Considering Tufts' recent form, however, the meet is likely to be a back-and forth battle.
In its past three events, the team beat Wesleyan, took MIT's squad to the very last relay before falling just a bit short and lost to the Ephs — widely considered the best team in the conference.
The past two events have seen freshman Jenny Hu take a pair of third-place finishes in the 200-yard breaststroke, while freshman Sami Bloom posted a couple of third-place marks herself off the diving board. There is no doubt that the team will need similar contributions from across the roster if they hope to hold their own against the Lyons come tomorrow.
"We have really fast girls all around, and going into championship races, you really want to have a number of different girls who you can confidently rely on," senior Meghan Lueders said. "We definitely have that with this year's team."
Competing at home has also proven to be an advantage for the team, as Tufts has won its previous two home meets against Bates and Wellesley.
"We take a lot of pride in swimming at home," Kono said. "There's always that desire to defend what's yours and not allow opponents to come into your house and beat you. We know the turns really well, we've practiced time and time again off these blocks and I think other schools are intimidated when they walk into this building."
Hamilton Pool may prove just the ticket for taking the meet, Kono said.
"It's incredible," Kono added. "With such a compact facility, it feels like everyone's crowded in on you, and it's easy to feed off all the energy of your friends and family."
Win or lose, it will be a bittersweet moment after the final relay.
"It's sad to think how fast the past few years have gone by," Lueders said. "We definitely want to win in front of our fans, but if there was ever a meet to take a step back and enjoy what Tufts has given us over the past four years it would be this one."
