After matching its best finish by placing sixth in the 2009-10 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup — which ranks schools based on performance in NCAA championship events — Tufts appeared to solidify its status as a Div. III athletic powerhouse.
But this past year brought less triumph, including several disappointing finishes at national events, and the Jumbos dropped to 25th out of 320 Div. III teams in the 2010-11 Cup standings, their lowest ranking since 2004-05.
Spring teams carried much of the weight for the Jumbos, racking up 312.42 out of Tufts' 467.42 Directors' Cup points. The men's lacrosse squad was one win away from repeating as national champions, but Salisbury, who Tufts beat in the 2010 final, was too much to handle this time around; the Jumbos took the second-place trophy and 90 Directors' Cup points out of the maximum 100.
Julia Browne (LA ‘11), the 2010 national Div. III singles champion, led the women's tennis team to its first-ever national quarterfinals appearance, adding 73 points to Tufts' total. Women's outdoor track and field, meanwhile, notched 60.75 points by placing 13th at the NCAA meet at Ohio Wesleyan.
Women's lacrosse reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament to earn 53 points, while the baseball team won the NESCAC Championship but lost in heartbreaking fashion at the NCAA New England Regional, contributing 25 points. Men's outdoor track and field added 10.67 points to the spring tally after tying for 57th at NCAAs.
In the fall, field hockey locked up 53 Directors' Cup points after reaching the second round of NCAAs, but couldn't get out of the Round of 16 after being upset by Middlebury. The volleyball team also had a strong regular season, earning a No. 4 seed at NCAAs, but earned just 25 points after losing in the first round.
The men's swimming and diving team and the women's indoor track and field squad were the lone winter point scorers. In March, the former placed 20th at the national championships at the University of Tennessee and earned 53.5 points, while the latter squad added 23.5 points with a tie for 48th at nationals.
Tufts was fifth-best among NESCAC schools, which occupied three of the nation's top four spots. Williams won for a 13th consecutive year and has won in every year but one since the rankings began in 1996. Middlebury and Amherst finished second and fourth, respectively, marking the fifth straight year both schools have cracked the top five.
