While much of the student body will be vacationing, visiting friends or spending time with family over spring break, athletes at Tufts will be training with their teams in anticipation of the start of the spring season. Spring break is an important time for all of the Jumbos, as it provides an opportunity for players to practice and play games without the day-to-day rigors of classes and studying.
For some teams, next week will be the first chance to play outdoors.
With that in mind, here is the Dailys preview of what some Jumbos will be doing over spring break.
Womens Lacrosse
Following a 2012 season that saw the Jumbos lose in NESCAC quarterfinals, the womens lacrosse team has split its first two games of the 2013 campaign, falling to Hamilton on the road before defeating Conn. College at home Tuesday night. Despite losing its first game, the Jumbos have confidence in themselves going forward.
The first few weeks have been going very well, said senior co-captain attackman Kerry Eaton, who finished with second highest point total for the Jumbos last season. Everyone is working really hard, and we have been practicing with a lot of intensity. Our loss to Hamilton was disappointing, but we have come back from it and are looking better than before.
Coach Carol Rappolis squad is heading to Long Island for part of the break, where they will take on Farmingdale State on March 19 before coming home to play NESCAC rival Colby at home on March 23. The time in Long Island will be crucial for the Jumbos in helping them gain momentum as they enter NESCAC play.
Womens Track and Field
The womens track and field team will take a different course for spring break than most other squads on campus, as the team just officially finished their winter season a couple of weeks ago. While the team has no formal plans for spring break, each athlete will receive personalized workouts and is expected to complete them on their own. Although there isnt any official downtime in between seasons, the coaches stress that the recess should be used to make sure each athlete stays in shape even during the time off.
We have been working a lot on strength and conditioning, senior co-captain Sarah Schiferl said. The downtime between seasons is not much for most of us, but we like to treat it like a miniature preseason and put in the work that will help carry us through the next few months. Some of the races and the field events that we do outdoors are different, so we are focusing on maintaining what was good from indoor while getting re-acquainted with the events that we have not done since last spring.
It is important for the Jumbos to start the season on the right foot, as they have only six weeks between now and NESCAC Championships on April 27.
Until then, team members will focus on making the necessary personal adjustments to put themselves in a position to succeed as their meets get under way.
Softball
The Tufts softball team has big expectations entering this season after finishing 2012 as the fifth-best team in the nation. Returning for the Jumbos is All-American first teamer Allyson Fournier, who was arguably the best pitcher in the country last season.
She led the NCAA in ERA and strikeouts per seven innings. Also back is junior tri-captain catcher Jo Clair, who led the NESCAC with 14 home runs, 57 RBIs and 27 walks, earning her a spot on the All-NESCAC first team.
The Jumbos will travel to Clermont, Fla. over break where they will play 14 games in eight days.
Womens Tennis
While the fall season consisted mostly of individual tournaments, the spring will feature mostly team action for the Tufts womens tennis team.
Coach Kate Bayards squads spring season begins on March 19 where the group will travel to Emory University in Atlanta to take part in the Fab 5 Tournament.
Other participants include Emory, Washington and Lee, Sewanee and Washington (Mo.). Losing only one senior to graduation, the Jumbos are likely to improve from their 9-11 record last season and are looking to compete amongst the top teams in the conference to earn a high seed in the NCAA tournament.
