Tufts Water Polo club finished on top of the North Atlantic division, improving on their third place division finish last year, and will finish their season in the upcoming National Championships this weekend.
The Jumbos starting lineup consists of seniors Inbar Fried, Christopher Langbort, Steve Lessard and Austin Wood, junior Justin Choi and sophomores Calvin Liang and Harry Wood in a team that relies heavily on the experience that each player brings.
Most of the seniors have at least eight years of experience playing water polo, freshmen around four years or more, since most started in high school or before that, Austin Wood said.
The team started their season after the weekend of Sept. 21, playing a series of eight matches over two weekends. They clinched the No.1 spot at the North Atlantic Championships, ahead of last years division leader Amherst, who finished the tournament at No. 2.
Tufts began the season with three consecutive wins against Amherst, 7-3, Williams College, 17-13, and University of Massachusetts, Amherst, (UMass-Amherst), 12-11, before conceding one of two losses this season to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 11-13.
In what Austin Wood claimed to be the turning point in the season, the Jumbos suffered a tough loss to UMass-Amherst, 6-7, over the weekend of Oct. 7.
We hadnt lost to [UMass-Amherst] in four years, but we came into the game really unprepared and unfocused, Austin Wood said. We had a big talk after that, and the team was pumped up, so after that game we kind of brought it all together.
The team followed up the initial loss by accumulating wins over Williams College, 11-8, Amherst College, 7-4, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 10-7.
Tufts continued its dominant form by racking up three more wins in the North Atlantic Division Championship, with wins over the U.S Coast Guard Academy, 9-7, and Bowdoin College, 14-8, before edging out division rivals Amherst, 16-13, to clinch the top spot.
One of the keys to the Jumbos success has been capitalizing on the talent of the team.
We won Nationals [in 2009], so weve always known that we had the capability of winning, but we dont practice like it or play very well during the tournament, Austin Wood said. Weve been swimming a lot more this year than past years and putting a really big emphasis on conditioning, so very rarely have we gotten countered this year.
Tri-captains Austin Wood, Field and Langbort double as both players and coaches, adding a unique dimension to the sport: The absence of a coach radically alters team dynamics.
Were coaches, but were also the teammates; its a very fun environment because we swim with [our teammates], eat with them, hang out with them on weekends and theres no one figure that everyone has to listen to ... but this year we really feel like all the underclassmen trust the captains, Austin Wood said.
Indeed, the element of trust has been crucial to the teams success thus far.
I trust everyone whos in the pool and everyone whos waiting to get in the pool to give them the ball, and everyones going to do the right thing and help each other out, Field said.
This mentality has resonated strongly within a team that does not focus on any particular player, instead choosing to incorporate each member into their collective chemistry and dynamics.
We really rely on a lot of our subs and a lot of our younger players, Field said.
We have multiple guys scoring three to four goals a game, so its a cool dynamic because theres not really pressure on any one person; if you contribute, you expect all your teammates to contribute, Austin Wood added.
The team looks to carry this motivation and energy with them as they approach the end of the season.
[Our divisional win] truly was a team effort, Field said. Even the people who didnt get a minute in the water were screaming their heads off ... and thats really representative of how the team has been.
The Jumbos will close their fall season at the National Championship at Franklin and Marshall College this weekend.
