When people think of Tufts University, they think of strong academics, Jumbo the elephant and a tight-knit community marked by quirky personalities. Unbeknownst to most, however, Tufts has quietly developed into an athletic powerhouse at the Division III level, despite the general lack of interest among the student body and attention from the university tour guides.
In a city with four massively popular professional sports teams — Atlantic Coast Conference football at Boston College, Northeastern and Boston University hockey and Harvard’s Ivy League matchups — it is easy to see how a small Division III school wouldn’t be portrayed as a ‘sports school.’ Let’s get it straight: I don’t intend to convince you that Tufts is, by any means, a ‘sports school’ in the way that LSU, Alabama, Michigan or USC are. Their football stadiums seat tens of thousands of people, while our football players sit on folding chairs after coming off the field. They also have tons of nationally-televised games, have fanbases across the globe tuning in and are allowed to pay their players. If anything, they operate more like professional franchises than collegiate teams. However, Tufts has quietly established itself as one of the top programs in Division III athletics, deserving recognition as an elite and well-rounded sports institution.
There is a little-known competition, both within and outside the collegiate athletics realm, called the Learfield Directors’ Cup. Schools get points based on their teams’ placements at NCAA tournaments, with a national championship adding 100 points. At the Division III level, the top 18 sports are counted for the cup, four of which must be men’s basketball, men’s soccer, women’s basketball and women’s soccer. The next-highest 14 sports, regardless of gender, are then used in the standings. In 2021–22, Tufts earned its first-ever Learfield Directors’ Cup and has since placed second, fourth and third. As for this year, Tufts sits very comfortably in first place after putting up the third-highest scoring fall season ever with 485 points.
Let’s start with the team that has solidified this fall season lead in the standings. Tufts soccer isn’t just good — it’s elite. This year, we didn’t have just one incredible program, but two, as both the men’s and women’s soccer teams brought home NESCAC titles, with the men also winning the national championship.. The women’s team came into the season ranked No. 18 in the country by the United Soccer Coaches poll and rose as high as No. 3 late in the season. After winning the NESCAC championship, they entered the NCAA tournament behind 2025 NESCAC Player of the Year Elsi Aires and Defensive Player of the Year Lena Sugrue, both seniors. Ultimately, the Jumbos lost in the Final Four, capping off a season with a record of 18 wins, three ties, and just two losses.
The men, on the other hand, found their way to the finals of the NCAA tournament in Salem, Va. to face off against Trinity University. Down 1–0 with under 10 seconds left in the game, senior Mateo Bargana scored an absolute screamer to tie the final and set up overtime. If that shot had sailed a little high, the game would have ended, leaving the Jumbos trophyless. However, when overtime started, Tufts’ success felt like fate. Five minutes into overtime, junior Xavier Canfin scored the walk-off goal that brought the national championship back to Medford for the fifth time since 2014. The Jumbos finished the year with 20 wins, just one loss and three ties, a dominant season for a program that has solidified itself at the top of Division III and is likely to compete for years to come under head coach Kyle Dezotell.
Tufts was the only college, at all levels, to boast two national championships in the fall season, with women’s field hockey also taking home the trophy. Thanks to senior Hannah Biccard, who scored the game-winner after the NCAA finals against Johns Hopkins went to overtime, the Jumbos secured the title. She was later named the 2025 National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Player of the Year at the Division III level. Women’s volleyball brought home the NESCAC title and the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year award while managing to put together a run to the regional finals at the NCAA tournament. This largely came out of nowhere, which adds to the impressiveness of their accomplishments. In the preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, the Jumbos were nowhere near the top 25 and weren’t on any of the voters’ ballots. The cross-country teams rounded out the fall success. The men’s squad secured seventh place at the NCAA championships, their first NESCAC title since 2012, while the women’s team placed 11th overall.
Entering the winter season, Tufts slowed down their pace slightly. Women’s swimming followed suit behind Madeleine Dunn, the 2026 NESCAC Swimmer of the Year. She propelled the Jumbos to the runner-up spot in the NESCAC championships and 12th place overall at nationals. Men’s swimming and diving was equally competitive in the NESCAC as they also brought home second place but finished 25th at nationals.
While track and field is midway through its season, the men have already shown potential to bring home the eventual NESCAC title after falling narrowly to Amherst in the New England Division III Indoor Championships. The women, however, will be the team to beat in May, as they placed first at the same tournament. At the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, sophomore Elysse Cumberland won her second straight indoor triple jump national title, helping lead the women’s track and field team to a tie for ninth place.
The final winter team that will be bringing in points for the Learfield Directors’ Cup is men’s basketball. Carried by senior and NESCAC Player of the Year Scott Gyimesi, the Jumbos recently lost in the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament, just their second trip all time and the first of many to come under coach Brandon Linton.
Now, if this year has shown anything, it is that Tufts competes at a high level across a wide variety of sports. What is even more surprising is that the spring season could be even more dominant than the seasons before it. Both women’s rowing and men’s lacrosse currently hold back-to-back NCAA titles, and all evidence suggests they are both favorites to complete the three-peat. Men’s lacrosse is currently on a 35-game winning streak after seven wins to start this season, a mark that dates back to the 2024 NCAA tournament. This means that in the 2025 season, they went a perfect 23–0. As for women’s rowing, they took home first place at the Head of the Charles Regatta earlier this year, their third straight title at the prestigious event, a sign that definitely points toward them defending their national title again.
The other spring sports teams also have high expectations set for them. Women’s lacrosse currently sits at No. 3 in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Coaches Poll after defeating former No. 3 Colby and No. 6 Gettysburg. They are coming off a season in which they won the NESCAC title and made a run to the NCAA finals, where they narrowly lost 10–9 to Middlebury. The stakes are just as high for men’s tennis. Although they lost 2025 NESCAC Player of the Year Vuk Vuksanovic, the team still sits at No. 2 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll and recently defeated No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 4–3. After last season’s heartbreaking loss in the NCAA semifinals, they will look to finally bring a national title home to Medford.
As for the rest of the spring sports, softball is looking to repeat as NESCAC champions and make a deeper run in the NCAA tournament. Baseball is already off to an 11–2 start, an impressive turnaround after finishing last season at 16–21. Women’s tennis sits at No. 16 in the ITA rankings and should be poised for a strong run in the NCAA tournament.
All of this goes to show that Tufts operates like an elite sports school, with tons of teams making deep NCAA runs, winning NESCAC championships and garnering all different types of awards. While this year has already started off so dominant for the ‘Bos, this coming spring has the potential to be nothing short of historic and should bring home another Learfield Directors’ Cup. With momentum carrying across multiple teams, this season could solidify that reputation and add another chapter to an already impressive run of success. While it is highly unlikely that Tufts will ever shift to Division I, their recent success should set the stage for sustained dominance in Division III for years to come.
