Tufts Athletics announced on Feb. 21 that seven new athletes as well as one team will form the fifth class of the Hall of Fame. They will be inducted on June 7 in a ceremony at Gillette Stadium.
It’s no surprise that head coach Tina Mattera chose “tenacious” as the word to describe senior co-captain Andrea DelGiudice. If you’ve ever attended a Tufts field hockey game, you’ve probably witnessed this tenacity on show through the finesse and speed of DelGiudice.
Graduating senior midfielder Thalia Greenberg could not be more proud of her time with the Tufts women’s soccer program. A natural leader on and off the field, Greenberg’s lasting impact on the program will be felt for years to come.
Tufts women’s lacrosse has been a strong program in Division III for years. Senior midfielder Emma Joyce has contributed to the team’s impressive record in her four years at Tufts. In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Tufts won the NESCAC championship and was runner-up in the NCAA championship. Additionally, in the 2023 season, Tufts was runner-up in the NESCAC and made it to the NCAA quarterfinals. Joyce explained that being part of a team that’s been so successful has made for an exciting four years.
Genuine kindness and care. A supportive and available presence. Character and natural leadership. These attributes are just a few ways that senior Tim Chou has been described by his teammates and coaches. As a member of the men’s swimming and diving team, Chou has become not only an exceptional student-athlete but has also served as a leader for civic engagement within the team and in the greater Tufts community.
With it being late April, it’s time for schools to start rebuilding their rosters and preparing for the next season. Teams like the University of Louisville and the University of Southern California already have full rotations of transfers coming in. The portal is still very active, but as teams stand right now, these are my current 2024 preseason rankings.
The baseball team took all three games against Trinity at home this past weekend to clinch NESCAC playoff tournament standings. Coming off a five game losing streak, the series was pivotal both to clinch and, more importantly, to build momentum as they wrapped up the regular season. Junior pitcher Jacob Lapp described the mentality heading into the weekend and significance of the series.
For my last column, I’m going to make the obligatory predictions for the U.S. women’s gymnastics Olympic team later this summer. This year, there will be five spots on the team and no individuals for the U.S. The highest-scoring all-around athlete from the combined two days of the Olympic trials automatically qualifies for the Olympic team. The remaining four athletes are chosen by the Athlete Selection Committee.
On Saturday, the Tufts women’s lacrosse team traveled to Amherst, Mass. to engage in a high-stakes battle with the Amherst College Mammoths. This clash between two collegiate lacrosse powerhouses was not just a game but a testament to the Jumbos’ prowess, as they entered the field ranked No. 3 in the country, facing a formidable Amherst side ranked No. 14. Sophomore attacker Allie Zorn discussed how the team’s approach differs against highly-ranked teams.
Now that we are a couple weeks out from the national championship game, the offseason is in full swing and the coaching carousel has almost completed its course. We already had what is most likely the biggest storyline of the summer with the University of Kentucky and John Calipari mutually parting ways, and the program hiring former Brigham Young University head coach Mark Pope to fill the role. We had other big high-major coaching changes like Pat Kelsey to the University of Louisville and Dusty May to the University of Michigan. Here are my favorite moves from the carousel as of now.
Tufts softball traveled to Middletown, Conn. on Saturday to take on Wesleyan University in a NESCAC doubleheader. Riding shutdown pitching and hot bats, the Jumbos took both games in commanding fashion and improved to 26–5 on the season with a 12–2 record in NESCAC play. The latter is good for a four-game lead in the conference.
I’m aware that I’ve made fun of the White Sox before. But as a Cubs fan, I just can’t help myself. It’s hard to believe that just three seasons ago, this team was one of the best in baseball, winning the American League Central with 93 wins. But an abysmal start to the 2024 campaign is a reminder of how quickly the White Sox’ fortunes have changed.
It is the most exciting time of year for hockey fans: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The two-monthlong playoffs kicked off Saturday night with game one of the Carolina Hurricanes vs. the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs series, which was just the beginning of the thrill of playoff hockey which we will see in the weeks and months to come.
Winning is hard. Winning consistently is even harder. And yet, for the graduating seniors and fifth-years of the Jumbos softball team, winning has come naturally. Across their entire collegiate careers, the graduating class has compiled a record of 121–30, with a 45–5 NESCAC mark. So, on senior weekend, the best way to honor the program’s veterans was by winning, and that is exactly what occurred.
It was a big weekend for NESCAC women’s lacrosse with a game between the top two teams in the conference. The Tufts women’s lacrosse team, then ranked No. 4, played No. 1 Middlebury at home on Saturday. Though the Jumbos lost 14–13, the tight game showed just how competitive they will be for NESCAC and NCAA championships. Beyond the chance to compete against the best-ranked team in the division, this was an especially exciting game for the Jumbos because it was Senior Day.
Two of baseball’s best pitchers — the Braves’ Spencer Strider and the Guardians’ Shane Bieber —will miss the rest of 2024 with season-ending injuries to their ulnar collateral ligaments. It’s a reminder that pitching injuries are on the rise across baseball, and not just for the pros.
Tufts baseball took on a triple header at home against the Bates College Bobcats this past weekend, playing two games at midday on April 6 and one at midday on April 7.
U.S. National Team member Reese Esponda just left her gym in Montana and moved to World Champions Centre in Spring, Texas. With her move, that makes 13 women on the national team who train in Texas, out of a total of 27 team members. Three of those team members are in college, and that doesn’t count gymnasts like Addison Fatta, who is trained by her parents in her hometown.
Tufts softball’s weekend road trip started off at the Amherst Softball Field on April 6. Despite the days of rain leading up to the game, the weather stayed relatively calm on Saturday, with a chilly overcast replacing the consistent downpour. The Jumbos entered the doubleheader leading the NESCAC with an overall record of 14–4, facing a sixth-place, 4–9 overall Amherst Mammoths team. Already this deep into the season, the Jumbos knew all there was to know about the Mammoths and were prepared to handle the game like the better team.
As starting shortstop for the last three years, senior Ozzie Fleischer has consistently been both a dynamic and an impactful player on the Jumbos baseball squad. Fleischer hails from Texas and attended Fort Worth Country Day High School. At Tufts, he is majoring in political science and will be attending the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy next year. Baseball fans might get the chance to see him on the field as shortstop for another season thanks to his extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19.
