Sports

Sailing | Jumbos get back on track with strong showings

The co-ed and women's sailing teams competed in five different regattas this past weekend. Seven Tufts sailors participated at the main co-ed event, the 73rd Annual Professor Schell Trophy at MIT, while six others raced at the women's event, the Victorian Coffee Urn at Harvard. Nine sailors were at the secondary co-ed event, the Dave Perry Trophy at Yale, and 18 freshmen sailors stayed in Medford for the Nickerson Trophy, hosted by Tufts. Finally, the third co-ed event, the Providence College Invite #2, featured four Jumbo sailors.

SAAC hosts former Wizards interim head coach Ed Tapscott

The Tufts Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted a talk on Nov. 5 led by former Washington Wizards interim head coach and long-time NBA executive Ed Tapscott (LA '75). The talk, which was moderated by sophomore women's soccer player Allie Weiller, is one of the first steps that SAAC has taken in advancing its organizational goals.Originally, a few years ago, when [SAAC] was really starting to pick up, [the goal] was simply to bring fans to sporting events, which Tufts kind of had an issue doing," Weiller said. "I think now, with Fan The Fire, that is not an issue anymore, and it's more of a routine. I think the next biggest thing we're working on is bringing athletes and non-athletes together." According to Weiller, talks led by individuals like Tapscott will be vital because they appeal to a wide range of students and can serve to bridge the gap between athletes and non-athletes. "Since we are branching out past Fan the Fire this year, I thought the best way of doing that was bringing in someone that could talk to the Tufts community about how their experiences helped them get to such a vibrant and amazing career that they have today," Weiller said. For Weiller and SAAC, Tapscott was an obvious choice.  Life at TuftsTapscott, who graduated from Tufts with a degree in political science and a job coaching the Tufts freshman basketball team, believes his time at Tufts was extremely influential to his life - one of the reasons he agreed to speak at the university last week."I really believe that my athletic experience, as well as my academic experience [at Tufts], has really shaped who I became," Tapscott said. "I think that my experience here was certainly part of what helped launch me to things I ended up wanting to do and was able to do."One of the values Tapscott took out of his time at Tufts - and stressed during his talk - was leading a balanced lifestyle."I work in an athletic environment, and I see guys who have certainly emphasized their athletic development throughout their lives," he said. "As a result of that ... they have turned that into lucrative professional careers. However, the one thing they can't stop is aging, and at some point, the muscles that you use in your body will stiffen and slow, but the one muscle you can continue to develop is the brain. I left [Tufts] with a fairly good appreciation of how to use both."Tapscott, however, was not all brains and no brawn. During his Tufts athletic career, he was a captain of the basketball team for his junior and senior seasons and ended up eighth all time on the career assists list for the school. Tapscott used the unique atmosphere that Tufts provided to propel himself through life, and eventually, into a job in the NBA. From athlete to coach, and everything in betweenDespite his impressive post-graduate professional resume in athletics, Tapscott originally came to Tufts with the intention of becoming a lawyer. He went on to graduate from American University with a Juris Doctorate in 1980 and only began to get truly involved in athletics when he was promoted to head coach of American's men's basketball team in 1982. Tapscott finally left Washington, D.C. after eight successful seasons, leaving behind a legacy as the coach with the second highest winning percentage in school history. However, Tapscott, who preached the value of competitiveness during his talk, did not end his professional climb at American."I really tried to diversify my portfolio," he said. "I didn't want to be stuck doing one thing. When I left college coaching, before I even went into the NBA, I was an attorney agent. All of a sudden, I was out of coaching and in the business contract side of it. Then when I joined the Knicks, I was in the administrative side of things."Tapscott continued to build his resume, working in television and then for several pro teams in different capacities, before he got his big break with the Charlotte Bobcats. "I never seemed to specialize in any one thing," he said. "I was a jack of all trades, and that seemed to serve me extremely well."Tapscott was rewarded for his hard work when he was the first employee hired to run the Charlotte Bobcats as the executive vice president and chief operating officer. After he left the Bobcats, he joined the Wizards in an administrative role and was named the team's interim head coach in 2008. Tapscott explained that although he had experience coaching in college, the transition to the NBA required a different type of thinking."Coaching in college is an exercise in authority, and coaching in the NBA is an exercise in creativity," he said. "You have to create things that focus interest and attention, and do so in a manner that [the players] will embrace. It makes it interestingly challenging."Tapscott, who returned to the front office of the Wizards after the year, believes that his roles as both coach and administrator naturally play off of each other."Coaching and administration [have] so many parallels," he said. "It's about managing egos

Rugby | Rugby teams look to build upon present program

For the Tufts rugby teams, it has been a season of contrasts. The women's team is undefeated for the first time in 11 years through five matches and is on its way to a conference championship match. On the other hand, the men's team sits at the bottom of the New England Collegiate Rugby Conference's standings at 1-4, facing a must-win match this Saturday against the Coast Guard to keep its playoff dreams alive. With one regular season match remaining for each team, the rugby program is once again showing that it is home to more than typical club teams.

Men's Tennis | Jumbos start season with cross-country road trip

Although many Div. III tennis teams across the country have already completed several matches to kick off the spring season, Tufts men's tennis will begin over spring break at Claremont Colleges in Claremont, Calif., where they will take on Denison, Sewanee, Pomona, Occidental and Trinity. It will be a quick jump into team play, especially compared to the more singles-oriented fall season the team had last semester.

Men's Track and Field | Jumbos impress at Princeton, UMass Lowell

Men's Track and Field | Five Jumbos earn All-American honors at Nationals

After a long cross-country trip, a small contingent from the men's track and field team arrived in Lincoln, Neb. on March 13 to compete in the Div. III National Championships. The next day - Friday, March 14 - marked the first of two days of competition, which saw the Jumbos get out to a fast and successful start.

Ice Hockey | Jumbos lose first two games, look to turn program around

The men's hockey team returned to the ice this past week, hoping to ignore last year's 2-14-2 conference record. Despite improving in all facets of the game and boasting a much deeper lineup, Tufts dropped its first two contests of the year to Wesleyan and Trinity, once again putting the team in an uphill battle in the NESCAC.Still, the Jumbos are optimistic that its 2013-14 season will be different than the previous one. Tufts lost its team leader in points from the 2012-13 season, Dylan Plimmer (LA '13), but the Jumbos returned all but three players and maintained the backbone of a team that struggled late in games. Co-captains senior Cody Armstrong and junior Blake Edwards step in as the team's leaders, and if the preseason was any indication, they have taken aim at some fundamental problems.Most of the change this preseason has been a culture change on top of the hard work," sophomore forward James Randaccio said. "We built in some new preseason and summer workouts and revamped our preseason workouts to make sure everything was up to gear this year."At the forward position, the Jumbos are deep, mixing in freshmen with a solid core of veterans. Freshmen Matt Pugh and Conal Lynch play center for the first and second lines, respectively, a move that coach Brian Murphy hopes will spark some goal-scoring opportunities for a team that finished seventh in the NESCAC in scoring offense last year. Pugh is joined by sophomore Stewart Bell and junior Andrew White, the team's second and fourth top scorers from last year's campaign, respectively, while Lynch is surrounded by a pair of veterans in junior Tyler Voigt and senior Kyle Gallegos.Through the first two games, however, the third line has been the strongest unit. Sophomores Luke Griffin and Keith Campbell have quickly developed chemistry with junior George Pantazopoulos, who is the team's leading goal-scorer after netting a goal in each of the first two games. The fourth line has also proven to be a perfect grind-it-out unit that combines hard-nosed play with a cohesive offensive approach. Randaccio and senior forward Tim Mitropoulous complement each other in size and style, while a rotating duo of freshmen Mike Leary and Patrick Lackey, two physical young forwards, will take turns on the wing."We have three great forward lines and a fourth line that really shows our depth," senior defenseman Brandon Fruchter said of his teammates. "That is what makes us a really strong team this year."Fruchter is one of the Jumbos' six defensemen who are looking to turn around last year's unit, which allowed the most goals in the NESCAC. He is paired with sophomore Aidan Hartigan, and together they are perhaps the two most traditional defensemen on the team. The duo of junior Shawn Power and freshman Sean Kavanagh, two of the team's biggest skaters, gives the team much-needed size and physicality. The most impressive defensive pairing so far, however, has been junior Blake Edwards and sophomore Brian Ouellette, who have shown the chemistry and puck-handling prowess to be two of the best offensive defensemen in the NESCAC. While all six defensemen are as skilled as their counterparts throughout the conference, the success of the defense will depend on more than just individual players."Our top six has done really well in practice," Randaccio said. "We have the tools

Late touchdown drive spells Jumbos' demise at Bates

Tufts lost at Bates on Saturday. The streak extended to 25 games. A loss is a loss.

Late goal gives Middlebury 2-1 win over Tufts

Despite getting out to an early lead, the Jumbos fell to the Middlebury Panthers during Parents Weekend on a goal scored off a corner kick in the last two minutes of the game. For the Jumbos, it was a heartbreaking loss, filled with missed opportunities in the second half to put the game away.

Heartbreaker: Last-minute pick derails Tufts comeback

Maybe, in an alternate universe, Jack Doll threw the ball away on 1st-and-goal. Maybe the junior held onto it and went down near the line of scrimmage. Maybe, just maybe, he evaded the pass rush, found an open man and ended the longest losing streak in college football.Any of those scenarios would make more sense than what really happened Saturday at Zimman Field. Down 13-10 with under a minute remaining, Tufts was on Bowdoin's 2-yard line. Doll floated a pass toward the goal line, intended for classmate Greg Lanzillo. The pass was intercepted. Bowdoin senior Tim Wickstrom caught the ball and put a dagger through the Jumbos' hearts. Over the last 26 games, Tufts football has experienced its share of anguish, including 10 losses by eight points or fewer. And yet, as they marched down the field in the final minutes on Saturday, the Jumbos had 1,200 fans convinced. After three years of frustration, they were finally going to exorcise their demons. Then Wickstrom came down with the ball and the Polar Bears took a knee to run out the clock: Bowdoin 13, Tufts 10. That's the reality the Jumbos must live with.What should have happened is we should have won the game," head coach Jay Civetti said Sunday. "We should have made the play."On the previous possession, Tufts' defense had bent but did not break. Civetti used all three of his timeouts, leaving 2:37 to go when the Jumbos took over on downs at their own 29. From there, they marched to the goal line."Jack [Doll] did his job," Civetti said. "Jack's supposed to complete the passes and get us into a position to score. He did his job in terms of getting us there. ... We just didn't finish."The game was a defensive battle from the start. Tufts pulled ahead, 3-0, in the second quarter when freshman Willie Holmquist converted his first career field goal, a 30-yarder. But Bowdoin scored the next 13 points. First, sophomore Andrew Murowchick hit a 30-yard field goal. Then, the Polar Bears drove 73 yards and scored a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the opening half. Senior Zach Donnarumma, who rushed 29 times for 136 yards, capped it with a 1-yard run. Later, in the third quarter, Murowchick hit from 29 yards to make the score 13-3.The Polar Bears got away with some sloppy play, including seven penalties for 53 yards, five fumbles - three on bad snaps and one on a dropped punt - and an interception. But for much of the game, the Jumbos failed to take advantage. "Our identity needs to be more consistently there," Civetti said. "That's probably the best way I could say it. We can't just wake up when the game's on the line."After three straight drives of seven yards or fewer to close out the third quarter, Tufts' offense finally began to click early in the fourth. Starting at his team's own 31, Doll engineered a 69-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by a 30-yard strike under pressure to freshman Mike Rando at Bowdoin's 6-yard line. On 4th-and-goal inside the 1, Doll handed off to freshman Chance Brady, who slipped through the line for his first collegiate touchdown. Holmquist's extra point made it 13-10 with 11:35 left.Bowdoin and Tufts traded fruitless possessions before the Polar Bears got the ball at their own 20 with eight minutes to play. That's when Donnarumma, sophomore running back Trey Brown and junior quarterback Mac Caputi went to work. They picked up four first downs, eating up five minutes in the process. At the 2:53 mark, the Jumbos took down Brown in the backfield at the Tufts 30, at which point Civetti called his first timeout. Then, junior James Brao sacked Caputi for a loss of five, and Civetti stopped the clock again. On 3rd-and-16, Donnarumma picked up six yards

Field Hockey | Jumbos' road to second-consecutive championship ended with last-second goal

The defending national champions and sixth-ranked field hockey team did not recapture the fairytale ending it had hoped for Saturday, falling to No. 3 Salisbury University 1-0 on a heart-wrenching final-minute goal. For the Jumbos, the loss marked the end of the season, and for four seniors, the end of their careers.Meanwhile, the host Seagulls advanced to the round of eight, which pitted them against Wellesley College on Sunday afternoon. Ironically, Salisbury moved on to play the same Wellesley team that the Jumbos defeated 1-0 on the road earlier in the season.The game was cagey from the beginning. In the opening minutes, the Jumbos and Seagulls traded possessions at midfield until Salisbury finally worked the ball into its offensive zone and began to pressure Tufts' defenders.Junior netminder Bri Keenan was forced to make several close saves for the Jumbos, including a few over her head as Seagulls forwards tried to aerial the ball into the cage.By the end of the first half, Salisbury built a 12 to five advantage in shots and had also worked to earn five penalty corners.But shortly before halftime, Tufts' offensive unit began to put the pieces together, eventually earning three penalty corners of its own.The Jumbos' best chances to score came in that period of the game, as the Tufts offense fired five shots at junior Rachel Clewer in the last 10 minutes of the half. Senior All-American midfielder Emily Cannon and sophomore midfielder Dakota Sikes-Keilp each took aim on goal but could not find a hole in the Salisbury defense.Picking up where they left off, the Jumbos came out of the intermission full of fire. Tufts hustled to push the ball upfield, but still found no answer for Clewer and her defense. At the other end, the Seagulls' trio of first-year forward Yumi Kim, junior forward Mallory Elliot and sophomore Courtney Jantzen kept Jumbo defenders Colleen Golja and Alexandra Jamison on their toes.The minutes continued to fly by and still no team managed to find the back of the boards. As the final 10 minutes closed out, it appeared that the Jumbos and Seagulls might be forced to settle the score in overtime, or even penalty strokes.With less than two minutes remaining, however, the Jumbos worked the ball into the 16-meter circle and earned a penalty corner. Cannon got a touch on the ball and attempted to slide it past Clewer, but the Seagulls' defenders were there to block her path. As most of Tufts' players pressed up, hoping to notch a quick goal and avoid overtime, Salisbury collected the ball and broke through Tufts' ranks. In seconds, Jantzen brought the ball downfield and into the right wing before connecting with junior midfielder Summer Washburn on a cross.Jantzen's pass slipped through the last lines of Tufts' defense and into Washburn's hands as she waited by the near post. The midfielder then beat Keenan, who had played cool under pressure all afternoon, but could do nothing to stop the quick one-on-one putaway.The Seagulls had pulled ahead with just 32 seconds remaining in the contest. With a half a minute left to play, the Jumbos already knew their fate was sealed, but nevertheless tried one more time to push the ball into the 16-meter circle. Instead, Cannon's long-ball drifted out of bounds and time expired on Tufts' season, as the desperation finally sunk in.Although the season didn't end how we wanted, I am extremely proud of the team and what we accomplished this year," co-captain Steph Wan said. "This team was an incredibly talented group of girls who worked hard to improve every single day."For three of the team's seniors, co-captains Chelsea Yogerst and Wan, as well as midfielder Katy McConnell, the game marked the last time they would lace up to play collegiate field hockey. For Cannon, the end of her career comes this weekend, after she plays in the All-Star game located at the same Virginia Beach site that will host the final rounds of the NCAA tournament. The opportunity, although an honor, is bittersweet."We played so hard against Salisbury and I couldn't have asked for a more awesome or harder working team to spend my last season with," Cannon said. "These last four years have been unforgettable

Crew | Women's crew's performance against WPI highlights jam-packed weekend

Both the men's and women's crew teams participated in races over the weekend against Middlebury and Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Both teams lost to Middlebury, and the men's team fell just short against WPI. But the women's team stepped up, reclaiming the Bernard Brown Cup after a three-year drought.The women's crew first varsity eight edged WPI by a length to regain the Cup. The team finished with a time of 6:59.88 compared to WPI's time of 7:04.31. Although the Bernard Brown Cup is a contest between just Tufts and WPI, five other teams competed in the varsity eight race, which William Smith won with a 6:55.20 finish. Tufts finished second ahead of WPI, Clark and Skidmore. In the women's second varsity eight, Tufts was third with a 7:25.5 time behind William Smith (7:11.6) and WPI (7:22.5). WPI also edged Tufts in the women's third varsity eight race, 7:38.47 to 7:41.19. In the women's novice eight, Tufts (8:21.81) was third of four teams, behind William Smith (7:33.72) and Skidmore (7:58.27), but ahead of Clark (9:22.26).A big factor in the women's team success this season has been thanks to its trainer and lifting coach, Mike Pimentel who has made great strides with the team both in and out of the water. Mike [Pimentel] has really been a positive role model in our life

Field Hockey | Sikes-Keilp leads Tufts to victory

The Jumbos continued to roll on Tuesday evening, defeating visiting UMass Dartmouth 5-1 for their second non-conference victory and fifth victory overall. The win marked another dominant performance for the Jumbos, who have controlled possession and pace of play in every game this season.

Women's Track and Field | Hieber runs into record books

On May 10 at the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association Championships (NEICAA), graduating senior Jana Hieber ran one of the most jaw-dropping races in Div. III history. Hieber, who had never broken the 60-second barrier in the 400-meter hurdles, smashed that mark by running a time of 58.58 seconds to outpace the field by almost three seconds. She first broke the 60-second barrier in the preliminaries, running 59.86 to advance to the final. Hieber's mark is now the second fastest time in NCAA Div. III history for the event. The all-time mark was set this season by Wheaton College graduating senior Ashante Little, who ran just 0.02 seconds faster than Hieber at the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference Championships on April 26. Both marks are significantly faster than the previous Div. III record in the 400-meter hurdles, held by Augsburg's Carolyn Ross, who set the standard at 58.99 seconds at the 1989 NCAA National Championships. "I really just went after it this weekend," Hieber said. "I have been working on the first half of my race lately so getting out faster in the first half was really key this weekend. It seemed to work." Rising junior Audrey Gould also had an impressive day on the track in the 5,000-meter. Gould was the runner-up in a very fast race, which brought her a personal record and a 17:09.07 finish. Gould's time currently ranks 23rd in the nation, making her dreams of competing at the national championships a strong possibility. Gould was second only to Williams graduating senior Kaleigh Kenny, who won in 16:55.19. Graduating senior Abby Barker placed 13th overall in a time of 17:44.82, while graduating senior Lauren Creath placed 24th, running a time of 18:26.08. Both times were season bests. "I think being in a faster field really helped." Gould said. "I had girls that went out at exactly the pace I wanted to run and was able to hang on them and pick them off towards the end." In the 100-meter hurdles, rising junior Alexis Harrison took 13th overall, running a time of 12.45, while graduating senior tri-captain Anya Kaufmann finished in 12.52, which was good enough for 17th overall. Rising junior Marilyn Allen ran a strong 100-meter hurdles race with a time of 14.88, but that only earned her ninth place out of the preliminaries meaning she was unable to advance to the final. The 4x400-meter relay team of rising senior Lauren Gormer, Allen, rising sophomore Hannah Loss and Hieber ran a time of 3:55.25 for 11th overall — another season best for Tufts. The Jumbos still have two meets left on the season. A few Jumbos may run in the Eastern College Athletic Championships , held May 15-16 at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. However, in past years, most Tufts runners have skipped this meet to prepare for the Div. III National Championships, which will be held this year at Ohio Wesleyan University. Currently, only a few Jumbos rank in the top 25 in their events. The top 17 in each event qualify for the championships, but with scratches, it's possible that those athletes just outside of the top 17 could also compete. Hieber has the best shot out of any Tufts athlete to win a national title. She and Little currently outpace the field by almost two seconds, so the battle for the 400-meter hurdles crown will likely be between them, with the winner likely being decided by fractions of a second. "I have run fast times without close competition," Hieber said. "I definitely think that running with competition will motivate me and hopefully propel me to an even faster time." Hieber also ranks 21st overall in the 400-meter as of May 12, though even if she does make the event after scratches, she may choose to focus solely on the 400-meter hurdles. "I'll be running the 400 at ECACs, so we'll make a decision what to run at nationals afterward," Hieber said. "Obviously I'd love to compete in multiple events in Ohio, but we'll see how things shake out after this weekend." Gould is perhaps the next most likely candidate to run at Nationals. She is currently ranked 23rd in the nation in the 5,000-meter. Most of the women in the field have broken 17 minutes, which Gould has never done. If she makes the national championships, Gould will be able to take advantage of the momentum she has built coming into nationals, and can count on running a fast race against women of her caliber. In addition to placing second at NEICAAs, she won at NESCACs on April 26 by running a time of 17:30.26. The 4x100-meter relay team of rising senior Christina Harvey, Kaufmann, Allen and Harrison also have an outside shot of making Nationals with their race in Div. III New Englands a few weeks back. After Nationals, the team will lose stars such as Hieber, Kaufmann, Barker and Creath to graduation, but as the past few years have shown, the Jumbos have done a remarkable job filling such voids. With a tradition of strong leadership and excellence, the Jumbos look to step up next year and stay at the top of the NESCAC. "Summer training is going to be crucial for our team this year," Gould said. "Obviously we have a ton of talent in the freshman class that just needs some fine tuning. I think we can surprise people next year if people do things right over the summer."

Men's Lacrosse | Tufts continues championship run

Endicott rising senior midfielder Jeremy Morgan took a shot with under two minutes remaining in the second round NCAA Championship game, which clanked off the goal post, allowing Tufts to maintain a 10-9 advantage. It was the closest the Gulls could come to evening the score, as the Jumbos ran out the clock, holding on to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the fifth year in a row. It was a rematch from a bout on April 8 at Bello Field that Tufts won more comfortably 18-13. This time, when the stakes were higher, the Gulls proved to be much more difficult for the Jumbos to handle. Tufts was coming off a resounding 24-2 victory over Emmanuel College in the opening round of the tournament. In typical fashion, the Jumbos had an explosive first period, converting 12 goals in the first 15 minutes to set the pace for a big win. Fourteen Jumbos scored in the game, as graduating senior tri-captain midfielder Beau Wood led the way with five goals and an assist. Prior to that victory, Tufts captured its fifth-straight conference title against Amherst in a 20-13 win. Graduating senior goalie Patton Watkins stopped a career-high 24 shots while Wood once again led the way offensively with five goals. Graduating senior midfielder Peter Bowers' three goals proved to be the spark during a 6-1 run that broke a 9-9 tie between the two teams at the beginning of the third quarter. The win gave the Jumbos an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. In the matchup with Endicott, things started much slower than usual for a Tufts offense ranked second in the nation in scoring. Endicott struck first and kept a 2-0 lead until the waning minutes of the first quarter. Tufts then scored four on two goals from Bowers, one from rising senior midfielder Peter Gill and one from rising junior attackman John Uppgren building a 4-2 lead a minute into the second period. From then on, the two teams alternated goals until the final whistle. Though it was the closest game all year for the Jumbos, the team was prepared after facing tough competition from NESCAC and non-conference opponents alike throughout the regular season. "We play a competitive schedule top to bottom and we have been in a few close games this season — our players believe in each other and believe in the process," senior midfielder Jack McDermott told the Daily in an email. "We know that we have done everything to that point to prepare, it just takes one or two guys to step up and make a play. We were able to do so against a high-caliber team like Endicott." In the remainder of the first half, rising senior attackman Chris Schoenhut and Bowers netted goals for Tufts, while rising senior midfielder Harrison Cotter, rising sophomore attackman Colin Bannon and rising senior attackman Kyle Weber answered for Endicott to pull the score to 6-5 in favor of Tufts headed into intermission. After halftime, rising senior attackman Cole Bailey started the scoring off with an unassisted goal. Rising senior attackman Nick Pinciaro of Endicott answered with his first of two goals before Schoenhut and he traded goals until the end of the third period to set the score at 9-7. Weber hit a shot at the 13:27 mark to pull Endicott within one point of leading, but Gill's strike four minutes later would push the score back to 10-8. Junior attackman Jonathan Morgan netted the Gulls' final goal at the 6:10 mark, but ultimately it would be one too few to force an overtime period. Despite being a man down after a penalty at the 2:10 mark, Tufts was able to keep the ball in the offensive zone to run down the clock and secure the win. "[Endicott] has a great offensive group and a tough defensive group," head coach Mike Daly said of the close contest. "[I] was a little disappointed at times; I felt we had opportunities to gain some momentum and put a little bit of distance on them, but Endicott made every play it needed to make to keep [the game] close, and our guys made every play ... We knew it was going to be a dogfight." Watkins finished the day with 16 saves, making five in both the second and third quarters. Daly earned his 200th career victory in his 16th season leading the Jumbos. The Tufts lacrosse program, making its seventh NCAA Championship appearance, is no stranger to the contested play that comes with advancing into the later stages of the tournament. "I think our past experience playing in May just helps us understand how special this time of year truly is — there's only a handful of teams nationwide that end up playing well into May," McDermott said. "Earning the opportunity to spend more time with our teammates and coaches is as great as it gets." Eight Jumbos recently received All-NESCAC honors with the conclusion of conference play. Bailey was named Player of the Year while Daly split Coach of the Year honors with Williams' George McCormack. Bailey, Wood, Uppgren, Helfrich and graduating senior tri-captain Kane Delaney all earned first team All-NESCAC honors. Schoenhut and graduating senior tri-captain Dan Alles were second team All-NESCAC honorees. This season matches 2007 for the greatest number of players receiving accolades. It is just one of the many accomplishments that display the team's stellar work ethic and eagerness to compete. "The defining quality of this year's team is just a bunch of great guys that love spending time with the team," McDermott said. "Every day guys come to play and it's the best part of all our days — that's the kind of team everyone wants to be a part of, and now we're just looking to maximize this opportunity. I'm most proud of our overall consistency and attention to detail — we had two loses earlier in the season, and our team has responded to this adversity by increasing our focus and commitment to our primary goal: to win a national championship."12

Top 10 moments from the 2010-2011 sports seasons

10. Dahlman takes home a trophy Rising senior and women’s squash player Paige Dahlman won the B Draw Championship of the Div. III Individual Championships held at Bowdoin College on Feb. 9. Dahlman played in the No. 2 position in team play, but shined individually. She won the championship the first year the tournament was held; this was the second year the tournament has been scheduled, but it was canceled last year due to inclement weather. In the round of 16, Dahlman beat rising senior Samantha Rosado of Mount Holyoke. In the quarterfinals, she topped Conn. College rising senior Leah Puklin, and then cruised past Colby rising senior Elizabeth Brehman in the semifinals. In the finals, she finished off her championship with a win over rising sophomore Chloe Polikoff of Bowdoin. There were 16 total participants in the B draw, and 14 schools sent individuals to the tournament, but Dahlman rose above the competition to score a victory for Tufts.9. Softball team adds to its awards mantle The softball team has done a lot of winning in the past calendar year. In 2014, it added some serious honors to its trophy collection. The Jumbos nearly swept the NESCAC awards this year, taking home conference Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Coach of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Awards en route to winning the NESCAC title. Player of the Year went to graduating senior co-captain catcher Jo Clair. Clair, who sits atop almost every softball record list, turned in arguably the finest performance of her prolific career to earn her first Player of the Year Award, batting .455 while swatting 19 homeruns and driving in 58 runs as of Tufts’ game against Endicott on May 11. Rising junior Allyson Fournier took home the Pitcher of the Year award thanks to yet another stellar season on the mound. Fournier was once again unhittable, striking out 251 batters to go alongside a miniscule 0.44 earned run average. Rising junior shortstop Christina Raso, unlike Fournier and Clair, is new to the awards process, but was just as worthy of her Defensive Player of the Year award. Raso was the focal point of a Jumbos’ defense that led the league with a .967 fielding percentage. Finally, at the helm of the ship was head coach Cheryl Milligan, who earned her seventh Coach of the Year honor. If the softball team continues the run its been on for the past several years, there is no reason to expect her tally to stop there.8. Koh scores medalist honors Rising junior Brendan Koh treated his teammates to a sight they had never seen before: a Tufts golfer claiming individual medalist honors. Koh's first-place finish at the Rhode Island College Spring Invitational was easily the highlight of an up-and-down season for the golf team. With a two-day score of 154 (79, 75), Koh beat out 82 other golfers to claim the title honors. Graduating senior Bill Hutchins of Husson University was in the individual lead after shooting a 75 on the first day, while Koh's seven-over par 79 was tied with Tufts rising sophomore Owen Elliott for fifth individually. On the second day, Koh found himself two-under par after the first six holes, but faced his biggest challenge by four putting on the seventh, exhibiting a short game that had been unreliable all tournament. Despite the minor setback, Koh shot a 40 on the back nine to build off his 35-stroke front to take the title.7. Seniors leave Bello Field on a high note The Tufts women’s lacrosse team played Bates in a key NESCAC game that also happened to be the final home game for the team’s graduating seniors: attacker Gabby Horner, midfielder Eliza Halmo, midfielder Kate Applegate and defender Kelley Cohen. With seven minutes left, Tufts was down by one goal. Halmo had already made her mark with three second-half scores to keep the Jumbos close. Horner then took over, netting her second goal of the game to send the teams into overtime. Rain poured down on the field, and up to 40 miles per hour wind gusts affected each team’s ball movement. The Jumbos’ offense controlled the tempo throughout overtime, and Horner received the ball in front of the net, but was fouled before she was able to score. Bates rising sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Jeffrey had an excellent first half, but the weather and general fatigue seemed to catch up to her. The whistle blew; Horner took a step and fired her free position shot towards the bottom of the net, just past Jeffrey’s stick. Tufts had a 10-9 lead, but Bates still had an opportunity to tie the game. The Jumbos’ defense was too strong though, and the home team was able to maintain possession for nearly the entire overtime period. With 37 seconds left, Horner sprinted past the Bobcats defense and scored her fourth goal of the game, her final at home, to cement an important NESCAC victory and send her fellow classmates home with a win to remember.123

Saluting the Seniors | Jenny Hu

Jenny Hu has been a stalwart for the women's swimming and diving program throughout her career at Tufts. The graduating senior and four-time all-NESCAC breaststroker from Oakland, Calif., did not take long to adjust to the rigorous world of collegiate swimming, winning the 100-yard breaststroke — which would prove to be her signature event — at her first-ever Tufts swim meet in the fall of 2010. The trend continued throughout her freshman year, as she racked up seven more individual wins — winning each of the season's breaststroke events at least once — and quickly became a consistent member of the team's medley relays. She capped off her debut season with significant contributions at the NESCAC Championships, swimming the breaststroke legs of Tufts' sixth-place 400-yard medley and third-place 200-yard medley relay, both of which recorded national B cut times. More impressively, Hu placed third in the 50-yard breaststroke and second in the 100-yard breaststroke. If there were any doubts about the rookie, she silenced them with a national B cut and school record-breaking time of 1:06.28 in the 100-yard breaststroke. Coming off a successful first year, Hu's sophomore season did not begin as favorably. She started the 2011-12 season sick with bronchitis and strep throat, and was unable to compete in the first four meets. Though she returned and swam for the majority of the season, she failed to win a single individual event. But Hu finally returned to form in February of 2012, placing second in both the 50-yard and 100-yard breaststroke at NESCACs, setting school records in both events and recording a national B cut time in the 100-yard. Her times were good enough to qualify for the NCAA Championships in March, where she competed in four events. She placed 27th in her trademark 100-yard breaststroke, and was part of Tufts' 14th-place 200-yard and 400-yard medley and 25th-place 400-yard freestyle relay teams. The outstanding performance earned Hu two honorable mention All-American awards. Riding the momentum of her NESCAC and NCAA success, Hu was dominant in her junior year. She won 10 individual events, three of which came in a single meet against Wellesley. Every meet of the season saw Hu take at least second place, and she ended the season as one of the Jumbos' top point scorers. At the 2013 NESCAC Championships, she solidified her status among the top swimmers in New England, winning the 100-yard breaststroke and again setting a new school record and national B cut time. She also finished fifth in the 50 breaststroke. Though she was ranked 14th in the nation, Hu's time in the 100-yard failed to qualify her for that year's NCAA Championships, as only the top 12 swimmers were accepted. Hu's senior year was arguably both her most challenging and her most impressive. Expectations were high for the already three-time all-NESCAC swimmer, but unfortunately it seemed that Hu would have an inauspicious start to the 2013-14 season after she breaking her pelvis in September. Yet by the team's first meet in November, Hu had more or less recovered, taking second in the 100-yard breaststroke; at the following meet she earned NESCAC Performer of the Week honors after winning three events. Though the women's swimming and diving team struggled this past season, Hu remained a constant point scorer, garnering at least one win for the team in nearly every subsequent head-to-head meet. In what would be the final meet of her collegiate swimming career, Hu won a conference title in the 50-yard breaststroke, broke school records in each of the three breaststroke events and swam two national B cut times at this year's NESCAC Championships. She was also awarded second place in the NESCAC Senior High Point Award for her contributions over her four years. Despite qualifying for the NCAA Championships, she declined to compete. She credits the support of her teammates and the strong bonds she formed for her success. "My time on the swim team has been my most rewarding experience at Tufts," Hu said. "Being on the team feels like being a part of a huge family of very different girls, all of whom you love to death. I guess swimming over 70 miles in two weeks [during the team's winter break training trip] can have some crazy side effects." With her three school records, two NESCAC titles and invaluable point contributions, Hu will be remembered as one of the top Tufts swimmers to ever take the pool.

Women's Track and Field | Hieber runs into record books

On May 10 at the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association Championships (NEICAA), graduating senior Jana Hieber ran one of the most jaw-dropping races in Div. III history.Hieber, who had never broken the 60-second barrier in the 400-meter hurdles, smashed that mark by running a time ...

Softball | Tufts moves on after Regionals clean sweep

The softball team showed no signs of slowing down its pursuit of a second-straight national championship, going undefeated in the regional round of the Div. III NCAA Tournament. The tournament featured a double-elimination regional round from May 9 to 11. Sixteen teams emerge to compete in a Super Regional round from May 16 to 17, followed by the final round, from May 22 to 27, hosted by The University of Texas at Tyler. In the first round, Tufts beat Lesley College 9-1, with the game stopping after six innings due to the mercy rule. In a close game, Tufts clung to a 2-0 lead until a seven-run explosion in the sixth. As has been the case all year, graduating senior Lauren Giglio dominated, going the distance and allowing three hits and three walks with one unearned run. In the top of the first, graduating senior co-captain catcher Jo Clair blasted a homerun to right center, staking Giglio an early 1-0 lead. Tufts manufactured one more run in the third inning off of an RBI single from rising senior outfielder Michelle Cooprider, but was kept off the scoreboard for most of the game. "We didn't have a lot of runners on base and weren't pushing a lot of runners along in the first few innings, but were making pretty solid contact throughout the entire game," rising junior shortstop Christina Raso said. "We were just hitting it right at the Lesley players. There were hard line drives ... everywhere that were getting caught. Lesley did a good job making plays.” In the top of the sixth inning the Jumbos' luck turned, and they put up seven runs, including a three-run homer from Cooprider. "In the [sixth inning] we were finally getting balls to drop," Cooprider said. "Finally ... the 'softball Gods' were on our side. We were pretty happy with how we did offensively even though it didn't show for a while." Tufts advanced to play Williams in the winner's bracket. The matchup was the culmination of a year-long battle between the two teams, and the rubber match in a season-series that was, until then, split 2-2. Williams had beaten Tufts twice in the regular season, but Tufts had come back to beat Williams twice in the NESCAC tournament to claim its third-straight NESCAC title. "Williams always gives us good competition, and we were just trying to step up and beat them when it counts," Raso said. On May 10, the Jumbos again emerged victorious when it mattered, dispatching the Ephs 4-2 and advancing to the final round of regional play. Rising junior Allyson Fournier pitched all seven innings, striking out eight and giving up three hits. The team also allowed two unearned runs due to uncharacteristically sloppy play from a Tufts' defense that was first in the NESCAC in fielding percentage. Williams rising sophomore Brooke Bovier toed the rubber for the opposition and performed admirably, matching Fournier through three innings before allowing three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. "They threw a different pitcher against us, so we were just trying to make adjustments and win the game," Raso said. Once again, a three-run Cooprider homerun did most of the damage in the fourth. "I think it's always easier to play at your best when you have things to play for," Cooprider said of her offensive explosion this weekend, in which she tallied eight RBIs. "I was very zoned in all of the [weekend's] games. Also, everything is scheduled [for] these weekends [in the] NCAA tournament, so having the consistency gets you in game mode ... I was definitely ready to go for all these games, which was probably helpful." The three runs were all Fournier needed. Although the two unearned runs allowed in the bottom half of the fourth made the game interesting, the Ephs were unable to get Fournier to budge in the last three innings. Tufts played Endicott in the final round of the regional bracket and broke out in a big way, no-hitting Endicott over five innings while putting up 11 runs to end the game in only five innings. Fournier and Giglio combined for the no-hit effort, with Fournier striking out 10 of the 12 batters she faced, and Giglio pitching the fifth inning to seal the win. At the plate, the Jumbos jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first before tacking on five more in the third, and two in the fifth. The knockout punch came from Raso in the third inning, when the diminutive shortstop blasted a grand slam. "I was just looking to hit the ball as hard as I could and make good contact," Raso said. "When I hit it, I didn't think [the ball] was going to go out. I thought it was going to drop between the left fielder and the center fielder, but it ended up staying in the air long enough to go out, so I was pretty happy." The blowout of Endicott is also a clear sign that Tufts has not lost its desire or ability to fight for another national title. If anything, the team is hungrier the second time around. "I think we know the potential is real, because we've [won a national championship] before, so we know there's a chance we can do it again," Cooprider said. "When we said we wanted to win last year, it was sort of like the impossible dream, but then we were able to [win]. Now ... we still have the same dream, and we know it's a possibility." With a clean sweep of the competition in the regional round, Tufts advances to play Bridgewater State in a best-of-three series in the Super Regional round on May 16-17. Results were not available as of press time.  

Baseball | Tufts falls just short of NESCAC title in loss to Wesleyan

Tufts benefitted from a combination of walks, hit batsmen and a few timely hits all tournament long, but that was not quite enough to carry the baseball team to its third NESCAC championship title in five years. After playing four games in less than three days from May 9 to 11, Tufts lost the final championship game Sunday afternoon to Wesleyan, 6-4. Tufts finished the regular season the weekend before, splitting a doubleheader against Bates before sweeping one against Middlebury. The Jumbos ended with a 30-5 record overall and 9-3 in the conference, which was enough to claim the top spot in the NESCAC East. Tufts played host to this year's postseason tournament, which followed a double elimination format and featured the top two teams from each division - Tufts and Bates in the east, and Wesleyan and Amherst in the west. All but two of the games were at Huskins Field. The Jumbos opened the tournament with a 9-5 win over a tough Lord Jeffs team on May 9. Amherst jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning against Tufts lefty starter and de facto ace, rising senior Kyle Slinger. But the momentum changed in the fifth when Slinger picked off an Amherst runner to deflate a threat in the top of the inning, before an RBI single from rising senior center fielder Connor McDavitt and a bases-loaded double from rising junior shortstop Matt Moser put the Jumbos up 4-1 in the bottom of the inning. Tufts went on to add five more runs and stave off an Amherst comeback in the ninth to seal the win. Slinger battled his way through six innings, giving up three runs on six hits, before rising junior Andrew David earned the save and preserved the win for Slinger. McDavitt finished 5-for-5 for the Jumbos, while Moser ended up with five RBIs on three hits. "I tried to stay within myself and not do too much," Moser said. "I was just looking for good pitches to hit and was able to put good swings on them when I saw them. My main approach was to stay relaxed at the plate and enjoy the situation." With the win, Tufts moved on to play Wesleyan, who had defeated Bates in the winner's bracket on May 10. Jumbo rising sophomore starter Tim Superko waged a pitchers' duel against Cardinals graduating senior Jeff Blout. The game remained scoreless through the first four frames. Tufts struck first and opened the scoring with a run on a pair of doubles by graduating senior third baseman Wade Hauser and graduating senior first baseman Max Freccia. In the sixth, Wesleyan tagged Superko with three runs on three hits, which proved to be the only hits the Cardinals got in the game against an efficient Tufts pitching staff. Though the Jumbos responded with an RBI single from Moser in the seventh, they were unable to retake the lead and fell 3-2. The loss sent Tufts into an elimination game against Bates, who had knocked out Amherst earlier that day. Tufts graduating senior starter Christian Sbily and rising senior reliever Tom Ryan held Bates to just one unearned run on four hits. Wild pitching helped give Tufts, which only tallied four hits in the game, seven runs. Tufts scored five times in the third, with two runs coming from hit batsmen with the bases loaded and another two from a two-out double to left center from graduating senior second baseman Tim Mitropoulos. The Jumbos held on to win 7-1. As per the double elimination format, Tufts then had to beat Wesleyan twice to win the title, while Wesleyan had to win just once. In game one on the morning of May 11, the Jumbos' bats came alive as they lit up the Cardinals' pitching for 10 runs, while rising senior starter Willie Archibald, making his first start in a month, threw 126 pitches to blank the Cardinals over nine innings and lead the Jumbos to a 10-0 win. The win set up a decisive final game that afternoon, with the winner taking home the NESCAC title. The game got off to a much different start than game one as the Cardinals scored once in the first and then again in the fourth when rising senior first baseman Sam Goodwin-Boyd launched a long solo homerun to center field. Tufts failed to find any real offensive rhythm against Wesleyan starter, graduating senior Chris Law, who only gave up one hit through the first five innings until he was pulled after back-to-back singles to lead off the sixth. The threat was neutralized when Blout came on to face Tufts again and got a pair of stellar defensive plays behind him to get out of the inning. "The starting pitcher in the second game threw a knuckleball, which we haven't really seen all year, so he was able to keep us off balance for most of the game," Moser said. "There were a few situations I wish I could have had better at-bats but got myself out early in the at-bat." Tufts fell behind 6-0 in the seventh, and the pressure dialed up. The Jumbos found some life in the eighth when Cardinal relievers began having trouble finding the plate. Wesleyan's Blout, Goodwin-Boyd and rising senior Nick Cooney combined to walk four batters and hit another two before the inning was over, giving Tufts three runs without a hit. "That's part of our approach," head coach John Casey said of the team's patience at the plate, which led to 20 walks and 19 of their hitters hit by pitches. "We're sitting on certain pitches, and that is something our kids have done the best. The [opposing pitchers] are trying to throw [inside] with some arm-side run and we aren't moving."12