Sports

Women's Tennis | Talent, depth give Bayard high hopes as Jumbos open

    With three impact freshmen joining an experienced squad led by a pair of All-Americans, it's no wonder that women's tennis coach Kate Bayard is optimistic about the roster she has assembled this year.     "I am anticipating that our team will be the strongest that we've had in a number of years," she said.     Bayard will get her first look at a talent-laden squad today, when the nationally ranked No. 16 Jumbos hold their first practice of the 2009-10 season. It will mark the beginning of the abbreviated fall portion of Tufts' schedule, which includes the International Tennis Association Regional Championships later this month and out-of-conference dual matches against MIT and Babson in October.     Junior tri-captain Julia Browne and senior tri-captain Meghan McCooey are expected to once again anchor the Jumbos' lineup. Combining to go 26-4 in dual matches out of the first and second singles spots, Browne and McCooey also teamed to form one of the best doubles tandems in the country, capturing a national title together last fall.     But the added depth behind the Jumbos' All-American duo will be key for the team this season. Entering the mix are three first-year recruits — Lauren Hollender, Lindsay Katz and Janice Lam — who are expected to make immediate contributions.     "I obviously won't know how they're playing right now until I actually see them, but based on my estimate of where I think they are, they'll definitely help us a lot," Bayard said. "All three of them are very strong players, and I'm anticipating they'll all get some good opportunities this year."     Despite losing junior Hillary Rosen, who is studying abroad this fall, and graduating Mari Homma (LA '09), the Jumbos' roster is hardly short on experience. Senior Erica Miller returns after a strong season at third singles, including a thrilling three-set win over Bowdoin's Rachel Waldman to clinch a come-from-behind victory for Tufts in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Two mainstays of last year's singles lineup, junior Edwina Stewart and sophomore Jennifer LaCara, are also back, along with senior tri-captain Laura Hoguet and sophomore Nathalie Schils.     The combination of experienced veterans and promising freshmen gives Bayard a lot to consider as she fills out her lineup behind Browne and McCooey.     "With so many returning players and with three very solid freshmen coming in, I think we'll have more options in both singles and doubles, and also I feel we'll be a lot stronger depth-wise," Bayard said. "Last year, we proved that in the top half the lineup, we could beat anyone. This year, with the returning players having more experience and the incoming freshmen mixing things up, I think we'll be stronger."     How best to utilize the team's talent remains to be seen. In the process of establishing a stable lineup this fall, Bayard likely will mix and match much as she did last year, when eight different players were used in the fourth, fifth and sixth singles spots and 16 different combinations were used at second and third doubles.     "Last year we did mix it up more than normal, and sometimes, that's just what we have to do to find a lineup to win a match," Hoguet said. "Our team has been raised under the mentality that you go out there every day ready to go — it doesn't matter where you play. Wherever you are, you try your hardest and trust that the coaches are making the right decision."     Even Tufts' prolific first doubles pairing could be reshuffled. Bayard said that while Browne and McCooey most likely will play together at the upcoming ITA Regional Championships, she is not opposed to splitting them up later this season if it strengthens the Jumbos' overall doubles lineup.     "I loved playing with Meghan all year last year — we did really well, and our games matched up well," Browne said. "But we do have three new freshmen this year, so we have to see if we can get an even better combination — we might even get two better combinations by splitting us up. I'm very confident that whatever Coach picks will be the best thing for the team."

Men's Cross Country | With full roster returning, Tufts sets sights on bounce-back campaign

    Last season, following the graduation of all three of its captains, Tufts turned to a relatively youthful cast to propel the cross country squad to a respectable fourth-place finish at the NESCAC Championships. But this year, with all seven of Tufts' top runners returning, the bar has been set even higher.     Leading the charge is senior Jesse Faller, back for the final year of his prolific career. Faller placed third in last year's NESCACs, 36 seconds behind eventual NCAA champion Peter Kosgei and just one tick after the first runner-up.     Yet individual success in lieu of team performance is not satisfactory for Tufts. The Jumbos are hoping to build on last year's success at the conference meet and 11th-place finish at the NCAA New England Championships.     "Finishing as poorly as we did at Regionals and that being our last race, it puts a thorn inside of you and you want to avenge yourself," Faller said. "I don't think it's an issue of proving ourselves, but I think that we want to improve. With that drive and determination, all the guys have been training really hard."     For a season that started out well — Tufts won the 5K race at its own invitational and finished second out of 17 teams at the Codfish Bowl in Boston — injuries and sickness plagued the Jumbos down the stretch, leading to what senior captain Nick Welch referred to as a "disappointment."     "When things go well, it's great, but when things go poorly, you have to find the lesson in it and make adjustments," he said. "I don't think we need to make huge adjustments and come up with something new. The growth and making small adjustments and being smarter about our training will help us. Our best needs to be in November, not October."     Anticipation is a feeling consistent throughout this year's roster.     "Any time when you come back from a really successful season, there's an excitement of hoping to defend a title," Welch said. "When you come away from one that didn't go well, you almost have more fire to get it back on track. I think, without a doubt, this is the most fit, top to bottom, in the four years I've been here."     Aside from Faller, who earned All-American status for the second straight year by placing 35th in the NCAA Championship at Hanover College last November, the Jumbos turn to Welch, a two-time All-New England runner, and senior Ryan Lena, who placed 19th at NESCACs.     Tufts also will welcome numerous freshmen to the team, many of whom should have an impact immediately, according to Welch.     "We have a really strong freshman class, a few guys I definitely expect to make a big contribution," he said. "Freshmen always add the heart to the team and they are a good class this year."     But members of the Class of 2013 are not the only new Jumbos; the team recently added assistant coach Mark Coogan, who is more than familiar with the world of long-distance racing. Coogan represented the United States in the marathon at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and coached the Phillips Exeter Academy boys' cross country squad to three New England prep school team championships.     "He's going to bring a lot of experience to the team," Faller said. "That's going to pay off a lot. He's a really helpful coach when it comes to training and also race strategy because he's been through a lot."     With the squad's vast experience, the team hopes to repeat and build upon the success of recent years. In 2007, the squad garnered an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, and in 2008, it improved one place at NESCACs.     In late August, the Jumbos took a training trip to Maine, practicing together and focusing on becoming more united.     "For camp, it's just the returners, so it's our chance to get back together and spend four whole days together, like a retreat," Welch said. "It sets the tone for what the team will be like this year. I think us going away to camp and re-collecting ourselves helps."     Tufts will turn its attention to the Trinity Invitational this Saturday. Unlike past years, the Jumbos have only two meets before the All-New England Championships on Oct. 10, but its importance is minimal when compared with the championship races later in the season. And with months before the NESCAC meet, the earlier races provide ample opportunity for runners to distinguish themselves.     "These first few weeks, the freshmen can benefit the most from them," Welch said "The first races are like friendlies, a chance to shake the cobwebs out, get back in the swing of racing."     All told, the Jumbos have the ingredients for a stellar season, according to Faller.     "We have our top runners all coming back, and I think we're all going to be stronger with an extra year of training," he said. "Also, we have some solid freshmen that can be in the mix to run on the varsity squad. All of those things breed success for our team."

Women's Soccer | Jumbos, Cadigan eager for fresh start

    After a season of disarray that featured myriad injuries and a first-round exit in the NESCAC Tournament, the women's soccer team is ready to bounce back.     With a healthy squad in tow, the Jumbos have their sights set on improving from their 2008 season, in which they started out 5-0 but ended 8-5-1, thanks in part to a slew of injuries that, at its low point, forced a midfielder to play goalie. Assuming the Jumbos stay out of the trainer's office, they could very well compete for their second NESCAC championship and their third trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2005.     "We all need to stay healthy during the season," senior co-captain Cara Cadigan said. "We need to take care of ourselves, because it got to the point last year where people had to play through injuries. We want to make sure we do everything we can so we minimize those injuries that are preventable."     "We're really excited to get the season started after everything that happened last year," junior midfielder Geneva DeGregorio said. "Everyone came into preseason in great shape, and we've hit the ground running."     Having graduated just one senior, Tufts will rely on experience as an asset. Though only five players started every game last season, that allowed an unexpected handful of others to receive meaningful playing time. Every player that started a game in 2008 is set to return.     "Our experience is going to be really big for us," DeGregorio said. "We have so many players that can play in so many positions and have played them at this level. And when we go to the bench, there is no drop off. There is definitely a consistency in the talent level."     "We have a very deep bench," Cadigan added. "The way we play doesn't change, no matter who is in. We are constantly playing at our best because everyone is that good right now."     The backline, which limited opponents to just over one goal per game last year, will once again include junior defenders Audrey Almy and Sarah Nolet. Having started all but one game in her college career, Nolet was first-team All-NESCAC in 2008, and, at 6-foot-0, she controls the game in the air and on the ground.     The midfield features Tufts' other returning All-NESCAC selection, senior Fanna Gamal, who had two goals and three assists last year. Joining her in the midfield, among others, will be DeGregorio and sophomores Lauren O'Connor and Olivia Rowse, all players who made at least nine starts last year.     Ultimately, the Jumbos' fate will rest on the shoulders of Cadigan's comeback from an ACL injury. Two years ago, she took the NESCAC by storm, using blazing speed and a deft touch to score 19 goals and shatter the Tufts single-season mark. With Cadigan back on the field, the Jumbo attack is sure to be more dangerous.     "I feel ready to play," Cadigan said. "It feels good to be back on the field again."     Joining Cadigan up top will be senior Ali Maxwell, who led the team last year with five goals. Cadigan's absence forced Maxwell to take a more important role in the team's offensive schemes and often be the team's target player. Her presence means that Tufts has two proven, legitimate threats playing forward.     The Jumbos' season begins this Saturday with a trip to Middlebury to face the Panthers, who beat Tufts 3-1 last year.     "We're ready to go up there and have a challenge for our first game," DeGregorio said. "We had a tough time up there last year, and we definitely are looking forward to getting a better result."     But, as is usually the case, Amherst and Williams will be Tufts' two biggest in-conference competitors this season. The Ephs are the two-time defending NESCAC champions, while the Jeffs finished second in both the regular season and tournament play.     "Amherst and Williams are always going to be very tough, but I think our team is definitely good enough to compete and beat them," DeGregorio said.

Men's Soccer | Returning experienced squad, Jumbos hope to join NESCAC's elite

    After consistently finishing in the lower half of the NESCAC standings over the past few seasons, including a sixth-place finish last year, the men's soccer team is determined to break into the conference's upper echelon this fall. An experienced squad, Tufts hopes that its savvy and depth will help the team achieve its preseason goal.     Coach Ralph Ferrigno returns nearly his entire 2008 roster, minus graduated seniors Dave McKeon (E '09) and Peter DeGregorio (LA '09). Tri-captain Bear Duker will be one of eight seniors on this year's team, as well as forward Dan Schoening, who last year paced the team in scoring with eight goals, good for fifth in the conference. With the wealth of experience comes a familiarity with each other's abilities, resulting in a more cohesive squad on the field.     "Over the past few practices, we've had a much closer unit than in previous years," junior tri-captain Naji Muakkassa said. "There have been a lot of tough position battles, but we're all rooting for each other, and the team has looked great in scrimmages."     Conversely, NESCAC powerhouses Middlebury, Amherst and Williams graduated many of their top contributors from last year, opening the door for a potential changing of the guard in the conference standings. Still, the Jumbos know that toppling the traditional heavyweights will not be easy.     "We want to take things in steps," junior midfielder Josh Molofsky said. "Our goal is to finish in the top four and to get that playoff game on our home field, but that won't happen right away."     To achieve that goal, the Jumbos will need to have a winning in-conference record for the first time since 2001. The Jumbos showed themselves capable of withstanding the fierce NESCAC competition last year when they beat Williams for the first time in 14 years by the score of 3-1.     However, against the top three teams in the conference last year — Trinity, Amherst and Middlebury — Tufts was outscored 6-0. The Jumbos will get their first crack at reversing their fortunes again at the NESCAC's best on Saturday, when they open their season against the Panthers.     Middlebury has had Tufts' number in recent seasons, but an early-season meeting could actually be advantageous to the Jumbos because of the turnover in the Panthers' starting lineup. But despite graduating three First Team All-NESCAC players, Middlebury will still challenge a Jumbos attack that ranked in the bottom half of the conference last year in virtually every major offensive category.     "We don't treat [Middlebury] any different than we would any other team," Duker said. "We expect to win, and we see this as an opportunity to surprise teams in our conference by going up there and getting a victory."     Tufts will face a strong non-conference foe in Eastern Conn. State three days after their trip to Middlebury, before opening their home slate with a tilt against last year's conference champion, Amherst, on Sept. 19. Managing to earn even a single W in the opening weeks would indicate significant improvement for the Jumbos — the team has not escaped with a win against either Middlebury or Amherst since 2005 and has not scored upon either squad since 2006.     Nonetheless, Tufts is confident that a summer of hard work and countless hours on the practice field will guide it through that first trio of challenging matches and propel it into the NESCAC's elite.     "Our mix of experience and youth gives us a great chance to win the NESCAC championship and get to the NCAA Tournament," Duker said.

Banner 2008-09 season lands Tufts in Directors' Cup top 10

    Buoyed by historic seasons from its field hockey and softball teams, Tufts finished in 10th place out of 310 ranked Div. III programs in the final 2008-09 Directors' Cup standings. The finish was Tufts' second best in the 14-year history of the Directors' Cup, which awards points to a school when its teams qualify for NCAA championship events. In all, 13 Jumbo squads compiled a school-record 759.25 points last season.     In May, the softball team capped off a stellar 2009 campaign with a fourth-place showing at the College World Series, the culmination of a record-breaking 44-3 season that included NESCAC and Regional crowns. Coach Cheryl Milligan's squad picked up 80 points for Tufts, the second-highest total of any team on the Hill. Only field hockey earned more points, scoring 90 after making just the second NCAA title game appearance by any team in school history and finishing as the national runner-up last November.     Track and field also provided a major boon to Tufts in the standings, totaling 217.25 points across four teams in the winter and spring seasons. The highlight came from the women's indoor squad, whose fifth place finish at the NCAA championships in March, featuring a title-winning effort by the distance medley relay team, earned the Jumbos 75 Directors' Cup points. Women's lacrosse was not far behind, tallying 70 points after reaching the national quarterfinals in its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.     Volleyball, men's and women's swimming, women's basketball, men's lacrosse and women's tennis also scored for Tufts, which was one of four NESCAC schools to finish inside the top 10. Williams, Middlebury and Amherst claimed the top three spots, with the Ephs capturing the Directors' Cup for the 11th consecutive year.     With at least a few squads expected to be in the postseason mix this fall, Tufts could get out to a fast start in the 2009-10 Directors' Cup race. Boasting three returning All-Americans on its roster, the field hockey team is ranked second in the preseason national polls and could once again compete for an NCAA title. In addition, women's soccer could be in for a bounce-back season after injuries derailed a team that started off 6-1 last year, and volleyball will look to return to the NCAA tournament after a program-best campaign in 2008.

Out with the old...

...in with the NCAA tournament? Recently completed renovations lengthened the court in Cousens Gym to 94 feet, allowing the home of the Tufts basketball teams to host postseason games as early as this season. The new-look facility will be on display for the first time when the Tufts volleyball team hosts Wesleyan on Sept. 18.

Inside Boston Sports | Jumbo Nation: A look at the mania of local sports at Tufts

    Manic. Traditional. Intense. All words used to describe Boston's sports culture. But what does it mean to become a part of this atmosphere upon arriving in the area? For some, it can be a new annoyance along the lines of going to class; for others, it can develop into a new way to live, on par with breathing.     Like a toxic gas seeping through the cool Boston air into surrounding communities, the area's sports culture becomes infectious, even to the most halfhearted of fans. Sure, some exhibit innate immunity. But for the majority, setting foot in the region means instant exposure.     "Being around Boston sports in 2009 is to be around intelligence and a spirit that is really special," said Professor George Scarlett of the child development department, who moved to New England from Baltimore in 1963. "It's not just another sports town. I'm passionate about the Patriots but am neurotic about baseball and got caught up in Sox fever. I had experienced that city passion before in Baltimore with [Colts quarterback Johnny] Unitas, but gradually got converted when I started living on my own."     With a wave of championships flowing into the city, being a Boston sports fan has become increasingly easy for new students. The Boston Red Sox, for instance, have won two of the last five World Series and could be poised for another run this October.     The New England Patriots, likewise, are owners of three Super Bowl trophies this decade and have accumulated at least nine wins in every season since 2001. In 2007, the squad went 16-0 in the regular season. And with quarterback Tom Brady back from a knee injury, things are looking bright for the city's gridiron stars.     The Boston Celtics, who have won an NBA best 17 titles — including the 2008 championship — and the Boston Bruins, a five-time Stanley Cup-winning franchise, have made winning a way of life. The atmosphere of success can be contagious, especially to Tufts students.     "Once you live in this area, it becomes easier to jump on the bandwagon," said sophomore Jeff Prescott, who grew up in New York Yankee territory Wilton, Conn. "Collectively it's becoming easier and easier to support teams in Boston, because I think its beginning to compete for the sports capital of the nation."     Even for those Tufts students from far away, assimilating into Boston's sports atmosphere comes naturally.     "I feel like Red Sox fans are very accepting," said senior Brenna Heintz, a native of Alaska. "So I came here, where the Boston sports teams are really electrifying, and I got caught up in it. I'm sure that if you're a student who comes from far away and Boston has been losing a lot, you wouldn't be as likely to get caught up in it."     Just as it has no geographical boundaries, devotion in Boston has no age limit. For those accustomed to the city's recent success, like Prescott, or others who grew up watching the Red Sox in the 1940s, like Professor Sol Gittleman, the sports culture refuses to falter at the generational gap, appealing to all residents.     "If you're interested in sports and it's in your DNA, you get the sense that you're in a historic town," said Gittleman, who teaches a course on baseball history. "It's a little bit manic, a little bit crazy in such a small town. People take it extremely seriously."     Yet what attracts fans like Professor Scarlett to Gillette Stadium or Fenway Park is not the banners or the rings, but rather the constant support emanating from the seats in those hallowed grounds.     "What I fell in love with is this tradition," Scarlett said. "It was captured in ‘Fever Pitch,' this license to be nutty and to still have fun. If you keep an open mind and start to see the sports teams in Boston, I think you can still admit and enjoy the fact that there's something special here."     The fact that Boston houses hundreds of thousands of college-age sports fans only adds to the mania.     "College fans are some of the most driven fans because they're young, exuberant and are their own personalities," Jeff Prescott said. "New York is where business happens, not where fun happens. In Boston the fan base is so strong that it fosters a stronger and more tightly-knit community because it's the biggest college city."     Even for the most diehard of fans, Boston sports still offer rich opportunities each day. The consensus advice for any sports fan? Get to Fenway as soon as possible to experience the full effect of what the area has to offer.     "Fenway is one of the two great historic monuments left in pro baseball," Gittleman said. "If you got a sense of history, you'll want to see Fenway Park. You should get consumed, or at least involved, if you come and are interested in sports in general."     "Over the years, I realized that this [tradition] was something deeper than anything," Scarlett added. "Fenway Park is to Boston what Notre Dame is to Paris. It is the cathedral. It's this very positive community that links one generation to another. The tradition is unbelievable."

Inside the NFL | Rookies rising: Are first-years ready to fulfill their potential?

    Every year, several rookies perform at a level well beyond their age and transition smoothly from college to the fast-paced NFL game. Last season, newcomers such as Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, Joe Flacco  of the Baltimore Ravens, Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears and Steve Slaton of the Houston Texans blazed onto the national stage. With Ryan and Flacco quarterbacking their teams into the playoffs and Forte and Slaton amassing 1,000-yard-rushing seasons, this year's crop of NFL's rookies class will face the weight of some high expectations.     Perhaps the first-year who has gained the most attention has been New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. Fresh out of the University of Southern California, where he started just one season, Sanchez will take over under center in place of the mercurial, on-again off-again Brett Favre.     Coach Rex Ryan, also a rookie in New York, named Sanchez the starter despite an up-and-down preseason that included an impressive showing against the New York Giants but a shaky performance against the Ravens.     In the aftermath of Ryan's declaration, comparisons between Sanchez and Flacco quickly have become commonplace. Flacco last year became one of just eight rookie quarterbacks in league history to start a playoff game, while Sanchez hopes to follow suit after being handed the reins to the rebuilding Jets. But even though Flacco and Sanchez may seem similar on paper regarding their professional inexperience and strong defensive support, they are miles apart on the field.     Whereas Flacco was blessed with Derrick Mason to throw to, Sanchez has no true go-to receiver. Gone is deep-ball threat Laveranues Coles, leaving opposing defenses to key in on Jerricho Cotchery.     But it's undeniable that Sanchez has the potential to fill in admirably for Favre, as the former showed with a stellar performance in limited playing time against the cross-town Giants. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 149 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey.     Yet, in his opening contests, Sanchez looked more like a quarterback fresh out of college than one focused on leading the Jets to the playoffs. Against the Ravens Sanchez was shaky in the pocket in the face of one of the league's best defenses, throwing one interception in only eight attempts and accumulating a passer rating of 55.7.     When Sanchez takes the field on Sept. 13 at Houston, he will become the first Jets rookie quarterback since 1960 to start the opening game. How he performs remains to be seen, but the expectations are certainly high.     Still, while Sanchez is one of the only quarterbacks in line to make an immediate impact, he is certainly not the lone first-year to generate noise this preseason. Across the country, two running backs are making a storm in their respective West divisions, and the rushing attacks of the Denver Broncos and the Arizona Cardinals hinge squarely on their legs.     Broncos back Knowshon Moreno, a first-round draft pick out of the University of Georgia, recently sprained his MCL, and his status is up in the air for Week One. Denver has a history of turning rookie backs into immediate stars, but with pass-happy rookie coach Josh McDaniels at the helm, Moreno's role remains uncertain.     The hype surrounding Moreno would indicate that he is next in line to become the latest star in the Denver backfield. In just two years at Georgia, he averaged 5.5 yards-per-carry and rumbled for 2,736 yards and 30 touchdowns. That does not even include the aggregate 600-plus yards he accumulated in the receiving game.     Rumors have been circulating that Moreno's injury will hinder him from partaking in the opener, but he certainly possesses the physical tools to be an instant splash in the AFC West upon return.     Meanwhile, the Super Bowl runner-up Arizona Cardinals hope their rookie weapon, running back Chris "Beanie" Wells, will provide the missing ingredient for their potent offense — an established running game. Despite ranking second in the league in passing yardage, the Cardinals placed dead last on the ground, averaging just 73.6 yards per game.     Selected with the 31st overall pick in the 2009 draft out of Ohio State, Wells brings an established résumé to the desert. He rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Buckeyes his sophomore year, including a 222-yard burst against Michigan, the most against the Wolverines by any one running back in rivalry history.     But performing in the NFL will be a different story. Like Moreno, Wells has the capability to make it big — he was the only back to run a faster 40-yard-dash than Moreno — and he has shown flashes this preseason. On Aug. 28 in his professional debut against the Green Bay Packers, Wells made a splash, rushing for 46 yards and two scores, including a 20-yard scamper in the second quarter.     Even with Pro Bowlers at quarterback in Kurt Warner and wide receiver in Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, Wells should provide the necessary ground attack to keep opposing defenses from stacking the secondary.     While other first-years, such as Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, are high up on depth charts, the rookies will have a long climb to stardom. But Sanchez, Moreno and Wells all appear poised to make the leap sooner than expected.

Slideshow | Your Boston sports primer

Tufts Sports | ABCs of Tufts Athletics

Ashes: After Jumbo the Elephant's stuffed hide burned in a 1975 fire, his remains were recovered and stored in a peanut butter jar that is kept in Athletic Director Bill Gehling's office. Rubbing the jar before a big game is said to bring good luck. Brown and blue: Our school colors make for some of the ugliest uniforms this side of the Oregon Ducks. Cousens Gym: The 77-year-old facility has charm, old-school appeal and — finally — a regulation-sized court. Recent renovations lengthened the court to 94 feet, allowing Tufts' basketball teams to host NCAA Tournament games as early as this season. DMR: Following a photo-finish victory at last year's indoor track championships, the women's distance medley relay (DMR) team became Tufts' first repeat national champion since Caitlin Murphy (LA '00) won back-to-back 800-meter crowns from 1999-2000. Ellis Oval: The site of the outdoor track and football field is named for Fred "Fish" Ellis (A '29), a four-sport star considered arguably the greatest male athlete in school history. Built in 1894, it is also the oldest sports complex on campus. Field turf: Bello Field's unique playing surface has given Tufts quite a home-field advantage. Including the postseason, the field hockey team is 38-8 all-time at the five-year-old facility. Gantcher Center: Completed in November 1999, the 66,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility houses an indoor track and tennis court. Hamilton Pool: The oldest swimming pool in the NESCAC is the home of Tufts' swimming and diving teams. The facility's poor air quality was blamed for the rash of respiratory illnesses seen on the men's squad last year. Intercollegiate football: Athletics Director Emeritus Rocky Carzo has long contended that Tufts and Harvard squared off in the first U.S. college football game in 1875. The history books, however, cite an 1869 Rutgers-Princeton game, played with a round ball under rugby-style rules, as the birth of intercollegiate football. JumboCast: The student-run webcasting group streams live coverage of several Tufts sporting events over the Internet free of charge. Kraft Field: The home of the men's and women's soccer team bears the name of Patriots owner Bob Kraft, who gave the field as a gift to Tufts in the 1980s. Larry Bird: The Celtics great once filmed a commercial for the defense technologies company Raytheon in Cousens Gym. Malden Forum: The hockey team's home is located roughly 15 minutes away in nearby Malden, Mass. That's right, we have a giant elephant statue on our campus, but not an ice hockey rink. NESCAC: Boasting the Directors' Cup's top three schools, six defending national champions and, of course, your Tufts Jumbos, the NESCAC is perhaps the strongest conference in Div. III. Objective Analysis of Baseball: An Ex-College course on sabermetrics for all the stats geeks out there. President's Marathon Challenge: Started by University President Lawrence Bacow in 2003, the PMC's squad of 200 runners is the largest known collegiate marathon team in the country. Quinsigamond: Located in Worcester, the lake hosts many of the men's and women's crew teams' regattas, including the New England Rowing Championships. Richardson, Bill: The New Mexico governor and one-time presidential hopeful pitched on the baseball team from 1968-1970 and ranks 15th on the program's career strikeouts list. Sailing: Trinity owns squash, Bowdoin had a stranglehold on field hockey in recent years and Williams is tops in just about everything else. But Jumbo fans can always hang their hats on the sailing team, easily the most decorated squad on campus, with 20 national titles since 1976. Tuftonia's Day: Maybe it's not as catchy as "Hail to the Victors," but Tufts' fight song, penned in 1913, is just as timeless. We still don't know what a "tuftonia" is, however. Ultimate frisbee: Thanks to the nationally-competitive E-Men and the Ewo, ultimate is perhaps the most visible club sport at Tufts. Voute Courts: Home to the men's and women's tennis teams by day and health-conscious townies by night. William Gehling: Tufts' Athletics Director since 1999. Gehling has spent a lifetime on the Jumbo sports scene, co-captaining the 1973 men's soccer team to a 10-2 mark before serving as the women's head coach for the first 20 years of its existence as a varsity program. X's and O's: Of the 22 varsity head coaches on campus, seven are Tufts alums, including 26-year coaching veteran John Casey of the baseball team and Mike Daly, who, after playing football and baseball at Tufts, was hired to coach the men's lacrosse team in 1999. Yoga: As if to compound the whole latte-sipping, left-leaning, NPR-listening stereotype, we at Tufts have taken a liking to yoga, among the most popular physical education courses on campus. Zero: The number of NCAA team national championships Tufts has won in its history (the NCAA does not sponsor sailing). That's not to say we haven't come close. Both the women's soccer and field hockey teams have reached the NCAA title game in the last decade, only to lose in one-goal heartbreakers.

Interactive Map | Welcome to the NESCAC

Tufts is a proud member of the NESCAC, which, contrary to popular belief, does not stand for Never Expect Sports Championships At Colby. In fact, the New England Small College Athletic Conference houses some of the most successful teams in all of Div. III, including six 2008-09 national champions — Williams women's tennis and rowing, Trinity squash, Middlebury women's cross country, Amherst women's ice hockey and Bowdoin field hockey — and the top three schools in the Director's Cup — Williams, Middlebury and Amherst. Now when someone asks you why you went to school in the Northeast (because don't lie, it wasn't the weather or the raging parties), you can inform them that Tufts belongs to the country's best Div. III conference. So take a trip through the 10 other schools that share a conference with the Jumbos — institutions you will come to know and hate in your time here. With all the success, we figure that the stands should be filled with more than eight fans.

Men's Track and Field | Engelking and Rotella bring home NESCAC titles

Although two Jumbos brought home individual NESCAC titles at the championship meet on Saturday, the men's track and field team on the whole did not fare as well, missing out on second place by just half a point in part due to a few injuries to key runners. The Jumbos claimed 116 points at Conn. College, while Bates took second with 116.5 and Williams took first with a final score of 158.5 points.

Softball | Still perfect: Softball moves to 34-0 with doubleheader sweep of Endicott

    With the rap music blaring at Spring Fling just down the road on Saturday afternoon, the only thing ludicrous at Spicer Field was the Jumbos' play, as nationally ranked No. 5 Tufts kept its unblemished record intact with two wins over Endicott College, remaining sharp before hosting the conference tournament later this week.     Endicott, who entered the doubleheader as winners of 16 straight games, ran into a stiff Jumbo defense on Senior Day. In the latter contest, an 8-5 Tufts win, Jumbo sophomore hurler Izzie Santone improved to 16-0 on the season, scattering 12 hits over the complete-game effort.     At the plate in the second game, Tufts took advantage of two Endicott errors, pounding out 11 hits. Senior quad-captain Laura Chapman led the assault with three hits and two runs, while classmate Maya Ripecky added a pair of hits and two RBIs. All but one of the hitters in the Jumbos' lineup recorded a hit, as Tufts used four-run innings in both the first and fifth frames to surge ahead.     Senior pitcher Lauren Gelmetti earned the win in the first game, working all seven innings for her 14th win of the year and giving up just one run in Tufts' 4-1 victory. Senior quad-captain Samantha Kuhles and junior Casey Sullivan each had two hits and drove in a pair of runs.     With the two wins, the Jumbos solidified their stranglehold on the New England region and now only have a doubleheader at Brandeis on Tuesday before kicking off the NESCAC Tournament on Friday.

Alex Prewitt | Live from Mudville

One week ago, schools across the commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state of Maine took the day off in honor of Patriots' Day, a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Clearly, I'm not a true Bostonian because it took me roughly six days to realize that the holiday wasn't designed to honor what Tom Brady had done on the field and in the Playboy Mansion or anything else relating to Bill Belichick, Randy Moss or the End Zone Militia. But what if all of our holidays were like that? What if our most hallowed of days were transformed into 24-hour celebrations of all things sports? Well ...

Women's tennis | Women's tennis cruises past Bowdoin

    In its last regular season match of the season, the nationally ranked No. 19 women's tennis team put the nationally ranked No. 18 Bowdoin Polar Bears on ice in Sunday's 8-1 drubbing in Brunswick, Maine.     Coming off of its worst showing of the season in last weekend's 7-2 loss to Middlebury, the 8-4 Jumbo squad took an early lead over the Polar Bears, sweeping all three doubles matches — the first time the team has swept in nearly a month. In the closest match of the day at No. 3 doubles, senior Mari Homma and junior Erica Miller, who played as a doubles team for the first time since spring break, defeated their Bowdoin opponents 9-8 (7-5). In No. 1 doubles, the No. 2-ranked doubles team in the Northeast, comprised of junior captain Meghan McCooey and sophomore Julia Browne, easily overcame the Northeast's fourth-ranked doubles tandem of Bowdoin's senior captain Sarah D'Elia and freshman Emily Lombardi, 8-3.     In singles play, Tufts secured wins in all but one faceoff in the No. 6 match. In the No. 1 match, nationally ranked No. 15 singles player Browne faced down the nationally ranked No. 35 singles player D'Elia. Improving to 19-2 on the season, Browne toppled her opponent 7-6 (3), 6-3.      Finishing up a busy month of in-conference matchups, in which the Jumbos have crossed rackets with four top-20 teams, Tufts is well-positioned with the start of the NESCAC Tournament coming up this weekend.

Women's Track and Field | Tufts finishes third behind Williams, Middlebury

Even with personal records being broken and NCAA automatic qualifiers being surpassed, Tufts' spirited challenge of Williams' dominance of NESCAC women's track and field fell a little bit short on Saturday. The Jumbos finished in third place at the NESCAC Championships, racking up 145 points. Williams, with 180 points, captured its 10th straight title, while Middlebury scored 156 points to take second place.

Late-inning heroics help Jumbos earn NESCAC playoff berth with sweep of Colby, advancing conference record to 7-5

With its playoff destiny square in its own hands heading into the final NESCAC series of the season, Tufts continued its streak of timely hitting and offensive prowess, sweeping Colby to earn a berth in the conference tournament.

Women's Lacrosse | Jumbos head to semifinals

Amherst has been a thorn in the women's lacrosse team's side in the past, twice dispatching the Jumbos in past NESCAC first-round encounters. But the top-seeded Jumbos finally had their way Sunday, turning a first-half deficit into a 14-11 victory with one of their best second-half performances of the season to advance to the second round of the NESCAC Tournament for the first time in program history.

Men's Lacrosse | Tufts gets by Colby in tourney opener

The nationally ranked No. 8 men's lacrosse team, seeded No. 3 heading into NESCAC Tournament play, won its first conference tournament game since 2006, advancing past the first round with a 12-8 win over No. 6-seeded Colby yesterday afternoon at Bello Field.

Gideon Jacobs | The Pooch Punter

On Thursday, I went to the first game at the new Yankee Stadium. I walked into the main rotunda of the massive, modernized version of baseball's greatest cathedral, and the first thing I saw was a giant fruit stand. We were 10 minutes from the first pitch, and men and women were circling the giant tables of produce, squeezing pears, smelling mangos and inspecting bananas. Maybe some of them were grabbing a healthy alternative to the ballpark frank. Maybe some thought they'd grab a few quick groceries while at the game. I kept walking.