Sports

Sports

Men’s hockey advances to NESCAC championship game, falling to Trinity in the final

By Max Druckman | March 5

On Nov. 26, 2023, as the Tufts community savored the final hours of their Thanksgiving break, the Tufts men’s hockey team fell 3–2 to the then No. 10 ranked Salve Regina University Seahawks.The loss brought their record to 0–4–1, as the 2023–24 campaign looked to be over just five games after it started. Fast forward to March 2, and that losing streak is a distant memory.

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Columns

Extra Innings: 2024 MLB award picks

By Henry Blickenstaff | March 4

These are my thoughts on who will win the MVP and Cy Young awards in each league, as well as some dark horses to watch out for. National League MVP My pick: Mookie Betts, Dodgers

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Sports

Men’s and women’s track and field boasts strong finishes at the New England Division III Championships

By Connor Murphy | March 1

Last weekend, the men’s and women’s track and field teams took on the New England Division III Championships at The Track at New Balance. The three day championships were the culmination of an impressive indoor season for the Jumbos. Both teams sported top ten finishes, with the men’s team placing second out of 26 teams with 106.5 points and the women’s team placing tenth out of 27 teams with 30 points.

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Sports

The Round-off Roundup: Want to save men’s gymnastics? Bring back mixed pairs

By Sarah Firth | March 1

Men’s gymnastics is in dire straits in the United States. At the collegiate level, many programs have been given the axe, along with other non-revenue men’s sports like wrestling, or swimming and diving, to comply with Title IX policies. In 1969, 210 institutions sponsored men’s gymnastics; today, only 12 Division I programs remain.

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Sports

Men’s basketball falls to Trinity in NESCAC semifinal, turns toward NCAA Tournament

By Keriann Slayton | February 29

Men’s basketball came up short in a back-and-forth battle against the Trinity College Bantams in the semifinal game of the NESCAC tournament, but the team’s strong offensive performance is building momentum as NCAA tournament play approaches. Tufts entered the contest as the No. 4 seed in the conference, primed to face off against the No. 2 seed Trinity in a rematch of Tufts’ competitive Senior Day game that ended in a close loss. Although the Tufts defense managed to limit Trinity’s leading scorer — forward/center Ben Callahan-Gold — to only 4 points, a late 12–2 run by the Bantams sent them to the conference championship.

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Columns

In the Crease: Jack Adams Award predictions

By Zachary Gerson | February 29

This week’s focus is on the Jack Adams Award, which is awarded to “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success.” Each year, one coach is honored as the season’s best coach.

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Sports

Hockey defeats Conn. College to advance to semifinals of NESCAC Tournament

By Tara Wirtschoreck | February 28

Tufts hockey will advance to the NESCAC semifinals for the first time since 2016 after a 5–3 victory over Connecticut College. Despite their two goal victory, the Jumbos took a while to start scoring. Tufts struggled to keep up with Conn.’s offense at first, with the Camels scoring twice in the first period.

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Columns

Moments ‘til Madness: The top dog in March

By Owen Short | February 28

Monday afternoon graced us with a new No. 1 team, the University of Houston Cougars. This is the first time Houston has been at the top of the rankings all season, with the University of Kansas being the only other Big 12 Conference team to do so this year. Following them are No. 2 Purdue University and No. 3 University of Connecticut. 

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Sports

Winter Cup: Kayla DiCello wins all-around, Suni Lee falters on original element

By Sarah Firth | February 27

USA Gymnastics’ Winter Cup kicked off over the weekend in Louisville, Ky. This event was the first major domestic competition of the 2024 Olympic year. The Winter Cup traditionally serves as an option for athletes to test out new skills and begin the season at a competition with less pressure.

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Columns

Extra Innings: Spend more money

By Henry Blickenstaff | February 26

I am well aware that just last month, I went on a tirade claiming that baseball was broken because of the lack of spending limits. But, just because I don’t like the system doesn’t mean certain teams aren’t stupid for not taking advantage of it. Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs — I’m looking at you.

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Sports

Women’s swimming second at NESCAC Championship

By Madeline Mueller | February 23

The Tufts women’s swim and dive team took second place out of 11 teams at the 2024 NESCAC Championship Meet held at Middlebury College, scoring 1,628.5 points over the course of four days, outsourcing all but winner Williams College. The team was led by two first-place finishes from senior Jillian Cudney in the 100-freestyle and sophomore Quinci Wheeler in the 50-breaststroke. Wheeler set a NESCAC record in the 50 breaststroke with a time of 28.47. Several Tufts’ team records were also set in competition.

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Sports

Hockey secures strong postseason seeding with last games of regular season

By Tara Wirtschoreck | February 23

Last weekend, Tufts men's hockey finished the regular season with a win against the Bowdoin Polar Bears and a tie against the Colby Mules, keeping them at No. 3 in the NESCAC with a 9–7–2 NESCAC record. Tufts started their weekend on the road with a strong 3–1 victory over Bowdoin. It was an important weekend for the Jumbos, who needed to maintain a seed of fourth or better in the NESCAC to host a playoff game this weekend.

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Sports

Leading on and off the field, former executive sports editors share their Tufts journeys

By Bharat Singh | February 22

Whether it’s on the field or in the newsroom, the Daily has been gifted with its share of writers who exhibit leadership qualities on multiple fronts. As sports journalists and varsity athletes, these writers are outstanding examples of passion-driven individuals dedicated to delivering quality work and lifting others around them. Ananda Kao (LA’22) and Keila McCabe, who served as executive sports editors in fall 2021 and 2022, respectively, shared their experiences with the Daily.

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Columns

Moments ‘til Madness: The history

By Owen Short | February 22

Throughout its history, the Daily has primarily focused on coverage of professional or Tufts basketball. In celebration of Daily Week, I aim to reflect on how the Daily gave me the opportunity to write about a passion of mine, college basketball, and in turn, how my column has contributed to the sports section of the Daily.

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Sports

Bowdoin eliminates women’s basketball in first round of NESCAC Tournament

By Max Druckman | February 21

On Feb. 3, the Jumbos women’s basketball team welcomed the Bowdoin Polar Bears to Cousens Gymnasium on Senior Day. Though the Polar Bears emerged victorious with a final score of 77–63, the Jumbos showed that they could compete with the NESCAC’s top dog.

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Columns

Extra Innings: Where the PECOTA projections went wrong

By Henry Blickenstaff | February 20

PECOTA stands for Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm. It’s a fancy way of describing a system used by the organization Baseball Prospectus to predict the MLB standings in a given season, which it does every year. Let’s just say I’m not too crazy about the algorithm — and not just because it doesn’t have the Chicago Cubs winning the National League Central. These are, in my opinion, the five most insane PECOTA projections from this year’s iteration. 

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Track And Field

Tufts women’s and men’s track notch stellar performances with championships around the corner

By Connor Murphy | February 16

The Tufts women’s and men’s track competed in the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Gordon Kelly Invitational last Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Jumbos proved themselves a force to be reckoned with, as they recorded strong finishes and held their own against D1 competition.

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Sports

Women’s basketball loses last regular season games, looks ahead to NESCAC Tournament

By Keila McCabe | February 15

The women’s basketball team dropped two road games this weekend to conference opponents Wesleyan and Trinity. The two losses will put the team’s regular season record at 11–12. Prior to its last weekend of NESCAC play, the Jumbos came off a four-game losing streak, including a triple overtime loss to the Middlebury Panthers. With a tall task of shifting momentum and — on Saturday — clinching NESCAC Tournament entry with a win against Trinity, Tufts ultimately came up short.

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Sports

Men’s basketball splits doubleheader weekend at home

By Nick Dohr | February 15

Tufts men’s basketball looked to conclude their regular season on a high note in games against Wesleyan Cardinals and Trinity Bantams over the weekend. Walking into the Friday evening game, the Jumbos knew they needed a win against the Cardinals in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Cardinals sat at 12–10 for the season going into Friday, while the Jumbos had the record of 17–5.

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Columns

In the Crease: Norris Trophy predictions

By Zachary Gerson | February 14

This week’s focus is on the Norris Trophy, which is awarded to the best defenseman of the NHL season.

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