This past weekend, Tufts men’s and women’s rowing combined for mixed results in their season opener on the Malden River against Wesleyan University. The men’s 1v8 boat lost its first race, but the men’s 2v8 boat edged out Wesleyan. Both the women’s 1v8 and 2v8 boats fell short to the Cardinals.
As we enter the final month of the NBA’s regular season, the fourth through 10th seeds of the Eastern Conference remain in flux while the league’s elites have established themselves as the teams to beat in this year’s playoffs. However, injuries to key contributors on contenders threaten playoff and championship hopes for many teams, the new play-in tournament has fallen under scrutiny and one team is soon to be under new ownership.
The series consisted of two doubleheaders: the first set at Tufts on Saturday and the second at Colby on Sunday. The final game was a blowout win for the Jumbos, who beat the Mules in five innings due to the mercy rule. Tufts sophomore catcher Josie Steinberg and graduate student infielder Casey Maggiore combined for four hits and three RBIs. DiCocco, a first-year who has immediately contributed to the team, now has a 3–1 record with two wins as a starter, and was just named NESCAC Pitcher of the Week.
Over the past four years or so of running his podcast and interviewing people from NBA stars to presidential candidates, Redick fell in love with podcasting as a creative medium but felt that his endeavors were always somewhat lacking from the business end. He began to realize during the early months of 2020 that he didn’t own the most valuable assets of his show, the concept and the intellectual property behind the show.
The Japanese government has spent $15.4 billion on this Olympics — more than has been spent on any other Summer Games in history. Postponement costs alone account for 22% of the budget, such as renegotiating new stadium and TV deals. This is more than double what Japan initially planned for when it took on the job for the 2020 games back in 2013. If Japan backs out now, it stands to lose out on not only publicity for the country but a lot of revenue as well.
As the incoming Class of 2025 is welcomed into the Jumbo family, senior student-athletes took a minute to reflect on their first years in Medford as well as their transition to Tufts both on and off the field. From the recruiting process and choosing Tufts to the countless hours in the weight room and competing for national championships, these student-athletes have been through it all and now offer valuable advice to student-athletes just beginning their journey in brown and blue.
The No. 11 ranked Tufts women’s tennis team marked the return of Tufts sports on Saturday with a dominant 9–0 victory over Brandeis in Waltham. While no spectators were permitted at the match, it was the first Tufts athletics competition this year. The match also marked the season opener for the Brandeis Judges.
This week, we’re celebrating a series of firsts: the first American to medal four times at the FIS Cross-Country Skiing World Championships, the first U.S. athlete to win the cross-country Tour de Ski and the first American woman to take home the FIS Cross-Country Ski World Cup. Remarkably, all of these accomplishments can be attributed to one athlete: cross-country skier Jessie Diggins.
While the continuation of a spring sports season provides Tufts student-athletes and sports fans with cautious optimism, the formatting of the schedules for each team reflects the difficulties of playing during a pandemic. The shortened nature of the season will put immense pressure on student-athletes to perform well, as their chances to qualify for postseason play are extremely limited.
Aside from injuries and load management, COVID-19 has also played a part in a less exciting season. More than 30 games were postponed this season and countless players have missed games due to contracting COVID-19 or contact tracing. Although these issues are understandable, the league could have taken more preventative measures, such as canceling the All-Star Game.
The Tufts men's varsity soccer program has swiped four NCAA championship titles in its past six seasons, most recently taking home the crown with a 2–0 victory over Amherst in 2019. The common denominators among these titles have been traditional preseasons, schedules consisting of full-contact competitive play and former head coach Josh Shapiro. In soccer, many coaches say that players should know what they're going to do two plays ahead. A pandemic was never thought to be one of those plays.
NFL Network called it “the throw of the pro day season.” There was one particular throw in Zach Wilson’s pro day that stood out to NFL scouts and Twitter alike. "The throw" had the former Brigham Young quarterback in a sprint right bootleg, rolling toward the left hash and hitting receiver Aleva Hifo in-stride 60 yards downfield, as Wilson was still drifting to his left. But when former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields made a nearly identical throw in his pro day several days after Wilson, the NFL media was silent.
In 2019, the Jumbos won the NESAC Championship, but after the pandemic denied them a 2020 season, only nine players from that championship team remain. The first game was riddled with errors and batting struggles for both teams, as the offseason rust was palpable.
Saturday’s win places the Jumbos at the top of the NESCAC conference, and with the limited season, every game counts. Given the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year, the team is grateful to be able to play this season.
With 22 games remaining, the Cs have the potential to go on a massive winning streak and squeak into a top-four playoff seed; they play a banged-up Charlotte Hornets team twice and the scuffling Minnesota Timberwolves twice. With its relatively easy schedule to wrap up the season, Boston can build up some confidence with a handful of winnable games down the stretch.
The goal for many playing a sport at the Div. III level is to win a national championship; but at heart, many play for simply the love of the game. Although Tufts offers several masters programs for students looking to extend their stay in Medford, these programs might not have been as tempting for student-athletes prior to the NCAA announcement.
The play-in has made playoff basketball more than feasible for a number of teams. Twenty teams will play meaningful, do-or-die basketball in May. It’s the exact wrinkle we needed to counteract the weirdness of a season shortened by COVID-19. It means the number of teams waving the white flag and opting to tank is incredibly small, amounting to only three or so per conference. It will make this final stretch of the season as entertaining, if not more so, than the playoffs themselves.
This past weekend provided an opportunity for the swimmers to showcase their hard work and put it to the test by competing against one another. The team competed for three days during its typical practice times. Each individual raced in one or two events of their choice. In addition to allowing the team members to compete, the weekend was about celebrating a senior class that has dedicated so much to the program over the past four years.
This week's Long Shot column is about Isaiah Kacyvenski, a former NFL linebacker. Kacyvenski played the majority of his career in Seattle, where he captained the Seahawks for three seasons, including their 2006 run to the Super Bowl. Overall, he had a wildly successful NFL career, but the projections for his success weren’t always so first-rate.
Cross country is a sport that is grueling, competitive and cerebral. These qualities make it perfect for a fun and interesting broadcast to an international audience. In addition, cross country is one of the few types of running that has a close-knit team aspect to it, since all members of the team are running the same race and competing for team points.
