Tufts swimming & diving team complete season with numerous championship appearances
MEDFORD, Mass. — On Saturday, March 14, 2020, Coach Adam Hoyt addressed his 24 NCAA team swimming and diving team qualifiers. During this meeting, Coach Hoyt shared that he had just received news the NCAA had canceled the 2020 Division 3 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The Tufts team was poised to finish top-10 nationally in both championships, men, and women, which would have been the first time the teams had ranked that high in close to 40 years. The Jumbos (Tufts University’s mascot) would then wait another 24 months until being able to compete at the National Championships. This long wait would be worth it as both teams excelled at the highest level this past season earning over 20 All-American performances at the 2022 NCAA Championships and seeing the women’s team win their first individual and relay titles in team history.
The teams’ journeys began on October 15, 2021, on the first official day of practice; the 38 women and 40 men were eager to pursue the dreams that had been placed on hold due to the pandemic. While the 2020-21 school year was in person, there were no in-person competitions held and practices were extremely limited due to COVID-19 restrictions.
With the teams training 16-20 hours per week in the pool and weight room, they came to the first meet of the season ready to compete. Though it had been close to 20 months out of competition, the meet environment was electric and both teams came out with impressive victories; the men 227-65 and the women 252-41 over Brandeis University. This first dual meet helped build momentum leading into the team’s 3-day MIT Winter Invitational where the women came out on top of the 7-school competition and the men finished runner-up to MIT. Over the course of the 3-day meet, Tufts had multiple team records set and NCAA cuts made. This invitational would serve as a precursor of things to come for both teams.
With swimming and diving being a winter sport season, the teams had the opportunity to head down to Stuart, Florida to train during winter break. Over the course of 14 days the team trained a total of 40 hours, swimmers swam over 80 miles, and divers completed over 1,000 dives. The team trip was highlighted by dinners together each night and some team excursions to the center of Stuart, beach days on Hutchinson Island where the team stayed, and an alumni-sponsored dinner at the Jupiter Beach Resort.
Upon arriving back in Medford, Massachusetts, the team was back to work with classes starting up and New England Small College Athletic Conference Championships less than one month away. Both championships were hosted in the newly built Harold-Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center which boasts the only Olympic-sized swimming pool in the state of Maine.
The women’s team was the first to compete for a conference title against 10 other colleges and Universities within the conference. Over the course of the 4-day conference championship, the meet was close with Williams College and Tufts University exchanging the lead. Williams was looking for its record 20th NESCAC title while Tufts was pursuing its first-ever championship. Led by strong performances from all 24 women on the roster, the Jumbos came out on top after the final event had been completed over the 4 days and 7 sessions, crowing Tufts NESCAC Champions with a score of 1809 to Williams College’s runner-up score of 1758.5. Coach Adam Hoyt was named NESCAC Swimming Coach of the year following the team’s historic performance.
Four days later Coach Hoyt and his staff returned to Waterville, Maine with his men’s team looking to compete for their chance at a title. The men had a fantastic performance having 80 lifetime best swims/dives over the weekend. Among them were 21 NCAA B cuts and 4 team records. However, a dominant Williams College team ultimately took home the title.
Following the NESCAC Conference Championships, the teams eagerly awaited final invitations to compete at the NCAA Championships. Tufts saw 21 athletes qualify to compete at the 2022 NCAA Championships held in Indianapolis, Indiana at the storied IUPUI Natatorium. At the National Championships the Tufts women placed 7th, their highest finish in 40 years which was highlighted by National Titles in the 200 Freestyle by junior Claire Brennan and in the 800 Freestyle Relays with the team of juniors Katelin Isakoff and Claire Brennan, and seniors Abby Claus and Mary Hufziger. The men finished in 21st place highlighted by top-8 performances from two first-year standout swimmers, Ethan Schrier and Eric Lundgren. In addition to these athletic achievements, Coach Hoyt was named Co-Coach of the Year for NCAA Division 3 Women’s Swimming.
Over the course of the 2021-22 swimming and diving season, Tufts set a total of 22 team records and had 20 athletes named as All-Americans; it had truly been a great Championship Season. Though the coaches and team members celebrated their performances, that was not what makes a championship season special. After a 2-year postponement of championships, the athletes and coaches alike reflected on how special the opportunity is to be part of a team and have the opportunity to compete; the journey is what to celebrate not the destination (unless of course, you’re visiting south Florida during the winter months).
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