It's a new swimming and diving season, and that's only the beginning of the changes the men's team has undergone. With 34-year head coach Dan Megerle taking a leave of absence from coaching, Adam Hoyt steps in with the interim label, becoming the fifth head coach in team history.
Hoyt brings with him experience swimming and coaching at other NESCAC schools as a 2001 Hamilton College graduate and an assistant coach at Trinity College since 2001. The team's senior leadership is already praising Hoyt's new strength and conditioning program and is excited for the season's prospects.
"[Hoyt] has implemented a new strength training program to our practices and has increased the yardage of our swimming to focus on our endurance as well as speed," senior tri-captain Seth Baron said. "From the start, the guys have been pretty excited to see what we can learn from him and hope to succeed under his tutelage."
Senior tri-captain Mike Rochette is optimistic that changes to training strategies could yield positive results.
"[Hoyt's] program has given us a chance to try some new things in our training," Rochette said. "And we look forward to seeing our hard work pay off once we get into our meet schedule."
The team is coming off a successful 2003-04 campaign where it placed third of 11 teams in the NESCAC Championships, qualifying five swimmers for Nationals over the course of the season. The team's performance at the National meet was highlighted by a 15th place finish in the 200-meter freestyle relay, earning the Jumbos four points and a 48th place finish of 53 competing schools.
With many swimmers and divers who contributed to last year's success returning, the team is optimistic for better results this winter.
"We have a lot of returning letterman who will play major roles in our success," Baron said. "I have a strong feeling that many of the guys will step up this season and go faster than ever."
Baron was one of the key contributors to last year's team. His season was highlighted last season by setting the school record in the 200-meter butterfly at the New England Championships in a time of 1:55.27. Rochette is also among the returning school record holders, as he set the Jumbo standard in the 50-meter breaststroke last winter in the same meet, swimming it in 26.80 seconds. Rounding out the team's senior tri-captains is Chris Valente, a specialist in the breaststroke.
Junior Jonathan Godsey is also a school record holder, having set the current mark in the 50-meter backstroke as a freshman, swimming it in 24.16 seconds at the 2003 New Englands. Godsey is the teams best in the backstroke and led the Jumbos in points in last year's NESCACs.
Among the members of last year's National-qualifying relay team returning are juniors Jason Kapit and Brett Baker, both of whom were recognized as All-American Honorable Mentions in the sophomore seasons. Rochette had plenty of praise for his junior teammates who he expects to play major roles in the team's productivity this season.
"Jason [Kapit] is our most versatile swimmer and will be competing in almost every event this year," Rochette said. "Jason, Ray Radovich, and Seth Rosenberg will step in to replace our top three [individual medley swimmers] from last season."
"Brett is our strongest freestyler and one of our best relay swimmers," the senior tri-captain continued. "He will team up with freestylers Baris Piyade, Justin Fanning, and Greg Bettencourt to try to send some [relay teams] to Nationals."
Before NESCACs and Nationals come however, training must conclude, and the team must begin a winter filled with competitive dual meets. Tufts opens its season on the road with two meets this weekend, first on Saturday traveling to Connecticut College for a NESCAC showdown with the Camels.
On Sunday, the Jumbos head to Chestnut Hill for a meet they are particularly excited for, as they have a showdown with the Div. I Boston College Eagles. The players see the meet at BC as an opportunity to make a statement early in the season that they can compete with any competition.
Looking ahead, the team's ultimate goals involve the postseason and achieving success at the NESCAC Championships and at Nationals. Baron is confident that the team is primed for another run at the conference and nation's best.
"The team looks very strong this year, and we have set very high goals for ourselves," Baron said. "We plan to repeat the successes of the last two years in attaining a top-three spot in the NESCAC Championships, and [we] hope to send even more guys to [Nationals] than last year."
