Men's cross country
In the regular season, the Jumbos finished third at the Bates Invitational, eighth at the Purple Valley Classic, 17th at the Paul Short Run and 16th at the Connecticut College Invitational. The team took a dip in form when itentered the NESCAC Championship, where it finished eighth out of the 11 competing teams.
However, the Jumbos bounced back and earned another 10th place finish at the NCAA Regional Championship, this time out of the 54 teams in competition. At the NCAA Regionals, rising junior Neerav Gade finished first for the Jumbos in a time of 25:59.8 for 43rd overall. Behind Gade were rising sophomore Evan Ensslin and rising senior Patrick Nero, who finished 54th and 55th, respectively. Following behind them were rising junior Sam Gatti, who ran a 26:36.8 to finish 85th, and rising junior Joseph Harmon, who ran a 26:38.3 for 88th place. Rounding out the times for the Jumbos were rising junior Collin O’ Sullivan, who finished 97th in a time of 26:44.1 and rising sophomore Connor Giersch, who placed 110th in a time of 26:52.7.
The Jumbos did not compete at the NCAA Championships. They will be graduating five seniors this year.
Women's cross country
The women’s cross country team had a successful fall 2019 season with numerous high-placing finishes.
In their regular season, the Jumbos didn’t drop below a third place finish. The Jumbos finished first at the Bates Invitational, third at the Bowdoin Invitational and first at the Purple Valley Classic. At championship meets, the Jumbosfinished sixth at the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association Championship,second at the NESCAC Championship, third at the NCAA Regional Championship and eighth at the NCAA Championship to wrap up a very successful season.
Not only did the team perform well, but individuals excelled over the course of the season. Rising junior Danielle Page recorded the second-best finish at an NCAA tournament in the history of the Tufts women’s cross country program. Page recorded a 21:25.5 time to earn sixth place, and also took home All-American honors. Graduating senior Sabrina Gornisiewicz made her debut in collegiate cross-country this season, and managed to take home a slew of top-three finishes throughout the season as well as a 27th place finish at the NCAA Championship, which earned her All-American honors. Finishing behind Gornisiewicz at the NCAA Championship were rising junior Anna Slager, who came in 63rd, rising sophomore Lauren Pollak, who finished 150th and graduating senior and co-captain Rhemi Toth, who finished 186th.
Field hockey
This season, the field hockey team aimed to compete in the NCAA tournament and hold on to the No. 4 ranked position in the country. The team held an overall record of 15–5, with only one loss at home on Ounjian Field.
The Jumbos had some crucial wins during the season,including their regular season win against Middlebury, which marked the Panthers’ only loss this season. Despite numerous commanding performances throughout the season,the team fell short in the NESCAC Championship finals to Middlebury in a devastating overtime finish. The season concluded with anotherovertime loss in the NCAA quarterfinals against Johns Hopkins University, where Tufts lost by just one goal with a 2–1 final score.
Coach Tina Mattera led the team to another winning season in her 17th year with the Jumbos, and tallied yet another NCAA appearance. Graduating seniors and co-captains Rachel Hamilton and Shannon Yogerst supported the team this year, leading the team to impressive victories. Rising junior forward Gillian Roeca was integral to the team's offense, and was one of the league's highest scorers this season. At the end of the season, graduating senior midfielder Marguerite Salamone and Roeca, along with rising junior midfielder Sophie Schoeni, received All-Region honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA), and Salamone also received the first team All-American Honor from Longstreth and the NFHCA.
The team's dedication, grit and tenacity allowed them to prosper. While the team will be graduating five seniors who have been crucial to its success on the field, the team looks to maintain its determination heading into the 2020 season.
Football
The football team finished with a 4–5 record during the 2019 season, a step back from the 7–2 finish in 2018.After opening its season with a win over three-time defending NESCAC champion Trinity, Tufts appeared to be the team to beat in the NESCAC.
Yet early losses to conference powerhousesWilliams andAmherst, followed up by asoul-crushing loss to Wesleyan in week five, were too much for Tufts to overcome. Middlebury eventually claimed the league title, finishing 9–0 following a season-ending win over Tufts in Medford.
At times, the Jumbo offense, led by graduating senior quarterback Jacob Carroll, showed signs of being among the most prolific in the NESCAC. Carroll developed a special connection with graduate student Frank Roche, who racked up 989 receiving yards to lead the league and set an all-time Tufts record. Roche was named to the All-Offense first team, an inspiring comeback for a player who missed much of his undergraduate years with recurring injuries. Rising senior receiver O.J. Armstrong came alive with a three-touchdown performance in a49–0 homecoming win over Bowdoin.
Defensively, the Jumbos were once again led by graduating senior linebacker and co-captain Greg Holt, who received first team All-League defense honors for his fourth consecutive year. This is an exceptional achievement by Holt, who was the only senior to earn first team honors every year of his college career. Rising sophomore Jovan Nenandovic also earned first team honors after finishing tied for the most sacks in the NESCAC. Rising senior defensive back Michael Mughetto was named to the defensive All-Conference second team, too.
Men's soccer
Another year, another season’s worth of hardware for Tufts men’s soccer. The Jumbos repeated as national champions, securing their fourth national title in the past six years, and were also crowned as the NESCAC champions. Tufts finished the season with a 7–1–2 record in conference play and an overall record of 20–2–2.
After winning the NESCAC Championship, the Jumbos began their run in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Final Four in Greensboro, N.C. Beautiful, long-range strikes from rising seniors Alex Ratzan and Mati Cano propelled Tufts to a4–0 victory over Calvin University in the semifinal. The next day, Tufts defeated conference rival Amherst behind goals from graduating senior and co-captain Gavin Tasker and rising senior Max Jacobs, securing its second straight national championship.
After the conclusion of the season, Tasker and graduating senior Joe Braun were named to the United Soccer Coaches Association’s Scholar All-Region, Scholar All-American and All-American teams. The Jumbos’ coaching staff was also honored, earning the United Soccer Coaches National Staff of the Year award. Tasker and Braun along with rising seniors Biagio Paoletta and Calvin Aroh were named to the NESCAC First-Team, junior Travis van Brewer earned Second-Team honors and coach Josh Shapiro was the Coach of the Year.
Despite the successful year, Tufts will have to move forward without seven seniors and coaches Josh Shapiro and Jordan Ciuffetelli, who took positions at Harvard. New coachKyle Dezotell, coming from Ithaca College, will be tasked with maintaining the excellence of the men's soccer program in the 2020 season.
Women's soccer
Women's soccer had a great season overall and made deep runs into the NESCAC tournament as well as the NCAA Championship. On the season, the team finished 14–4–2 overall and 7–2–1 in the NESCAC conference, only losing out to Williams and Middlebury in the regular season. The team finished out its regular season by beating Bowdoin 1–0 and earned the No. 1 seed heading into the NESCAC tournament.
Tufts knocked out Bowdoin in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament witha 2–1, double overtime win. Tufts advanced to thesemifinals where it faced Amherst, losing 3–0.
The team then headed into the NCAA Championship where it played SUNY Cortland. The Jumbos defeated the Red Dragons in a 3–1 victoryto move on to the second round of the NCAA tournament. In the second round, Tufts was matched up against The College of New Jersey,whom Tufts defeated in a 2–0 victory to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2005. In the NCAA Sweet Sixteen,Tufts was matched up against NESCAC rival Williams, its second matchup of the season. Williams got an early 2–0 lead in the first half, and while Tufts earned one goal shortly after to bring the score back to 2–1, the team was unable to get the equalizer and fell to Williams 2–1, ending its season.
Volleyball
The 2019 volleyball team finished a successful season with an undefeated NESCAC conference record of 10–0 and an overall record of 28–2. The team rode this success to a NESCAC championship, defeating Bowdoin in five sets. This wasthe Jumbos' second NESCAC title in team history, the previous coming in 1996. The Jumbos received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament but were eliminated in the second round.
The Jumbos started off the season strong with 18 consecutive victories before a five set loss against Babson College on Oct. 19. Following their 3–2 loss to Babson, the Jumbos responded with a 3–1 victory over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Engineers later that day. The Jumbos kept their momentum after this second match, finishing the regular season with five consecutive victories.
Tufts entered the NESCAC tournament as the No. 1 seed. In the opening round against Hamilton, Tufts came out with a 3–0 victory thanks in part to graduating senior outside/opposite hitter and co-captain Maddie Stewart’s 13 kills. Tufts followed this victory with a 3–0 win against Middlebury in the NESCAC semifinal. Tufts then collected the NESCAC title with its five-set victory against Bowdoin, winning the fifth set 15–13.
In its first match of the NCAA tournament, Tufts defeated the Eastern Nazarene College Lions 3–0. However, the Jumbos season came to an end in a tight five-set loss to Bowdoin in a second round rematch of the NESCAC Championship.
Men's crew
The men’s crew teamopened its season at the Head of the Riverfront Regatta in Hartford, Conn. The men competed in three eights, two quads and several doubles. Tufts boats finished first and third in the open quad event and secured a runner-up finish in the open double event. The varsity eight boat finished seventh after an unfortunate collision.
At the biggest race of the Jumbos’ season, the 55th edition of the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, the men’s “1V," or varsity eight boat, finished 21st place out of 37 boats. The team included rising junior coxswain Tara Curran, rising sophomore Graeme McDonough, rising junior Alex Williams, rising senior and co-captain Harris Hardiman-Mostow, rising sophomore Ryan Hankins, graduating senior and co-captain Mats Edwards, graduating senior Mitchell Koganski, rising sophomore Liam Jenkins and rising sophomore Paul Fabrycky. The Tufts men's second varsity eight boat competed in the Men’s Club Eight event and finished in 26th place.
To close the fall season the men’s rowing team traveled to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for the Head of the Fish regatta where the Jumbo boats crossed the finish line first in five races: the Novice Eight, the Collegiate Single, the Collegiate Quad, the Collegiate Double and the Lightweight Quad. (copy note, those are official race titles so they're capitalized -Alex)
Women's crew
The women's crew team had a dominant fall season, with the first and second varsity boats finishing strongly in all of their races.
The kickoff of the season began in Hartford, Conn., at theHead of the Riverfront Regatta. In the 25-boat eight race, the first varsity boat, stroked by rising sophomore Ava Mendelsohn, took first place. In the same race, the second varsity eight placed eighth overall and second within the other 2V entries. Tufts’ third-string boat finished first out of the other 3V boats. Four Jumbo doubles participated in the doubles race, finishing first, ninth, 12th and 13th out of 13 boats.
At the famedHead of the Charles Regatta in Boston, the team showed impressive strength. The Tufts first varsity eight placed sixth out of 27 boats, and the second eight, stroked by rising senior Lindsay Naber, finished 17th. Notably, in the Alumni Eight category, the Tufts women’s alumni eight, composed of rowers within seven years of graduation, finished in 26th place out of 44 boats.
The Jumbos’ season ended strongly at the Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga Springs, NY. In the first varsity eight race, the 1V boat placed third out of 17, with an impressive time of 11:35.76. The second varsity boat placed first in its race, and the novice eight placed second out of 17 crews. Graduating senior duo Madeleine Clarke and Camden Myles placed third in the doubles race, rounding out the Jumbos’ impressive performance.
Currently ranked atNo. 6 in Div. III, the Jumbos have a bright future for next season, despite the spring being canceled.
Men's tennis
The No. 17 nationally ranked men’s tennis team had a brilliant ending to the fall season with rising sophomore Rishabh Sharda winning the A singles bracket at the Wesleyan Invitational. Sharda defeated Middlebury’s Alex Vanezis in the final, edging out a close 3–6, 6–2, 10–3 victory.
The team was led by graduating senior and co-captain Ethan Bershtein and consisted of five seniors, three juniors, six sophomores and four first-years.
Rising senior and co-captain Boris Sorkin won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) cup men’s singles national championship for the second straight year at Berry College in Rome, Ga. In the final, Sorkin defeated Middlebury’s Stan Morris in a close 7–6 (5), 3–6, 6–1 battle. With this victory, Sorkin earned the ITA Div. III All-American honors for the 2019–20 season. He was also awarded the James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award in the ITA Championship.
In the doubles bracket, Sorkin partnered with rising sophomore Josh Belandres. The duo lost its opening match in a close contest to Johns Hopkins University. However, the duo ended up winning two consolation matches.
In one of the team’s most successful fall seasons, the Jumbos amassed seven tournament titles, with rising junior Isaac Gorelik winning the A Singles, Sharda winning the B Singles, the team of Sorkin and Belandres winning the A doubles, the team of rising senior Owen Bartok and graduating senior Ben Biswas at the Middlebury Invitational and Sorkin’s amazing run at the ITA Championships.
Women's tennis
The women’s tennis team began its 2019 fall season in September with the three-day MIT Invitational. The Jumbos had eight players enter the singles bracket and four pairs in the doubles bracket.
Rising sophomore Tilly Rigby had a standout performance as the tournament’s runner up in the singles competition. Rigby won her first four matches of the tournament, sending her to the championship where she faced Wesleyan rising sophomore Caitlyn Ferrante. Although Rigby ultimately conceded the match 7–6, 6–4, her second-place finish was an impressive collegiate debut.
In the doubles competition, rising sophomore Casey Cummings and rising junior Caroline Garrido had a strong showing as they made a semifinal round appearance.
Two weeks later, the team traveled to Middlebury to compete in the ITA Regional tournament. In the singles competition, rising junior Maggie Dorr and Rigby each won their first two matches before falling to their opponents in the round of 16. In the doubles bracket, the top-seeded pair of Dorr and Garrido won its first two matches before falling to its opponents in the quarterfinal round.
In the third and final tournament of the fall season,the Jumbos traveled to Smith College to compete in the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament. The tournament was formatted such that each player entered as a member of a team of two. The Jumbos entered three teams of two into the tournament, which served as a good way for players to face several different opponents over the course of the three days.
While the fall season tournaments do not feature team scoring, they provide an opportunity for individual players to face opponents they are likely to see again during the spring season.
Sailing
The Tufts sailing team is one of just a handful of Jumbo athletic teams that compete outside of the NCAA Div. III conference. As part of the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), the team faces off among the likes of Stanford and the Ivy League. Time and time again, Tufts sailors have consistently thrived against the toughest competition in the country. This fall was no different — after garnering a handful of top-five finishes across a myriad of trophy competitions, the Jumbos finished fifth out of 10 teams at the ICSA Match Race Championship on Nov. 3.
The winning boat at the ICSA Match Race Championship was skippered by rising junior Ansgar Jordan, a San Diego, Calif. native who in just two years has emerged as a leader on the Tufts team. The crew consisted of rising sophomore Patrick Mulcahy, rising senior Lindsay Powers and rising junior Connor Sheridan. Following the initial round-robin competition, the Jumbos held a fifth-place spot. Initially, this would have given the Tufts boat a chance to compete for a top spot in a top-eight quarterfinal, but due to weather-induced time constraints, officials at the competition ruled that Tufts would compete for fifth place along with Tulane University, The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Eckerd College.
The boat placed fifth in the contest. Jordan, Mulchay, Powers and Sheridan initially qualified for the race after a dominant first place finish at the New England Match Race Championship on Oct. 13. In their first few races of the Spring season, the Jumbos garnered a third place finish at the Hap Moore Trophy and a second place finish at the Wood Trophy.
Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified Michael Mughetto as a graduating senior, when they are in fact a rising senior. The article has been updated to reflect this change. The Daily regrets this error.
