On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the women’s soccer team(10–2–1) stepped onto Bello field to face No. 12 Middlebury (7–1–5) on Senior Day in their second-to-last NESCAC game of the season. After a pre-game recognition for theirfour seniors, the whistle blew and the Jumbos were off with high energy.
As the season inches closer to the long-awaited NESCAC tournament, volleyball is eager to take home this year’s trophy.Although they lost to Colby and Bowdoin over this past weekend, their success at the beginning of the season led to aplayoff clinch on Friday. The top eight teams make the tournament, and the Jumbos currently sit at the fourth spot with a 6–3 conference record.
Wrestlers begin a sumo match with their fists on the floor. Then, the mountains collide. Both men throw absolute death at each other — grabs and strikes, hands latched on to the other’s belt. Suddenly, one of the Goliaths has an advantage. The fighters, known as rikishi, bully one another around the ring until a throwdown ends the match. It’s been six seconds and the Japanese crowd is going wild. However, this joy is not felt across the Pacific. Here in the United States, they are not seen as athletes.
Five individuals from the men’s tennis team took the flight down to Georgia to compete at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cup this past weekend. Senior Vuk Vuksanovic qualified by winning an ITA Regional singles title at the New England Regional Championships hosted by Tufts. Doubles pair junior Javier Gonzalez and first-year Stavros Mastrogamvrakis, as well as doubles pair juniors Sacha Maes and Alex Ganchev, both qualified by reaching the ITA New England Regional doubles finals.
A collective wave of groans echoed throughout the Stadio Artemio Franchi as the referee pointed to the spot. A quick passing combination had released Christian Pulisic into space as he darted towards goal. Despite losing his balance, the American was able to swiftly direct the ball towards Tijjani Reijnders before he was fouled by Luca Ranieri — penalty to A.C Milan. Fiorentina’s early graft for a 1–0 lead now seemed pointless as Theo Hernandez steadied himself at the spot.
Paul Juda won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics with the U.S. men’s gymnastics team this past summer, alongside his teammates Stephen Nedoroscik, Frederick Richard, Brody Malone and Asher Hong. Their efforts ended a 16-year medal drought for the American men’s team. Juda, a native of Deerfield, Ill., also competes for the University of Michigan Wolverines, where he has won three individual NCAA championships. He is touring around the country with Simone Biles’ Gold Over America Tour, which stopped in Boston on Oct. 6 and 7.
Two years ago, on a rainy night deep in the San Fernando Valley, I went to watch Bronny James play. That year’s Sierra Canyon team was notably worse than those of years prior. Bronny was the only all-American on the team and the only upperclassman with real NBA potential. In previous years, he could hide behind his NBA caliber teammates, but not that year — this was his team. That night, Bronny threw down a powerful between-the-legs dunk in game — his most famous highlight to date. While throwing an eastbay in-game is not a guarantee of basketball excellence, I would argue that it does show a brilliant flash of raw talent. A talent which, given Bronny’s 6-foot-2 frame, was truly remarkable.
Legacy can be tricky. In any field, when your name carries weight, the expectations that come with it can be suffocating. But in sports, it’s a different kind of pressure. It’s not just about living up to the name on your jersey, it’s about expanding upon the greatness that you inherited.
The Jumbos returned from a trip to Lewiston, Maine with a 3–1 win, improving their NESCAC record to 4–2–1. Tufts junior forward Elsi Aires and junior defender Lena Sugrue each scored a goal in the first half. First-year midfielder Sarah Hauck scored her second goal of the 2024 season late in the 79th minute.
Tufts women’s tennis traveled west to Smith College to participate in the 2024 New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament last weekend and returned to Medford with a pair of champions from the “B” draw competition. First-year Brooklyn Bindas and junior transfer Ellie Gershaw took the doubles title in their bracket, besting Megan Sun and Selma Petrie of MIT in the finals. Bindas and Gershaw each secured individual victories in the draw as well, with Bindas beating Petrie and Gershaw taking down Sun in the final singles matches.
With opening night still a few weeks away, there isn’t much going on in college basketball. Teams right now are preparing for the long season ahead and there is little to no movement in regards to personnel. But there are still some headlines regarding recruiting, conference realignment, and more. Here are the stories that I found to be the most significant and interesting.
The Code of Points is the rule book determining exactly how each gymnast gets scored and by extension, what skills are the most efficient balance of risk and reward. Here is a quick overview of the major changes in the women’s Code of Points for 2025-28.
It’s tough to go from Little League to The Show. Only around 0.5% of those who play baseball in high school make it to the professional level. But what if we all want to be involved in America’s favorite pastime? We don’t all possess the strength or talent required to throw a ball in the 90s or hit one 400 feet, but we all can come to the ballpark as fans, with our mitts and souvenir cups, and experience the game from the bleachers.
The NHL season kicked off Tuesday night with three nationally televised games: Blues-Kraken, Bruins-Panthers and Blackhawks-Utah Hockey Club. The Blues were victorious over the Kraken 3-2, the Panthers over the Bruins 6-4 and Utah over the Blackhawks 5-2.
Tufts football entered its week four matchup against Trinity College riding high after a 25–0 shutout victory over Amherst College. The Jumbos, with a 2–1 record, looked to hand the undefeated Bantams their first loss of the season.
After four consecutive away games, the Tufts women’s soccer team came home to Bello Field last weekend to take on Trinity College in their sixth NESCAC game of the season. The Jumbos, coming off a 4–1 win versus the Endicott College Gulls, were on a high, but were still working hard to prepare for their game against the Bantams.
The Jumbos closed a two-game homestand looking for a fifth consecutive undefeated week to begin October, having jumped to the No. 2 ranking in the country according to the United Soccer Coaches Poll. The squad — which had spent Tuesday night in a 90-minute dogfight with Babson College where Tufts had escaped with a 1–1 draw thanks to an 89th minute equalizer from sophomore superstar forward Xavier Canfin — was looking for their first clean sheet performance in a NESCAC game since Sept. 15 versus Connecticut College.
On Saturday, men’s cross-country traveled to Bethlehem, Pa. to compete in the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University. The Paul Short Run is a huge cross-country meet featuring 10 different collegiate races.
When James Earl Ray escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, the clock was ticking until his eventual capture. Martin Luther King Jr.’s killer covered 12 miles in 54 hours before he was caught in the mountains. Every year in eastern Tennessee, around 40 handpicked runners compete in an ultramarathon to try to shatter James Earl Ray’s pace: They attempt 100 miles in 60 hours.
After winning four matches in a row, the Tufts volleyball team had their first in-conference defeat against Middlebury College on Saturday. The Jumbos bested the Ephs in four sets with scores25–12, 25–20, 25–21 and 25–18, but ultimately fell to the Panthers in four the next day, losing 25–22, 25–23, 17–25 and 25–19.
