In basketball, there's the sixth man who comes off the bench. In football, there's the 12th man in the stands. And for Tufts swimming, there's the 24th man who gets to join the conference team.
The NESCAC Championships are less than a month away, and 23 of the spots on the squad have already been determined. But with the Wheaton Invitational coming up this weekend, one spot is still up for grabs.
"I feel strongly that everyone deserves a chance to show their best," Coach Adam Hoyt said. "This weekend will be an opportunity for all the guys who are rested to do that, and it allows us to make sure we have the most competitive team possible at our conference championships."
Hoyt will evaluate the performances of the 23 swimmers not currently on the conference roster and decide who best fills any gaps in the lineup.
"Our team certainly has different needs," he said. "We're deeper in some events rather than others, so it might be more competitive to earn a spot on our team in certain events. A lot of emphasis will be based on the times that they swim this weekend, because most likely they'll be the fastest times that they've swum throughout the season."
Last year's 24th man was Beckett Linn, a sprint swimmer who is now a sophomore. He was selected after his performance at last year's Wheaton Invitational, where he placed first in a 50-yard time trial, second in the 100-yard butterfly and first, second and third in three relay events. Linn validated his role on the team, making his presence known at the championships when he placed seventh out of 39 in the 50-yard butterfly.
"I try to keep a very open mind when selecting a candidate to join us at the championships — someone who's deserving of that spot from a performance and attitude standpoint and a work ethic standpoint," Hoyt said. "All the guys have been working really hard, and I expect them to perform really well this weekend and probably make it pretty hard on me."
The Jumbos placed second at the conference meet last year, and they are poised to make another strong showing with a deep, talented group of swimmers.
The Wheaton Invitational will be a good test for the team, which went 5-3 this season and placed third at the MIT Invitational. MIT, which defeated Tufts both at the MIT Invitational and in a dual meet, will once again pose tough competition this weekend.
"It's a great finale for our swimmers, and for those guys going on to conference champs, it's a great precursor for what's to come," Hoyt said. "It really gives them a sense of how the hard work is going to pay off for them when they get a little bit of rest and head up to Bowdoin College for conference championships."
The Wheaton Invitational will be held tomorrow and Saturday, and the NESCAC Championships will take place from Feb. 25-27.
—Aaron Leibowitz
