Next Wednesday through Saturday, Tufts will compete in the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The tournament will feature the athletes who have achieved top times in both individual and relay events, and needless to say, the top performers from Tufts will have their hands full against powerhouses like Kenyon College, Denison University and Emory University.
Kenyon, a small liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, has won the men's overall title in 31 of the last 32 years. Its 31?year NCAA streak was broken last year when fellow North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) school Denison defeated them. The victory may have signaled a changing of the guard - Denison already defeated Kenyon this year in their conference championship tournament.
On the women's side, the overall title has been passed between Emory and Kenyon over the past eight years, with Emory taking the last two. History is on the side of Kenyon, which has come out victorious in 23 of the 30 years the tournament has been held, including a streak from 1984 to 2000.
Senior co?captain Owen Rood and sophomore Johann Schmidt will travel to Indiana for the Tufts men, marking the second year in a row the two have gone to the NCAA Championships. By themselves, it may be difficult to finish in the top 20 for a third straight year, but Rood is confident that they will make the best of their individual opportunities.
"I'm rooming with Johann, and he definitely has the potential to win [the diving portion]," Rood said. "If he does, he won't get a minute of sleep. That I guarantee."
Schmidt will compete in both the 1? and 3?meter dives, while Rood is entered in the 50? and 100?yardfreestyles and the 100 breaststroke. Last year, Rood finished 12th in the 50 freestyle, and he and coach Adam Hoyt have been working closely on the details over the last two weeks in hopes of doing even better in his last NCAA effort.
Schmidt, meanwhile, is already a two?timeAll?American. Last year, he placed sixth in the 3?meter and 12th in the 1?meter dive at nationals and came within seven points of breaking the 30?year old Tufts record on the 3?meter board.
Experience will not be on the women's side. Tufts will be represented by the foursome of sophomores Jenny Hu and Mia Greenwald, senior Courtney Adams and freshman Sam Sliwinski, all of whom are making their NCAA Championship debuts. As a team, they qualified in the 200 medley relay and will also compete in the 200 freestyle relay, the 400 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Individually, Greenwald will be swimming the 100 fly and Hu will race in the 100 breaststroke.
"The women's team hasn't sent a relay to Nationals since 1996," Hu said. "It's going to be really exciting for me, but I'm not nervous at all. I was nervous for NESCACs because the whole team was counting on me to swim my fastest; here, it's just exciting to go to such a high?level meet."
Hu's teammates are also are trying to find ways to keep things in perspective and swim within their capabilities. For Adams, the meet will have some personal significance.
"I'm not really nervous, as I know we have all worked very hard and deserve to be there," Adams said. "It will be my final swim meet of my swimming career, and I grew up swimming in the IUPUI pool, so I am just excited to be given the opportunity to swim my last races in that pool."
Both squads undoubtedly will be watching out for conference rivals Amherst, Williams and Middlebury, but they will mostly be focused on their own performances. Ultimately, they are excited to show what Tufts can do on a national stage.
"It has been a great season for both the men's and women's teams," Adams said. "NCAAs will be a great way for the six of us to represent our coaches, teammates and Tufts."
