Tufts hopes hard work will pay off at NESCACs

In the town of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico — 1600 miles away from the chilly Tufts campus — things really started to heat up for the men’s swimming and diving team as it trained over winter break to prepare for the second half of its season.

According to first­-year Jacob Siegelbaum, the training in Puerto Rico was the most demanding training the team had done all season.

“We were doing doubles, insane yardage, insane practices—really hard stuff,” Siegelbaum said.

Now, with the NESCAC Championships at Middlebury coming up next weekend, the team is looking to reap the benefits of that intense training. For a sport like swimming and diving, however, mental preparation is just as important as physical training. All­-American sophomore diver Matt Rohrer emphasizes the importance of getting into the “meet ­mindset” when preparing.

“You really have to focus in on the moment," said Rohrer. "Try to put yourself in a meet scenario, and just think about what you would be doing if you were on the board at Middlebury about to compete in the middle of finals—just try to get that adrenaline going.”

The three weeks between the end of the regular season at the Middlebury Invitationals and the NESCAC Championships are vital for the team to recharge and refocus. Head coach Adam Hoyt cites resting as being vital in this process.

“This is the time we really start to rest and get the guys in optimal physical and mental condition to be able to put their best races forth," said Hoyt. "We will have had about two-and-a-half weeks to prepare ... which is a good chunk of time to really focus on specific events and a specific contest.”

Another key to the success of the Tufts team at NESCACs will be its ability to work well together. Coach Hoyt strongly believes that a tight­-knit team begets strong performances.

“Everyone has doubts within themselves, so it’s nice to get close to your teammates so those doubts can be eliminated by confidence and [by] each other,” said Hoyt.

Though swimming and diving mostly consists of individuals competing in individual events, the Jumbos believe that camraderie with and support from their teammates have an immense effect on individual performance.

“If I have a team around me, helping me out, my energy and the synergy of the team just skyrocket," said Siegelbaum. "I think that’s why, at big championship meets, a lot of times you’ll see people drop insane amounts of time -- because the energy that teams create at championship meets is just unparalleled.”

The recent inclement weather also seems to be working in Tufts’ favor in that respect. Junior tri-­captain Cam Simko believes the weather has a been a blessing in disguise for the swimmers.

"[The snow days have given us time to] train together at the pool, which is great because we don’t usually get to train as a whole team,” said Simko.

With 18 first-years, Coach Hoyt is excited by the prospect of such a young team.

“We graduated eight guys off our NESCAC team, and we’ve got 12 freshmen on our team this year," said Hoyt. "That’s a 20­-person swing, so it’s hard to compare this team to any other team in the past. I’m really excited and looking forward to them making their own mark.”

The team's first-years have predictably played a huge role this season, as they account for 18 of the 44 members of the squad. They have also been some of the top swimmers for the team this season, with first-­years Morgan Ciliv, Panos Skoufalos, Zachary Wallace and James McElduff among those consistently registering top times in competitions throughout the season.

Two of those selected for the NESCACs will also be representing the diving team. Rohrer feels a particularly large amount of pressure since he impressed with top times in last year’s competition—enough to earn All­-American honors in 2014. He noted the benefit of having recently competed in Middlebury’s facilities at the Middlebury Invitational.

“It was really awesome to get there, jump on the boards, compete on the boards [and] get all my lousy dives out on the boards at Invitationals," Rohrer said. "So, come NESCACs, I’ll be sure that I know how to compete there.”

Rohrer also has high hopes for his diving partner for NESCACs, first-­year Aaron Idelson, and looks forward to seeing Idelson compete at a higher level.

Overall, the main theme in the team’s preparation and performance at NESCACs is trust. Simko and Siegelbaum both have echoed coach Hoyt's mantra of “trust your training."

"The biggest factor is trusting the coaching staff and trusting your upperclassmen teammates so that any kind of nervousness is good nervousness,” said Hoyt.

So what can you expect to see come Feb. 20-­22 at Middlebury? At the very least, there will be tough competition. Coach Hoyt believes this year will be arguably one of the strongest years for the NESCAC on a national level.

To place as high as third at the meet would be no small feat for Tufts’ swimmers and divers. Following months of hard work and the right mental preparation, however, the team is brimming with hope for an impressive showing at the Championships.

“It’s gonna be a good meet,” Rohrer remarked, “I think we’re gonna do a lot better than we were expecting to.”