NORTON, Mass. – The No. 13 Tufts University men's swimming & diving team totaled 12 first-place finishes during a convincing 172-122 victory in dual-meet action against Wheaton on Saturday in Norton, Massachusetts, as the Jumbos claimed the top-four spots in the 1,650-yard freestyle, the 200-yard butterfly, the 200-yard backstroke and the 500-yard freestyle.
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| Jasper Du placed first overall in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.41). |
Junior Zachary Wallace touched the wall first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:11.93, nine points) and the 400-yard individual medley (4:12.24), while freshman Eric Shi garnered first-place honors in the 100-yard butterfly (54.39, nine points) and the 200-yard individual medley (2:00.40).
Sophomore Brandon Jinn tallied a time of 16:30.52 (nine points) in the 1,650 freestyle, sophomore Kingsley Bowen clocked a time of 1:45.68 (nine points) in the 200-yard freestyle, senior Jasper Du posted a mark of 1:01.41 (nine points) in the 100-yard breaststroke, junior Neil Spazzarini posted a time of 2:00.09 (nine points) in the 200 butterfly, junior James McElduff recorded a time of 1:59.26 (nine points) in the 200 backstroke and freshman Alex Burnam registered a mark of 4:54.73 (nine points) in the 500 freestyle, as all six athletes placed first overall in their respective events.
Senior captain and diver Matt Rohrer, who has already qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Qualifier by posting his second required score last semester, earned first-place accolades in the 3-meter diving event (371.40, nine points). Junior diver Aaron Idelson finished second overall and was the Jumbos' top-finisher in the 1-meter diving event (287.10, four points), while he also placed second overall in the 3-meter diving event (286.13, four points). The Cooperstown, New York, native qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Qualifier on Saturday, by compiling his second required score.
Freshman Costa Camerano Spelta Rapini, Bowen, sophomore Noah Cagley and Spazzarini formed the Jumbos' "B" unit in the 200-yard freestyle relay, as the group was the first team to touch the wall with a time of 1:28.99. In the 200-yard medley relay, Wallace, Du, McElduff and junior Michael Brienza finished second overall, as the "A" squad posted a time of 1:38.71 and earned four team points.
Freshman Roger Gu placed second overall and was the team's top-finisher in the 100-yard backstroke (54.67, four points), while also garnering second-place recognition in the 500 freestyle (5:04.55, four points).
Sophomore Chris Simotas collected a second-place finish and was the squad's first-place finisher in the 50-yard freestyle (23.02, four points), while freshman Timothy Gronet placed second overall and was the team's top-performer in the 100-yard freestyle (50.45, four points).
Other impressive performances by the Jumbos in individual-event action included sophomore Adon Shapiro placing second overall in the 1,650 freestyle (17:22.91, four points), Cagley finishing second in the 200 freestyle (1:48.55, four points), junior Scott Simpson tallying a second-place nod in the 200 butterfly (2:02.47, four points), Jinn earning second-place acknowledgement in the 200 backstroke (2:03.01, four points), Bowen garnering second-place honors in the 200 breaststroke (2:19.53, four points), Du placing second in the 100 butterfly (55.25, four points) and McElduff tallying the second-fastest time in the 400 IM (4:18.83).
The Jumbos' balanced attack continues to be their calling card, as junior Lorenzo Lau, Shi, Simpson and sophomore Ross Wood worked as a cohesive unit in the 200 medley relay, en route to earning a third-place finish with a time of 1:39.79 (two points).
Next on the agenda for the Jumbos will be a trip to Middlebury, Vermont, on Friday (Jan. 27) – Saturday (Jan. 28), as the squad will compete in the Middlebury Invitational.
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