Jumbos Win Five Events on Friday at NESCAC Meet

WATERVILLE, ME (February 14, 2025) - The Tufts University women's swimming & diving team won five of the nine events contested tonight in an outstanding performance at the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships held at Colby College.

Tufts would win the first three events to get the night started. The 200 freestyle relay foursome of Isa Chambers, Katharine Skelly, Emma Claus and Jillian Cudney were first to the top of the podium with a 1:33.11 winning time. It marked the third time in the last four years that Tufts has won the 200 free relay at NESCAC's.

Quinci Wheeler followed that up by winning her second straight 50 breaststroke conference title. She had a winning time of 28.62 seconds that was a Colby pool record.

The Jumbos would also earn first-ever conference championships in the 50 butterfly and the 50 backstroke. Making it three in a row for the Jumbos to start the night, Jade Foltenyi led a 1-2-3 Tufts finish in the 50 fly with a 24.93 time. The mark was just 0.01 off the Jumbo school record. In the 50 back, Elena Harrison - who broke the school record in the event with a 25.78 time in the morning preliminaries - came back and won the final at night with a 26.18 mark. In addition to Tufts' first-ever NESCAC titles in those events, it's the first conference championships for Foltenyi and Harrison.

Jillian Cudney won the fifth Tufts title of the day with a 23.29 dash in the 50 freestyle. Swimming in the final conference meet of her career, Cudney won her sixth NESCAC championship (individual and relays) and first in the 50 free.

Even with the five wins, Tufts trails Williams College by a narrow margin in what is shaping up to be an exciting battle for the conference championship. The Ephs lead after two days with a 783 score and Tufts is second with 748. Host Colby stands third (508).

Madeleine Dunn notched the Jumbos' second record-breaking swim of the day in th 500 freestyle final. She broke her own record with a 4:49.80 time for second place.

The Jumbos had three runner-up performances in all. First-year Angel Smyrniou was second behind Foltenyi in the 50 fly with a 25.12 time. She had won the preliminaries with a 25.07 mark. In the final, Tufts' Skelly swam third with a 25.20 time. Lara Wujciak also tied for 14th in the event (26.10).

Tufts was second in the 400 medley relay to close Friday's action. Harrison, Wheeler, Foltenyi and Cudney put together a 3:44.92 time, an NCAA B cut. The Jumbo B relay of Noa Chambers, Mia Solomon, Smyrniou and Isa Chambers also swam an NCAA B qualifier with their 3:46.60 time for 10th place. 

Isa Chambers had an individual third in the 50 freestyle (23.47) where Tufts had four score in the top 24. Additionally, Skelly was 12th (23.96) and Sweeney Su placed 23rd (24.43).

Tufts had a quartet score in the top 17 for the 200 individual medley. First-year Angelina Sagaow led the group in fourth place with her 2:05.68 time. Sydney Stasz was eighth at 2:08.41, Claus took 10th in 2:08.14 and Cierra McCarty won the pre-consolation final (17th) with a 2:07.30 time.

Even more impressively, five Jumbos piled up points in the 50 backstroke. Gaurika Singh was sixth in the championship final with a 26.38 touch. Noa Chambers (10th in 26.63), Olivia Pettit (11th in 26.82) and Madison Hagberg (16th in 27.12) all swam in the consolation final.

The 50 breaststroke also saw solid scoring by Tufts behind Wheeler's win. Solomon won the consolation final for ninth overall (28.91), Abby Miller was 14th in 30.18 and Stasz scored 15th with a 30.22 finish.

In one-meter diving, Malia Leung had a career-best fifth-place effort with a 419.65 mark. In her first NESCAC meet Luci Karp narrowly missed qualifying for the finals, placing ninth with a 387.65 total.

The Jumbos also had Selin Tuncay win the pre-consolation final in the 500 freestyle with her 5:02.16 finish. The 200 freestyle B relay of Su, Stasz, Foltenyi, Solomon had a 1:35.47 mark that was 13th place.

Tufts made numerous NCAA B cuts on Friday. In addition to the two 400 medley relays, Dunn in the 500 free, Cudney in the 50 free, the 200 free relay A, Sagaow in the 200 IM, Isa Chambers in the 50 free, Leung in one-meter diving and Harrison and Noa Chambers with their lead 100 back legs in the 400 medley relay all earned NCAA B cuts.

Day 3 of the meet on Saturday will have the 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 1000 freestyle, three-meter diving and 200 medley relay. Prelims begin at 10 AM and the finals will start at 5:45 PM.