Three teams won NESCAC championships, and a total of nine are headed to NCAA and other national tournaments
Tufts athletics teams are having a busy and successful spring season, with many heading to NCAA Division III and other championship action.
Women’s Lacrosse. The Jumbos set a new program record for goals in an NCAA tournament game with their 23-7 victory over Cabrini University on May 9 in a second-round game played at Colby College. The 23 goals surpassed the previous team NCAA record during the 22-16 victory over Drew University in 2009.
Head coach Courtney Shute’s team (7-0) advances to the third round of the NCAAs on May 15 against Roger Williams at Colby with an 8 p.m. start.
Men’s Lacrosse. Tufts will meet Babson College in the first round of the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship on May 15 at St. John Fisher College. The Jumbos (6-0) won the program’s 10th NESCAC championship at Williams College on May 8 to earn an automatic NCAA berth.
With its third straight conference championship, Tufts heads to the NCAAs for the 12th year in a row and 13th time overall. Webcasts of this weekend’s games will be available here.
Women’s Tennis. For the 19th time in the last 20 seasons that the NCAA women’s tennis championship has been held, Tufts is in the tournament, this year with an at-large berth. The Jumbos (6-1) received a first-round bye and will play in the second round on May 15 against the winner of the Endicott College (9-0) versus Nazareth College (8-0) opening-round match.
The Jumbos, who were the NESCAC runner-up this season, have a 20-18 record in their 18 previous NCAA appearances since making their first in 2001. This is Tufts’ fifth NCAA tournament in a row (it was not played last year due to COVID-19).
Softball. Senior Kristina Haghdan pitched a two-hit shutout in game one and junior Nicole Russo went 3 for 3 with two home runs, four RBIs, and three runs scored in the second contest as the Jumbos won the 2021 NESCAC championship with 10-0 (5 innings) and 7-2 victories at Williams College on May 8.
Head coach Lauren Ebstein’s Jumbos (17-3) are conference champions for the second straight time after winning in 2019. The Jumbos now have 12 NESCAC titles overall, twice as many as the next-most in the league. With the title, the Jumbos receive the NESCAC’s automatic NCAA berth.
Baseball. The Jumbos (10-5) were runners up in the NESCAC tournament, losing to Amherst, but will be heading to the NCAAs as well. That field will be announced on May 23.
Women’s and Co-ed Sailing. Jumbo sailors will be competing in the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) national championships. Women’s Sailing will compete at the ICSA Championships in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 19-20. The Co-ed Sailing team will be at the ICSA Team Racing Championships in Annapolis June 2-3.
Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field. The two teams will likely have representatives at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, on May 27-29. There are still a few weeks left to qualify.
For the latest sports news, go to the Tufts Athletics website for daily updates.
