ATHLETICS

ATHLETICS BROWN, BLUE, AND YOU

Connection, community, and collaboration are foundational components of the Tufts athletics program. Jumbo athletes not only excel in competition, but develop lifelong connections with their teammates and the greater Tufts community. With that connection in mind, we asked several student-athletes to share how they have maintained and strengthened the relationships on their teams this year.

CASEY CUMMINGS

WOMEN’S TENNIS CLASS OF 2023

Among the Women’s Tennis team, we often talk about how every single one of us has a developed relationship with each teammate. I know that I could reach out to anyone on my team for any reason and receive a friendly response—I’ve had teammates connect me with mutual friends in my classes, share study techniques with me, and generally look out for my best interest. Speci cally, one weekend last year I was sick and I received text messages from every single person on my team offering to bring me soup or pick up supplies from the pharmacy, and extending their well wishes. It’s such an encouraging and secure feeling knowing that when you come to school you have all of these people looking out for you.

The unique circumstances of this year have inspired our team to seek new, creative ways to stay connected. For example, we often enjoy outdoor picnics and frequent Zoom calls where we have found lots of different games to play—including the team favorite: Pictionary! What I nd really special about our team is that regardless of seniority and team experience, everyone genuinely wants to be friends with each other.

EVAN SZABLEWSKI

MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CLASS OF 2023

Being a part of the Tufts Swimming and Diving team is an experience I love—my teammates are my best friends, biggest supporters, and family. As a team, we all work together to create an atmosphere where each swimmer is authentically excited to be there. In line with the Jumbo spirit, our team is super collaborative and everyone looks out for each other. If you’re having a bad day, it’s a great feeling knowing that your teammates are there to lift you up and support you.

Outside of practices and workouts, the social experience is integral to the dynamic of the swim team: we are known for being “that annoying table” on the rst oor of Dewick, where we spend all of our time together. Obviously, we have had to reimagine what connectedness looks like for our team this year and have done our best to nd safe ways to integrate the social aspect back into our team life. As a team, we have prioritized spending time with each other in small, socially distanced groups to maintain our close connection.

CLAIRE FOLEY

WOMEN’S FIELD HOCKEY CLASS OF 2022

I’ve always identi ed as an athlete—I’ve grown up involved with and surrounded by sports on every level. Entering Tufts, a big part of me felt like my college experience needed to be de ned by the fact that I was an athlete. In my time on the Women’s Field Hockey team, I’ve felt supported to grow as an individual and step out of my comfort zone. What I have found to be really invigorating is that we all really share a love for the sport and want to be there for each other. Our team operates on the philosophy that, to be successful, we all have to want to be there more and continue to appreciate the game, and the rest will fall into place. Even though there are a lot of differences among us, we all have eld hockey in common, which has brought us all together in a really supportive way.

This year, our team has engaged in a blend of different activities outside of our scheduled practices, and our coaches have really been great about planning team experiences within Tufts’ guidelines. With all of the time normally scheduled for traveling and tournaments, we have been able to be more involved in some fun fall activities like pumpkin carvings, and more recently, our team has been raising money to support breast cancer awareness.