Teams: Men's Swimming & Diving: Press Releases

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

EIGHT MEN'S SWIMMERS, COACH HOYT EARN NESCAC RECOGNITION

MEDFORD – Based on their strong performances at the 2006 New England Small College Athletic Conference championship meet, eight members of the Tufts University men's swimming & diving team have been selected to the All-NESCAC team. The top three finishers in each event receive All-Conference recognition.

Tufts was the runner-up at the meet hosted by Williams College February 24-26. That was their best finish in the six-year history of the conference championships. The Jumbos broke nine school records and posted numerous nationally qualifying times at the meet. As a result, his peers voted Tufts' second-year coach Adam Hoyt as the NESCAC Coach of the Year.

Senior quad-captain Brett Baker (Englewood, CO/Cherry Creek) was All-NESCAC in an impressive seven events. As the anchor leg of the 800 freestyle relay, he was part of a Tufts record and automatic national qualifying team of 6 minutes, 49.04 seconds in the event. He was also a part of record-setting swims in the 200 freestyle relay (1:23.51), the 400 medley relay (3:28.15) and the 400 freestyle relay (3:06 flat). Individually, Baker was the runner-up in the 50 freestyle (21.43 seconds) and the 200 freestyle (1:41.87). He was third in the 100 free by touching in 46.50 seconds.

Junior Greg Bettencourt (West Granby, CT/Westminster School) gained conference honors in five events. He swam the 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle and 400 medley relays that broke records. In the 500 freestyle, he swam a Tufts record 4:33.17 in the preliminaries, then took second in the finals with a 4:36.11. In the 200 freestyle preliminaries, Bettencourt also set a new Tufts mark with a 1:41.28, then was third in the final at 1:42.01.

Senior Jon Godsey (Dallas, TX/Jesuit College Prep), the only Jumbo to win a NESCAC championship at the meet, was All-NESCAC four times. He won the 200 backstroke with a school-record time of 1 minute, 51.32 seconds. Also a member of the record foursomes in the 800 free relay and 400 medley relay, Godsey led off the third-place 200 medley relay that swam 1:34.90 for another school record.

A part of the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays, junior Michael Kinsella (Hinsdale, IL/Hinsdale Cenral) was a three-time All-NESCAC recipient including a third-place effort in the 50 freestyle (21.45 seconds).

Junior Justin Fanning (Concord, MA/Concord-Carlisle), senior quad-captain Jason Kapit (Garrett Park, MD/Walter Johnson), senior Seth Rosenberg (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights) and freshman Andrew Shields (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) were all two-time All-NESCAC based on relay performances. Fanning was in the 400 and 800 freestyle relays, Kapit was in the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays, Rosenberg was in the 200 and 400 medley relays and Shields was in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

Hoyt, who was hired as an interim coach prior to the 2004-05 season, came to Tufts from Trinity College where he was an assistant coach. Tufts has now received three of the last four Coach of the Year awards in NESCAC. Hoyt succeeded Don Megerle, the conference Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004.

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