TREACY, ZUPANCIC, HUDAK TO CAPTAIN 2002 JUMBOS

With 16 starters returning from last year's 6-2 team, Tufts Head Coach Bill Samko and the coaching staff are pleased with the talent on the 2002 squad. The hidden ingredient to last year's success was leadership, which the Jumbos received in great supply from 14 members of the senior class. Continuing the all-for-one, one-for-all mentality of last year will be important as this year's team looks to post the program's first back-to-back winning seasons in a decade.

The bulk of that responsibility falls on the shoulders of 2002 tri-captains Caleb Hudak, Scott Treacy and Evan Zupancic. With the way that trio was talking in the pre-season, the Jumbos are in good hands again this fall.

"The biggest thing we lost from last year is leadership," Hudak said. "Not just guys like captains Mike Willey and Scott Mittenthal, who were all-stars. Guys like Tim Robinson and Chris Mellen, who didn't play as much, but were there every day working hard. I can't slack off when a kid like that is giving everything. As captains, we have to take last year and transfer it to this year."

All three captains mentioned the closeness of the team that they experienced during recruiting visits as a factor in their decisions to attend Tufts. Team players all, the 2002 tri-captains will back up their leadership with individual performance on the field.

Treacy, a senior quarterback from Wakefield, Mass., will guide a more balanced offense that operates behind a big and experienced offensive line. He has bided his time at Tufts, playing as the back-up quarterback and at receiver during his first two seasons. He became the starter last year and guided an efficient offense that was the third most productive in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). He's excited about the potential of this year's offense.

"We'll run just as much this year, but we'll do it a little more to set up the pass," Treacy said. "(Running back) Chuck McGraw made a lot of big plays last year. We have strength and experience on the offensive line, and our offense will be generated by the work those guys do, and they're very good."

Zupancic, a senior cornerback from Lake Oswego, Ore., is part of a secondary that could be one of the league's best. Recruited by major programs in the West such as Oregon, Washington and Brigham Young, he came to Tufts to play football and baseball. Last spring he set the baseball team's single-season record with 11 home runs. This fall he enters the football season with 13 career interceptions, just two shy of the program's all-time record of 15 set by Scott Burnham from 1979-82.

"I want to push the team to the highest point it can reach," Zupancic said. "I won't be satisfied with anything less. Having the interceptions, well, stats come. Everyone gets them. Our performance will really be recognized at the end of the season. Our final record will be the judge."

Hudak, a defensive tackle, leads a junior class that could feature as many as 11 starters this year. That's half of the lineup. With himself, offensive lineman Justin Kelley, receiver Matt Cerne and others, the Class of 2004 is an experienced group that will supplement the senior leadership. An All-NESCAC selection as a sophomore last season, he was a key element on a defense that ranked fourth nationally allowing 10.4 points per game. He's enthusiastically accepting his role as a captain under Coach Samko.

"Coach told us captains it's our team," Hudak said. "It's their system, but we have the freedom to run the team our way. We have a lot of guys who will help us, too."

Tufts has a chance to firmly establish itself in the competitive NESCAC this fall. The tri-captains think the team could be special if everyone works hard and injuries are few. They will handle continuing the legacy of the team concept.

"It's not that difficult to get guys pumped up," Zupancic said in early September. "If anything, we might have to keep guys down a bit so they don't burn out. We want to peak at the start of the season. We want to build towards the start and then explode and stay steady."

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