The No. 1 ranked Tufts men’s lacrosse team advances to the NCAA Division III National Championship on Sunday, May 28, after defeating Rochester Institute of Technology 15-11 at Bello Field on May 21 in the semifinals. This was the sixth meeting of Tufts and RIT in the final four and the eighth overall meeting in NCAA tournaments between the two schools. Tufts won three of the five previous final-four games against the Tigers.
The Jumbos (22-0) hope to win their fourth national championship this weekend when they take on No. 2 Salisbury University at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Eagles. Salisbury defeated Christopher Newport in the NCAA final four.
This is the Jumbos’ first trip to the NCAA national championship game since 2016, when they lost to Salisbury 14-13. Tufts is 3-2 all-time in national championship games, with wins in 2010, 2014, and 2015.
Tufts athletes have been busy in additional postseason action, with many still competing.
Women’s Track & Field. The Jumbos will send an experienced crew of five women to the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships May 25-27 at Polisseni Track and Field Complex in Rochester, New York at St. John Fisher University. Hannah Neilon, EG23, Kelsie Hao, Post Baccalaureate Premedical Program ’23, Jaidyn Appel, A23, Lia Rotti, A23, and Sarah Firth, A25, have a combined 20 NCAA appearances between them leading into the 2023 outdoor meet.. The five Jumbos will compete in a total of seven events, with Hao and Rotti in two each.
Men’s Track & Field. Harry Rienecker-Found, A24, will represent the Jumbos at the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week. In the high jump, Rienecker-Found cleared 6'8 ¾" (2.05m) at the All-New England meet on May 12 to punch his NCAA ticket and tie for ninth nationally this season. The championship will be hosted by St. John Fisher University May 25-27 at Polisseni Track and Field Complex in Rochester, New York.The high-jump competition begins on May 27 at 10 a.m. This is the fourth NCAA meet for Rienecker-Found, and the second outdoors. He was an All-American indoors with a fifth-place national finish in 2022.
Women’s Rowing. The Jumbos were one of eight teams in the nation to receive an invitation to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships taking place May 26-27 at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, New Jersey. The Jumbos, who placed second among NESCAC teams at the National Invitational Rowing Championships (NIRC) on May 12, earned one of four at-large berths into the NCAA competition. Tufts’ first and second varsity eights will travel to the championships.
Men’s Rowing. For the second year in a row, the team has earned an at-large berth into the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Division III National Championship Regatta June 2-3 on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey. The IRA National Championship is the oldest college rowing championship in the United States, and last year, for the first-time, it included a Division III Championship. The Jumbos were one of seven teams that earned the inaugural DIII berths, and they finished as the national runner-up.
Women’s Sailing. The Jumbos received an at-large selection into the 2023 Intercollegiate Sailing Association Women’s Fleet Race National Championship to be held May 23-26 in Kings Point, New York. Tufts is one of 16 teams from the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA) to earn national berths. Tufts placed ninth at the NEISA Women’s Fleet Race Championship on April 22-23.
Coed Sailing. The sailing team has been selected to compete at the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Open Team Racing National Championship coming up May 27-29 at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. Tufts finished sixth at the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Team Racing event April 8-9, and as a result, were one of 10 teams to receive an at-large berth to nationals.
The Jumbos also received an at-large selection into the 2023 Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Open Fleet Race National Championship to be held May 30- June 2, also in Kings Point. A total of 36 teams will compete at the open fleet event, first at a pair of 18-team semifinal regattas May 30-31.
Women’s Lacrosse. No. 5 Tufts lost 14-4 to host William Smith College after the No. 3 Herons outscored the Jumbos 6-0 in the first quarter of the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse quarterfinal on May 21. The Jumbos will say goodbye to one of the all-time winningest senior groups in program history, including back-to-back NCAA Championship game appearances in 2021 and 2022 along with NESCAC titles in 2021 and 2022.
Softball. In a dramatic finish to game 7 of the NCAA DIII Softball Championship regional, Moravian University secured a 4-1 victory over Tufts University at Spicer Field on May 21, ending the Jumbos’ run. The game was postponed the day before due to rain, with the Greyhounds leading 1-0 in the top of the seventh. When play resumed Sunday, Tufts scored in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 1-1. But Moravian scored three unanswered runs in the eighth inning. The Jumbos’ season ended with a 40-6 record, the most victories by the team since 2015 and the sixth time in program history any Tufts team has reached 40 wins.
Baseball. A memorable and historic season for the No. 17 Tufts baseball team came to an end on May 21, as the Jumbos fell to Husson University 5-2 in an elimination game at Mitchell College in the 2023 NCAA Division III baseball tournament.The Jumbos (31-11) ended their season as the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) champions, earning their seventh title in program history.
