The Tufts Daily - Friday, February 15, 2019

Tufts drama department brings Shakespearean classic to life see ARTS&LIVING / PAGE 3

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Jumbos to face Panthers in NESCAC tourney

Men’s track and field prepare for postseason competition see SPORTS / BACK PAGE

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VOLUME LXXVII, ISSUE 17

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Friday, February 15, 2019

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Tufts students walk out to commemorate Parkland shooting anniversary

by Noah Richter

Assistant News Editor

On Thursday afternoon, members of the Tufts community walked out to end gun violence and mourn the lives lost to the Parkland school shooting, assembling at the Tufts Cannon.

Around two dozen students and faculty members attended the walkout, which commemorated the one-year anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla. that claimed the lives of 14 students and three faculty members.

Organizers Melanie Becker and Marley Hillman explained the intended significance of their event to the Daily.

“For one thing, [we] wanted to give a space to memorialize the 17 people that died that day and all of the other victims of gun violence in recent years,” Becker, a sophomore, said. “We wanted to give a

space for anyone who has a connection to the movement, to the issue of gun violence, to come and speak.”

The Facebook page created for the event called on students to join them to “mourn the lives lost to gun violence every day in our communities, speak up against the National Rifle Association, and honor the memory” of the Parkland victims.

Becker, an alumna of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, said that the organizers decided to stage a walkout rather than a different kind of event because of its symbolic importance throughout the gun violence movement.

“Walkouts have been the staple of the March For Our Lives movement,” Becker said. “It sends a much more powerful message than to just paint the cannon and leave it there hoping someone will see it or post an article on Facebook.”

Hillman explained that the commemoration is also intended to generate greater awareness about the gun violence epidemic.

“Holding such an event brings more attention than posting about it, yeah.

The vibe of the rally, a walkout, or any form of visible, physical protest naturally generates more awareness, more views,” Hillman said. “It’s important to have an audience.”

The walkout began with a minute of silence in honor of the victims, whose names were read aloud to those attending.

After, several students shared personal stories about their experiences with gun violence. Becker said that the Parkland shooting shows that gun violence can happen anywhere, and it can affect anyone.

“Parkland was voted the safest city in Florida … I need you to understand this easily could happen to you,” Becker said during her speech.

Emily Aronson, a first-year, also spoke about the prevalence of gun violence and the urgency of bringing school shootings to an end.

“Every time you need to call your senator or congressperson, or rally your friends together, keep in mind that it happens all the time,” Aronson said during her speech. “Keep in mind that it could happen to you.”

Together, the remarks lasted 17 minutes in honor of the 17 lives lost to the Parkland shooting.

After the remarks, Becker thanked those who came, and the event ended.

When asked whether they intend to hold events in the future on the issue of gun violence, Becker and Hillman said they did not.

“There could be [events planned] in the future, but nothing at this time,” Hillman said. “As the need arises, we will mobilize.”

Safe Communities Act reintroduced in state legislature

by Joe Walsh News Editor

Amid a nationwide rise in immigration enforcement, Massachusetts lawmakers and advocates have renewed a push to limit state and local police departments’ cooperation with federal immigration authorities. A new bill was introduced on Beacon Hill in January, and despite already accruing dozens of sponsors in the state legislature, advocates still fear it might be sidelined like a similar bill was last year.

This version of the Safe Communities Act would limit law enforcement agencies’ ability to ask about residents’ immigration status, notify federal authorities about release plans or forge pacts with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that let local police act as immigration officers.

Some of these policies already exist in several Massachusetts cities and towns known as sanctuary communities, but the Safe Communities Act seeks to extend those protections throughout the Commonwealth. Law enforcement officers are also already barred from detaining people at ICE’s request, the result of a 2017 state Supreme Judicial Court ruling.

State Senator James Eldridge (D) believes that these protections are especially crucial now because Donald Trump’s administration has pursued

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a policy of deporting undocumented immigrants indiscriminately. Eldridge, who filed the bill in the Senate, says he has seen an uptick in deportations in his district, which extends from Acton to Westborough.

“We don’t want law enforcement or state taxpayer dollars to assist with the deportation of fathers and mothers who are working hard and giving back to their communities,” Eldridge said.

Five days after his inauguration, Trump ended former President Barack Obama’s Priority Enforcement Program, which focused on people convicted of significant crimes. This has meant undocumented immigrants who were previously not considered priorities now risk deportation, says Amy Grunder, director of legislative affairs for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA).

“The federal government is much more aggressive,” Grunder said. “It’s pursuing people who have no criminal record whatsoever.”

The fear that this policy creates is palpable even in sanctuary communities, according to Massachusetts state Senator Patricia Jehlen (D), whose district includes Medford and Somerville. She heard from one Somerville teacher whose students were afraid to cross over into Cambridge because of uncertainty over immigration status, even though both cities have sanctuary policies that prevent collaboration with ICE.

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“Imagine being a young person who is afraid to cross city lines because of citizenship status,” Jehlen, a co-sponsor of the Safe Communities Act, said.

State Rep. Denise Provost (D), whose district covers part of Somerville, also co-sponsored the bill. She noted that a large percentage of Somerville’s residents are foreign-born, including people who could lose their legal status if Trump’s effort to revoke Temporary Protected Status succeeds. Even though Somerville is a sanctuary community, she said, residents statewide should be protected.

“It seems ludicrous that the rights of residents should depend on where they live in the state,” she said.

If immigrant residents fear that local police might ask about their legal status or collaborate with ICE, they may avoid talking to police at all costs, preventing them from reporting crimes they have witnessed or been victims of, Grunder and Eldridge explained.

“If they see a crime happening in their community, if they happen to be a victim of domestic violence, they might not be comfortable going to the police,” Eldridge said.

The problem extends beyond undocumented immigrants, Grunder added, because legal immigrants can be subject to deportation. This chilling effect on crime reporting has led many police chiefs to support previous versions of the Safe Communities Act, she noted.

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The bill would also ban so-called 287(g) agreements with ICE that deputize police agencies for immigration enforcement, a program used by three county sheriffs in southeastern Massachusetts and the state Department of Corrections. It would prevent police from notifying ICE when it plans on releasing somebody from custody, unless they are ending a criminal prison sentence. Finally, it would ensure that anybody in police custody gives consent before being questioned for immigration purposes.

“We can’t control ICE’s behavior,” Grunder said. “But we can at least ensure that we are not using state and local tax dollars to assist ICE, to the detriment, we believe, of public safety.”

Provost likened the effort to Massachusetts’ status as an early adopter of abolitionism, leading to a 19th-century law prohibiting state officials from participating in the return of a fugitive slave.

The current version of the bill is more concise, Grunder says. It no longer bars law enforcement from holding people after receiving an ICE detainer because the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling already ended this practice.

The Senate passed a version of the bill in its annual budget last year, but the House failed to pass the measure by the end of its session. Eldridge and Grunder noted that, even though many legislators

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Friday, February 15, 2019

THE TUFTS DAILY Elie Levine Editor-in-Chief

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dealing with catcallers. Anumol described the lack of agency women have in society when trying to discuss sexual harassment.

“We’re told not to overreact, not to be hysterical. As if having a voice is not important,” she said.

Kristen Mosher, a second-year MALD student and co-leader of The Gender Initiative and Pride at Fletcher, performed the monologue “First Kiss” by Mollie Doyle. Chaudhary introduced Mosher, saying that Mosher “hopes the piece will serve as a reminder that it is important to start discussing issues of consent with children early in their lives.”

Maria Nagel, a second-year MALD student, performed the poem “Spear” by Elizabeth Acevedo.

Chaudhary also performed. She spoke about pornography, violence and sexual stereotypes, and also as read an excerpt from her debut novel, “Laiza: Sometimes the End is Only a Beginning” (2017).

“The problem today is that we live in a society that doesn’t talk about sex,” she said, describing how porn is an “encyclopedia” for men to learn violent actions.

Juliette Devillard, a MALD second-year student, performed a piece she wrote. Her performance focused on sexual harassment around the world.

“I count myself lucky that I have not been abused,” she said.

Padmini Baruah, a first-year MALD student, performed a dialogue from “The Vagina Monologues” (1996), a play by Eve

Ensler with Devillard. Baruah concluded the performances by performing a solo excerpt from “The Vagina Monologues,” summoning a call to action on women’s claim to their own sexuality.

Co-leader of the Fletcher Global Women group Gauri Khanduja, a second-year MALD student, ended the evening by pointing out the abundance of women who performed, and invited and encouraged men to participate next year.

“Please take over the stage next year and make it an open dialogue,” Khanduja said.

Marina Travayiakis, associate director of the Henry J. Leir Institute, explained that One Billion Rising launched in 2012 as a call to mass action against gender-based violence. She said this is the third time that Fletcher is participating in the annual event.

She noted that for the past two years, Fletcher raised donations for the Cambridge Women’s Shelter after the One Billion Rising event. This year the group decided to do a clothing drive, Travayiakis said.

“I thought this was a really powerful event tonight and I am inspired by what the Fletcher community is able to do,” Travayiakis said. “I hope that this will continue annually, this discussion of gender-based violence coming together … and hopefully we can also address issues of gender-based violence that are sexual, physical and systemic.”

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Fletcher hosts One Billion Rising performances to end gender-based violence The Fletcher Henry J. Leir Institute and the Fletcher Global Women group hosted a “Performances in Solidarity Against Sexual Violence” event last night in the ASEAN auditorium. The evening was held in conjunction with the annual One Billion Rising movement.

The event consisted of seven performances including an a cappella performance and spoken monologues concentrated on sexual violence and solidarity.

Kudrat Dutta Chaudhary, co-leader of Fletcher Global Women and co-host of the event, explained how the evening was meant to create a safe space to discuss these matters.

“It’s to talk about all of these issues with friends and with people who you care about. It’s to have a normal conversation about it, rather than stigmatizing it or having a whole conference over it, and this was something as natural as it gets,” Chaudhary, a first-year Master of Laws student, said.

The Ambassachords, Fletcher’s coed a cappella group, began the evening by performing “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten.

Dipali Anumol, a second-year Master of arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) student, then performed “Ode to the Catcaller Down the Street” by Nikita Gill. Before performing the piece, Anumol shared some of her own personal experiences

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continued from page 1 supported the bill, a vocal coalition of conservative voters spoke out against it.

Governor Charlie Baker has also expressed opposition to the Safe Communities Act, arguing that it would hamper law enforcement agencies’ ability to work with federal officials to hold

dangerous criminals. Grunder believes this opposition could mean the bill will need veto-proof majorities. Meanwhile, Eldridge is disappointed but hopes advocates can convince the Governor.

To build support, MIRA plans to focus its advocacy efforts on legislators who represent less immigrant-heavy districts, many of whom do not view the Safe

Communities Act as a priority, Grunder says. She is optimistic that more legislators and voters are aware of the bill than ever before, noting that no legislators lost reelection due to their support for the bill.

Eldridge shares Grunder’s optimism.

“This is an opportunity for Massachusetts legislators to stand up for Massachusetts values,” Eldridge said.

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ARTS&LIVING

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Drama department’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ puts modern twist on Shakespeare

by Stephanie Hoechst

— and we’re not saying academy awards, but it will sound like that.”

Thomas also explained that adding This weekend, the Tufts Department new thematic undertones is possible of Theatre, Dance, and Performance because the themes of Shakespeare’s texts Studies is putting a bold new twist on the are so universal.

Shakespearean comedy “Much Ado About “Shakespeare can hold all that because Nothing,” directed by Senior Lecturer of the full humanity of what he portrays,” Sheriden Thomas. The rendition is set she said, “And that’s what people do with in a world inspired by the Golden Age of Shakespeare these days. There’s a lot of Hollywood, complete with the romanti- movie underscoring, bringing in the realcism of movie stars and awards shows. ity that movie underscoring can be very Sophomore Paige Walker, who plays sentimental and hyper-romantic.”

Beatrice, one of the lead roles, explained Walker noted that this modernization the premise of the modernization: “If you calls attention to the timelessness of the know the original Shakespearean version story — especially when understanding of the show, it starts with the men com- Beatrice from a feminist standpoint. ing home from war. And in our version, “It’s interesting to look at her from the instead of coming home from war, they’re lens of when she was originally written in coming back from the Academy Awards. Shakespeare’s time — just the way that she So our opening sequence is them winning navigates through gender roles, the way this award — so Don Pedro is this huge, that she views her own sex and her own big-shot Hollywood producer, Claudio is sexuality and her role being a woman in a the leading man who has just found great man’s world, how she finds her own power success, and Benedick is the witty, intelli- in that and how she finds her own identity gent screenwriter.” in that … and how we can see her as still She continued, “It’s a mix of the origi- being incredibly significant and incredibly nal text, which has been significantly cut noteworthy, through a new lens of femidown and had some rewording — and nism and female empowerment.” some fun colloquial things, so it feels The ensemble has been hard at work timeless.” bringing this show to life, rehearsing for Thomas explained that this setting around 20 hours per week. Walker and allows the play to engage with contem- Thomas both commented on the passion porary versions of the issues originally and hard work of the ensemble. presented in the Shakespeare text.

“They’re amazing,” Walker said. “They’re “We’re departing from strict period some of the coolest people I have ever gotportrayal,” Thomas said. “As a director, I ten the chance to work with, and it’s so like to deal with the current times we’re incredible to make art with such wonderin. We’ve got gun control issues, we’ve ful people every night, which is amazing. got #MeToo issues, what fame does to They’ve been a dream.” distort power dynamics, and privilege.

Thomas urged everyone to come see We have what the media says about the show. romance, [and] what Hollywood says “It’s a lot of fun to watch. Though I say about romance and love.” there are issues in there … it’s a Valentine Thomas continued, “We have gun-tot- comedy, there’s lots of music and it’s only ing, duel-challenging males running two hours long with intermission … The around, we have — in this case instead cast is wonderful, the design is amazing of a war, we have fame, we have instead — costume design, set design, it’s 360 of Don Pedro being the head of his army, degrees, and it’s gonna be a blast.” he’s the head producer who’s just recently “Much Ado About Nothing” opened won an award for best picture somewhere this weekend, with shows on Feb. Arts Editor

VIA TUFTS DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE, DANCE, AND PERFORMANCE STUDIES

A promotional poster for ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is shown.

14–16 and Feb. 21–23 at 8 p.m. in Balch Arena Theater. Tickets for students are $10, except for on Feb. 21, where they

sell for $1, and can be purchased at tuftsdramadancetickets.com or at the Aidekman box office.

Netflix’s ‘Russian Doll’ delivers strong comedic, emotional punch

by Benjamin Green Contributing Writer

Netflix’s new series, “Russian Doll” (2019–) contains a premise that has been featured in film and television numerous times: The protagonist, Nadia (Natasha Lyonne), keeps dying and reliving the same day. With this premise, however, the show takes the viewer to a place only possible in our current content-and-streaming-soaked television landscape. The show blends comedy, drama and scifi together to create highly bingeable content that feels meaningful, innovative and very funny.

The first episode introduces us to Nadia, a hardened, self-destructive and willfully self-reliant New Yorker who appears to be fairly unamused at her own birthday party. After leaving her party with a moderately unlikable stranger, Nadia is struck dead by a taxi, but is immediately brought back to the bathroom at her party earlier in the night. Nadia

relives the night and dies repeatedly as she grows increasingly alarmed and doubtful of her own sanity.

Natasha Lyonne’s performance as Nadia is hilarious and intimate. She has called the series “in some ways deeply autobiographical,” and as the show’s co-creator, co-writer and lead actress, she has clearly imbued the project with her own experiences both as a New Yorker and as someone who is in recovery from addiction.

Nadia is an aloof individual, unwilling or unable to form deep attachments to others. The only relationships she shows any sign of serious personal investment in are those with her cat, Oatmeal, and with Ruth, a psychiatrist who raised her from a young age. It quickly becomes clear to the viewer that beneath her strong exterior, Nadia is, as Ruth eventually says, “chasing down death at every corner” and avoiding anything that might bring lasting emotional fulfillment. Eventually, however, Nadia meets Alan, a man with emotional

baggage to rival her own, and is forced into what she eventually tells him is her worst nightmare: dependence on another human being.

The premise of “Russian Doll” can be viewed metaphorically as the hellish loop that life becomes while one is experiencing addiction, depression or even loneliness.

Only by relying on one another and peeling away our layers, like nestled Russian dolls, can one escape whatever kind of loop one might be living. And while this lesson is not exactly groundbreaking, the manner and quality of its delivery allow for it to feel touching, deeply personal and original.

Despite the show ’s philosophical and psychological waxings, it also succeeds comedically. Lyonne shows off her physical comedy chops in a number of scenes throughout the show and delivers witty, biting lines that, in her cigarette-soaked and thickly accented voice, harken back to an earlier kind of New York City

comedy. Nadia’s bohemian friends also br ing humor to the show, playing off of tropes in a way that doesn’t feel lazy or reductive. With this humor in hand, the show is able to deliver a deeper message that feels disarming and natural, blending the genres of comedy and drama together seamlessly.

Lyonne once said in an interview about the show, “I really believe in the underlying goodness in the admission of brokenness.” The show throws that maxim into sharp relief.

It asserts that despite any wishes to the contrary, we are irrevocably dependent on one another for happiness and sur vival. These admissions of brokenness and interdependence are not admissions of weakness, but rather admissions of strength. By acknowledging truths that are fundamental and self-evident, our lead characters are able to move courageously towards growth and, hopefully, some form of happiness.

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THE TUFTS DAILY | Arts & Living | Friday, February 15, 2019

Drew Weisberg Hidden Panels

‘Transmetroopolitan’ Issue 2

A

nyone who plans on reading this column long term should probably be warned that they’re going to be hearing a lot about Warren Ellis. A one-in-a-million freak of the comic book industry, Ellis is the kind of creator that takes the medium and turns it on its head. Whether it’s injecting X-files style conspiracy narratives into a seemingly mundane superhero storyline, creating an openly gay analogue of Batman and Superman named Apollo and Midnighter (stay tuned for my take on that book soon) or even making a monthly title about the adventures of a madman, gonzo journalist in the far future, Ellis is full of unconventional ideas.

Speaking of madman, gonzo journalists in the far future, this week’s book is “Transmetropolitan Volume 2: Lust for Life” (2009) by Warren Ellis.

“Transmetropolitan” is the story of the return of anti-authoritarian columnist Spider Jerusalem as he returns from self-imposed exile far from the responsibilities of his everyday life. Armed to the teeth and drugged out of his mind, Spider spends the bulk of Vol. 2 visiting the “Angels 8” district, looking for a story in his old friend Fred Christ, a man currently leading an occupation of the district. Ellis’ trademark strangeness kicks into high gear, as the occupation force is made up of “transients,” humans that have genetically altered their bodies to resemble bug-eyed, gray aliens. The environment doesn’t look much better than the inhabitants, as Spider quickly discovers squalor, filth and general poverty.

Spider crosses the Les Misérablesstyle barricade in the “Angels 8” district by jamming a cigarette in the lone guard’s eye, claiming that “if I’d’ve been a cop, you’d be trying to pick a bullet out of your eye right now.” He finds Fred with relative ease, busting in with guns blazing and demanding an interview. Fred obliges, explaining that the aliens whose DNA the transients hijacked had little culture to “exchange,” so they traded their genetic makeup. Fred and his buddies have the intention to form their own colony of sorts with, of course, Fred at the top of the pyramid. Spider snaps, railing against Fred for his grandstanding, screaming that Fred is “puffed up on the power of the people” and drunk on his own status as a revolutionary hero.

While the rest of the issue seeks to set up B plots for future issues, the first half is well worth the price of admission. Ellis blends the body horror of a man-alien hybrid, the drama of a verbal sparring match between two old friends and greatest of all, the tragic fall of Fred Christ. The real horror of the moment comes from Spider’s realizing that he’s been away too long, his friends have changed and the tyranny of those with misplaced authority will never disappear. “Transmetroplitan” is a great introduction to the world of Spider Jerusalem, perfectly illustrating why its world needs someone as crazy as its protagonist, someone who’s willing to go as far as is necessary (or further) to get people to tell the whole story.

Drew Weisberg is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Drew can be reached can be reached at mitchell.weisberg@ tufts.edu.

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Friday, February 15, 2019 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Men's track & field hope for 3-peat at New England Div. III Championship

MADELEINE OLIVER / TUFTS TRACK AND FIELD

Seniors Andrew Doherty-Munro, Brian Reaney and Christian Swenson; sophomores Dalton Tanner and Peter Horvath and junior Michael Carnavos form a strong pack in the men’s 3k on Jan. 27, 2018.

MEN'S TRACK & FIELD

continued from page 7 preliminaries for the 60-meter dash, senior Anthony Kardonsky’s 12th place, 7.06-second time missed the cut-off for the 60-meter dash finals by 0.02 seconds. The Tenafly, N.J. native ran his season best in the 200-meter race with a 22.30 second time.

At this point in the season, one of the team’s top priorities is to stay healthy. The team has been struck by numerous inju-

ries and illnesses over the past few weeks, which has impacted training.

“You can never stress recovery and injury prevention enough,” Wallace said.

“If we have a full squad show up to the meet, we’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”

One of the team’s greatest assets is the depth of its roster. The team has an even distribution of talent among different classes, and has a strong base of first-years who will help cement the success of the program in years to come.

While track and field is an individual sport, Gordon cites the team’s sportsmanship as a secret to their success.

“The team has a lot of camaraderie.

They are driven by each other as opposed to a single performer,” he said.

With the New England Div. III Championship on the horizon, the team is focused on putting their best foot forward. The Jumbos placed first in the championship meet in the 2017 and 2018 seasons — successes that had

been unprecedented in the program’s history. The team has their eye on a third consecutive victory at the championship meet.

Wallace voiced the team’s eagerness to perform well at the championship meet.

“It would be so incredible to win that meet,” he said. “We’ve done it the past two years. Back-to-back winning has not been done in a long time.

Doing it three times would be a very good team goal.”

Men's basketball to play Middlebury in playoffs MEN'S BASKETBALL

continued from page 7 pulled away, amassing a 21–10 lead. The Jumbos sputtered on offense and were outplayed on defense, down 28–15 with 6:20 left in the first half. Before the first buzzer, they battled back to 40–30 to take a healthy, but not insurmountable, deficit into the second half.

Trinity held a commanding lead throughout the second half, though, ultimately beating Tufts 87–67. Savage posted 20 points in the effort, with support from Rogers’ 14, Morris’ 13 and Cohen’s seven off the bench.

In terms of offensive statistics, the Jumbos closely matched the Bantams. The Jumbos shot 45 percent from the field, while the Bantams fared only slightly bet-

ter 47 percent. Both secured 29 rebounds.

However, the Bantams exploited the Jumbos’ porous defense and sometimes sloppy offense, cashing in 28 points off 27 Jumbo turnovers and scoring 15 second-chance points.

Sheldon hinted that the team would stick to its typical rotations in the NESCAC match.

“Middlebury has a little height on us, but it’s not a tremendous difference,” he said. “We’re just going for it all and having fun with it. I’m not trying to shake anything up, and everyone should expect to be playing their typical number of minutes.”

Moving forward, the Jumbos expect to face stiff competition from all teams in the conference, looking up at each of its

rivals in terms of regular-season standings. This means that they will be on the road throughout the entire tournament, leaving for Middlebury on Friday right after practice.

“We’ve had a really tough season on the road this year,” Sheldon said.

“Something about coming off the bus hasn’t been kind to us. It will be nice to be able to get up to Middlebury Friday night and have some time to regroup before Saturday’s game.”

The winner of the conference tournament gets an automatic berth into the NCAA Div. III tournament. According to Aronson, as many as four NESCAC teams have secured entry in the past.

“I definitely think Amherst and Williams are two teams to watch,”

Aronson said. “I have the utmost confidence in our team, though, and we’ve watched a lot of film on both Middlebury and Amherst this week in preparation. I’m excited to take on Middlebury because we have a very similar style of play. We beat them once, and we can do it again.”

It’s getting close to March Madness, and veteran captain Savage knows just what that means: Anything can happen.

“Despite having our ups and downs we have been steadily improving since the start of the year. Our ball movement and defensive rotations have come a long way. Our team firmly believes that when we are playing our hardest and executing our game plan with tempo we will beat anyone that is put in front of us.”

Friday, February 15, 2019

Sports

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Jumbos face top seed Middlebury in NESCAC Tournament

EVAN SLACK / THE TUFTS DAILY

Sophomore guard Justin Kouyoumdjian looks for a pass during Tufts’ 75–71 win over Wesleyan on Jan. 26.

by Josh Steinfink Sports Editor

Despite falling to Trinity in their final game of the regular season on Sunday in Hartford, Conn., Tufts managed to clinch the eighth and final spot in the NESCAC Conference Tournament that begins this weekend.

Ultimately, the Jumbos finished with a record of 11–13 overall and 4–6 in the NESCAC, just good enough to give them a chance to build up a winning streak in the playoffs.

After a photo finish on Wednesday night, Hamilton dethroned prospective conference champion Amherst, shaking up the final standings. The Middlebury Panthers now stand officially as the con-

ference winner, finishing 7–3 in conference play and 18–6 overall. Middlebury is followed by Amherst (7–3), Hamilton (7–3), Trinity, Wesleyan and Williams (6–4), Colby (5–5), and Tufts. According to head coach Bob Sheldon, Jr., the ties were broken based on head-to-head competition results over the course of the season.

The Jumbos previously beat the Panthers at home on Jan. 12 of this year, 86–84, in a last-second high-scoring thriller. The NESCAC quarter-final on Saturday should be just as riveting.

“The plan for the playoffs is the same as it was if you asked me in November.

Win each and every game so we can earn another chance to play a game. Do that and eventually we’ll have won the whole thing,” junior guard and captain

Eric Savage said. “So we’ll be playing in Vermont at 3 p.m. Saturday. We beat them once and we’re confident we’re going to beat them again.”

On Thursday, Feb. 7, the Jumbos took down the Lasell Lasers in Newton, Mass., 101–90, at a makeup game after a power outage forced the teams to postpone their original Jan. 22 matchup.

It was a marquee performance for Tufts, the first time all season that the squad scored 100 points or more. The high scoring was thanks in large part due to five Jumbos putting up double-digit scoring figures. Sophomore center Luke Rogers led the Jumbo effort with 21 points and 13 rebounds on 8–12 shooting. Savage contributed 19 points, sophomore guard Justin Kouyoumdjian added 18, sopho-

more guard Brennan Morris had 14 and first-year guard Carson Cohen supplemented with 12 off of the bench.

First-year guard Tyler Aronson commented on Kouyoumdjian’s performance and prospects.

“I’ve been fortunate to have gotten a lot of playing time and have a big role on the team,” Aronson said. “But Justin Kouyoumdjian is definitely the one to watch over the next few weeks.

He’s been making a lot of strong plays for us lately.”

The Jumbos were behind Trinity for much of the match during their final season game. Despite trading buckets for the first few minutes of play, the Bantams see MEN'S BASKETBALL, page 6

Men’s track and field gears up for scoring meets

by Arlo Moore-Bloom and Helen Thomas-McLean

Executive Sports Editor and Assistant Sports Editor

On Feb. 8 and 9, the men’s track and field team competed in the two-part David Hemery Valentine Invite at Boston University and the MIT Invitational.

Both meets were non-scoring, and were attended by different runners — the MIT Invitational is known for jumps, and the David Hemery Valentine Invite is favored for running events.

The team posted strong individual performances at the two non-scoring meets and hopes to carry their momentum into the scoring meets later in the season.

Assistant coach Linus Gordon explained the purpose of non-scoring events.

“The true focus of the non-scoring meets is to qualify for scoring meets so that we can have a bunch of people participate in those meets and perform well,” Gordon said.

The next big scoring meet is the New England Div. III Championship, and the team is rearing to perform at one of the biggest meets of the year.

At the MIT Invitational on Saturday, junior Kevin Quisumbing set a personal record in the weight throw in one of the highlights for the Jumbos. His 51’0’’ heave was good enough for fourth in the event in a field filled with Div. I opponents. It was

the team’s best weight throw of the season.

Senior co-captain Benji Wallace also impressed in the meet, matching his career best pole vault and scoring first place, clearing the bar at a height of 15’5”. Wallace matched his PR from the NEICAAA Indoor Track & Field Championship on Feb. 1 and 2, where he came in seventh place with the No. 20 rank in the nation. Although Wallace was pleased with his first place finish, he had hoped to beat his PR. “My victory left a bad taste in my mouth because I really wanted to reach the next height,” Wallace said.

In the Hemery Valentine Invite on Saturday, it was senior Colin Raposo’s 4:09.82 mile time, currently ranked at

No. 6 in the nation, that highlighted the Jumbos’ performance. Meanwhile, senior Thomas Doyle came fourth in the 500-meter dash, finishing the lapand-a-quarter race in 1:04.49. Both Raposo and Doyle improved upon their times from a year ago — Raposo’s mile was six seconds faster than his last PR from a year ago, and Doyle shaved off over a second from his best 500-meter time in 2018.

Senior Josh Etkind ran his 60-meter qualifying race in 8.33 seconds, tying his performance from last week that’s ranked No. 22 in the nation. In the see MEN'S TRACK & FIELD, page 6