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School Name: Tufts University
Team Name: Elephant Men (E-Men)
Captains: Alex Cooper and Jason Clark
Coaches: Dan Forseter, Mike Zalisk, Mike Bright, Jeff Brown
Year Founded: 1972
Jersey Colors: Black, White, Brown, Baby Blue
Website: www.tuftsemen.org
2010 Record: 26-4
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How did your team do last year? What was the highlight of your season?
Alex Cooper: Last year, after a strong regular season including only 2 losses before Regionals, we placed 3rd in the region, barely missing a bid to Nationals. The highlight of the season was either winning Terminus or our victories Sunday morning of Regionals.
Who is your favorite team to play against? Tell me about a memorable game.
Alex: My favorite team to play against is Brown University, in part because of their storied history and in part because I have never lost to them. My favorite game against them was in Regionals my sophomore year when we played them on both Saturday and Sunday mornings and barely won both times. Each time, they took the lead late, but we rallied back for a victory.
The E-Men get up on Brown
Tell me about your coaches. What do they bring to your team?
Alex: Our coaches are some of the best coaches in the region. We have Mike Bright who gets us on top of our mental game, which is one of the most important aspects in collegiate ultimate. Mike Zalisk and Dan Forseter, both Ironside players, tell us about the finer details of the game. And Jeff Brown, captain of DoG shows us what it is like to be a champion.
What player is most likely to make a huge play as a thrower? As a receiver? On D?
Alex: As a thrower, we usually have Ben Nelson and I making the huge plays. These throws are almost always to Jay Clark or Sam Kittross-Schnell. On D, Adrian Banerji and Jack Hatchett light it up for our team, consistently beating their guy in every way possible.
It’s easy to see when someone throws a huge huck or gets a layout D. Who’s a player you have to watch more carefully to see how valuable they are to your team?
Alex: That player is definitely Eric Wilburn. His dump defense and aggressive mark are the hallmarks of our D-line, and whenever he’s on the field, you can expect at least one stall-9 throw from someone who thought their main handler would be more open.
Without giving too much away, what does your team like to do on offense and on defense?
Alex: Our offense is typically run out of a Spread formation, with most plays being called from stoppage rather than set pull plays. Our D is the gritty, tough Man-to-Man defense that shows other teams that we can consistently get a block without trying anything fancy.
Alex Cooper fires a flick
Has your team set any goals for this season? What are they?
Alex: Our team’s goals are based on playing our hardest and improving to be the best TEAM that we can be. Rather than base goals on results, we try to play our style of ultimate and that will guide us to where we want to be. By the end of the year, we hope that these goals will help to cement our spot as the top team in the Region, and earn another bid to Nationals.
What has your team been doing this fall to prepare for the spring season?
Alex: We train throughout the Fall season, both as an entire program and as an A-team. Between 3-4 practices a week, lifting workouts, and running workouts, we also continuously keep in the mindset that the hardest work is done in the Fall, to build a base for the Spring to come.
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