Tufts University has announced that it will be submitting plans to the city of Medford for a new aquatics center, with construction planned to be completed by the beginning of the 2028-29 school year.
The university has been raising funds for the project for several years, targeting $27.5 million in donations to cover 50% of the total construction costs. As of posting, $21.7 million has been raised from the Tufts community, spearheaded by a $5 million challenge match from Trustee Doug Rachlin, Rebecca and Jim Neary, and the Cummings Foundation, who matched each gift dollar for dollar until the original $5 million was reached.
A Division III program, the Tufts swim & dive teams currently train out of the Hamilton Pool, which features a six-lane, 25-yard pool. Built in the winter of 1946, it was the university’s first permanent construction project completed after World War II.
Once the new aquatic center is completed, the Jumbos will have a fully equipped facility with a 9-lane, 50-meter pool, which can also be used as a 20-lane, 25-yard pool by swimming the width.
There will also be 1-meter and 3-meter springboards, a viewing area for spectators, a new timing system and scoreboard, and renovated locker rooms for both the men’s and women’s teams.
“The opening of our new aquatics center will be a defining moment in the history of varsity sports, club sports, recreation, and fitness at Tufts. It gives [Head Coach] Adam Hoyt and his coaching staff more time each week to teach, mentor, and inspire our swimmers and divers to become even stronger leaders, people, and champions,” said Ryan Pisarri, the university’s director of athletics.
The aquatic center is slated to be built on the same street as the current pool and will also support the university’s campus recreation program. Additionally, it will allow Tufts to host NESCAC championship swimming and diving meets, an opportunity not currently available given the size of Hamilton Pool. Divers will also be able to train on campus for the first time, having trained off site since the program’s inception.
In the 2025-26 season, both the men’s and women’s teams finished second out of 11 teams at the NESCAC Championships. The women’s team placed 11th at the NCAA Championships last season, while the men took seventh, their third straight year cracking the top 10.
Hoyt believes the new facility will help elevate the program in the future.
“This new aquatic center will mean so much to our current and past team members,” Hoyt said. “It means that our entire team can practice together, creating an even stronger bond between team members. The new aquatic center will be far more representative of the level of competitiveness of our teams and support their needs.”
Concept Drawing
Photo courtesy of Tufts University
Long overdue. This is a high caliber team that has had to piece together practices in 3 shifts and send divers off to another pool to practice. For the one home meet a year, families have to opt out of going because there isn’t enough seating.
Go Jumbos! Great to see this positive movement in college swimming.
Hey Ivy League, time to get your act together and build some new facilities. NESCAC is putting you to shame!