Editor’s note: This story first appeared in our Winter 2019 magazine as part of our NCAA championship coverage.
MEDFORD, Mass. – When Sterling Weatherbie was enrolled at Phillips Exeter Academy, he thought he’d committed to a middle-of-the-pack NESCAC program.
His destination was Tufts, still in its infancy under the leadership of head coach Josh Shapiro. The Jumbos weren’t poor by any means, but Shapiro was hired in 2010 and these projects take time.
As the pieces came together, Tufts’ class of 2018 arrived on campus for accepted students day. The Jumbos had recently won their first national title (2014), and goalkeeper Conner Mieth — now a fellow senior captain alongside Weatherbie (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), an all-conference right back — remembers that moment clearly.
