Freshmen Help Power Jumbos to 3rd at NESCACs

(11/1/2009) See more Photos     Full Results

The Tufts Cross Country team arrived to Manchester, Connecticut early on Sunday morning; one day after Wickham Park hosted the Connecticut High School State Championships on Halloween. With 12 high school state meets on the course the day prior, the already challenging course was made even more so. Regardless, the Jumbos seemed unfazed by the conditions. With the experience of past success at the NESCAC Championships and a great fall of training on their side, the Jumbos went into this weekends race looking to drastically outdo their 5th place seed. However it was not just experience that helped Tufts to a third place overall finish, but also strong performances from two first year racers.

The Jumbos were led across the line by senior Jesse Faller who kicked past a pack of other runners in the final 200m to finish 4th in the individual results with a time of 26:21. Faller entered the final stretch in 7th place, but outkicked both Murner and Yochum from Amherst College and Schmidt from Middlebury College for his 3rd All Conference honors.

The next two finishers for Tufts were both freshman. The first was Kyle Marks, who fought to pass runners for the entire second half of his race, finishing in an impressive 27:15. Also a freshman, Matt Rand crossed the line on his heels in a time of 27:20. Junior Jeff Ragazzini was just seconds behind with a time of 27:26. Marks and Rand were the top two freshmen finishers this weekend with Kyle Marks earning NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors.

Senior captain Nick Welch was the fifth Tufts finisher in his first race back from a hamstring injury. He crossed in a time of 27:44, just edging out a pack of 5 other competitors. Welch, typically the Jumbos 2nd man, moved up brilliantly in the difficult conditions. He moved up from the mid 50s over the final two miles to finish 32nd overall.

In the team results Tufts finished in third place with 90 points, just two points behind Amherst (88). Williams successfully defended their title with 40 points. This was the highest for the Jumbos since winning the meet in 2005. Last fall the TUXC squad finished 4th improving on their 5th place showing at the 2007 championships. With two freshmen in their top three, the Jumbos hope to continue such a trend in future years.

As for now, Tufts looks to ECAC Championships next week at Williams College. They will then travel to Maine for NCAA Regional Championships the following week where the Jumbos will again look for strong performances from their, now, fully experienced squad.



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