After finishing fifth at the New England Division III Indoor Championships, the men's track team is optimistic about its upcoming spring season. The Jumbos hope for strong performances from returning stars senior Dave Patterson and sophomore Greg Devine. Devine placed 12th at Nationals in the 400 meters, and Patterson scored 11th in the steeplechase. Patterson and standout teammate senior Adrian Wilairat look to provide leadership in the long distance events for the Jumbos this season, while tri-captain seniors Darren Fabbri and John McGuire will be the firepower behind the rest of the track team.
The transition from the indoor to the outdoor season has gone smoothly. "We have had great practices which will help us run fast and hard," Devine said.
Devine hopes that his performance at Nationals in the indoor season will carry some momentum for himself and the team into the spring season.
"It was a great capstone to a season of a lot of hard work and sacrifice," Devine said of his impressive performance. "It was a great feeling that the hard work has really paid off."
Devine hopes to build on last year's success by getting an All-American bid. "I am definitely vying for an All-American slot," Devine said. In order to qualify for the All-American race, he would have to record a top-eight time in the country in the 400-meter hurdles during the regular season.
The long-distance events will be anchored by Patterson, usually a 3000-meter runner, who ran the 5,000 event at Nationals during the winter. Last spring, Patterson finished 11th in the nation in the steeplechase, and hopes to compete in the event at Nationals again this year.
In the field events, freshman Patrick Taylor is presently the number-one long jumper, and senior Adam Mantzaris looks to lead the Jumbos in the high jump. The hammer throwing duties will be placed in the hands of senior Kevin Waltrous. Senior Matt Payne and freshman Ryan McPherson will lead the discus throwers and senior Greg Sicillian is the number-one shot putter.
Running in the hurdles races will be sophomore Bryan Pitko, freshman Chinua Thelwell, and junior Andy Benedict. The 1,500 runners will be junior Ben Smith and sophomore Jacob Berman, and the 500-meter races will be run by junior JR Cruz, freshman John Rosen, and junior Justin Lewis. Junior Adam Barrer looks to head the sprinting brigade for the Jumbos.
The Jumbos are encouraged by the team unity and tradition that has developed thus far this season.
"The chemistry is excellent," coach Connie Putnam said. "There may not be a team in New England that works as hard as they do." Putnam went on to cite the Jumbos' strong performance at the New England Division III Championships as a testament to their chemistry and willing ness to work.
Despite the solid team concept that has sparked the Jumbos' spirit, some injuries may nag the team this spring. McGuire has been injured for much of the winter, and his status for this season is up in the air. In addition, Benedict has a slight hamstring pull, and his availability early on is questionable.
Still, the team is excited as it prepares for the season's first meet at Springfield College.
"It is a marking point to let us know where we are," Devine said. "It will help us know what adjustments we need to make."
The runners don't expect to be at their best for the first outdoor meet. "It's cold and hard to run good times," Patterson said. "We will use it as a good workout and as bench times for the season."
The best prediction that can be made about the first meet is to expect the unexpected.
"Its an experiment" Putnam said. Sending more people to Nationals (to be held in Millikan, IL, this season) is an important goal of the team this season. The Jumbos also hope to beat out rival Bates for second in the NESCAC. Williams, the perennial conference favorite is clearly out of reach for the men this year.
A more lofty goal for the team is to repeat as a top-five finisher at the New England Division III Championships.
"It's going to be hard," Putanam said. Unlike other schools in the NESCAC, Tufts struggles to get basketball players and football players to do field events, making the field team weaker. Still, the Jumbos under solid leadership and with future stars look to have a productive spring season.
