The Div. I Indoor Track and Field Championships held this past weekend were memorable for more than being the last meet ever held at the historic BU Armory - for Tufts, at least. The men's track team put forth a solid 11th place showing in a field of 27 teams from all three divisions.
The Jumbos led all NESCAC teams in their most competitive meet so far this season, and several athletes notched personal records on the day.
One of the event's highlights occurred in the 5000 meters, where senior quad-captain J.R. Cruz put forth an impressive second-place finish with a personal record [PR] of 14:45.25. Solid efforts in the same distance came from junior Peter Bromka, in a time of 15:24.80, and senior Jason Mann, who crossed the line in 15:29.33.
"J.R. Cruz had a great performance. He led the race for much of the way and is almost assured of a spot at nationals in two weeks," Bromka said. "For me, it wasn't a particularly good race, but it was great to be in such a competitive field."
Junior Adam Sharp turned in another standout performance in the 1000, a highly competitive distance that saw him place sixth (2:30.74).
"Sharp ran a great race on Friday to scrap into the finals on Saturday," Mann said. "Then, he ran an even better race on Saturday to score some huge points for our team. I think Sharp, like a lot of the athletes at the collegiate level, rises to the level of his competition."
The Distance Medley Relay provided a surprisingly strong effort from the Jumbos in an event where Tufts does not normally combine its best athletes. In last weekend's case, coach Connie Putnam brought together four of his best runners: junior Bryant Coen, junior quad-captain Greg Devine, sophomore Ian Joseph, and senior quad-captain Ben Smith. The Jumbos' new strategy paid off as Tufts had a strong third-place showing in a time of 10:12.13.
"That race was a huge effort," Bromka said. "A group of four of the best guys on the team combined for third place, a season best, and only a few seconds off of the school record while recording a provisional time for nationals."
There were several other noteworthy performances from the Jumbos this past weekend. Smith placed in the top 15 of the 3000 final in a time of 8:44.44. In 4x800 relay, Tufts crossed the tape in 8:03.79 for 16th place, and in the 4x400 the Jumbos placed 11th with a time of 3:21.44.
Overall, the meet was a success - Tufts was the third highest placing Div. III team at the meet.
"It's a great thing to run against schools that can offer scholarships and recruit overseas because it shows us we belong there," Mann said. "We're not going to go out and beat a team like UConn, but we also aren't going to get blown off the track."
The Jumbos have remained strong throughout the season, and are anxious for this weekend's ECAC meet, being held today and tomorrow at the Gantcher Center. For a selected few runners, the season will extend to the Nationals in two weeks at Ohio Northern University.
"As a senior, I only have one indoor race left," Mann said. "I'm hoping to build on my improved performances from this past weekend and run a great race in the ECACs. Obviously, being at home is helpful."
