With the Div. III Championship meet a week away, the women's track team set out to better its chances of succeeding in the postseason by performing well this past weekend in the final Tufts Invitational of the season. Now, having accomplished the goals of qualifying more athletes and improving already qualified seed times, the Jumbos seem poised to reach great heights at the upcoming championship.
"We looked really good. Everyone's towards the peaking time of the indoor season, which is at a great place," senior Sarah Lestikow said. "Everyone is physically there; we just need to stay mentally strong."
Junior co-captain Myriam Claudio paved the way for Tufts, setting personal records (PRs) in every event she competed in and breaking her own school record in the pole vault. Claudio ran a PR and qualified for Div. I New England's in her 55 meter dash (7.59) victory and leapt to a new school record in the pole vault (10'), finishing second behind national qualifier Meredith Jones of Williams. In the 200 dash, she finished with another PR (26.96) good for third place in a tight race.
Earlier in the meet, sophomore Jess Trombly fell at the start of the 55 hurdles but made up for the mishap with her 200 performance. Closing out a close and competitive 200 race, Trombly sprinted to a first place finish (26.51) while setting an indoor PR and qualifying her for Div. I New Englands in the process.
Sophomore Amy Spiker came through in the 55 hurdles race (9.48), bettering her season best in a fifth place finish. Fellow sophomore Sushanna Mignott came off injury this weekend to run a PR in the 55 dash (7.67), finishing right behind speedster Claudio.
Closing out the sprints, freshman Sika Henry ran away with the 400 race, winning with an indoor PR (60.81). This speedy performance bodes well for Tufts as Henry also comprises a leg of the 4x400 meter relay team hoping to make it to Nationals. The relay team is currently seconds off of the 4:03.90 Nationals provisional time, and all four legs have posted faster individual 400m times since they last ran as a relay.
"We didn't run as a relay this weekend because there wasn't really any competition to spur us on," Henry said. "But we've all dropped our times since we last ran together, so we'll only be faster the next time we run it."
The 800 race also showcased the power of the freshmen as Katie Sheedy won in a time of 2:23.39, also qualifying her for ECACs. Senior co-captain Lauren Esposito overcame a nagging knee injury to post a PR in the 600 race (1:41.93), which was good for fourth place and also qualified her for ECACs.
Leistikow jumped to a season PR (16' 5 3/4'') as she captured first in the long jump. The throwers also followed the pervasive season theme of setting PRs as sophomore Jessica Gauthier threw one in the weight throw (42' 7'') and fellow sophomore Gwen Campbell followed suit in the shot put (35' 10''). Freshman Katie Antle rested after the trials due to some discomfort but looks to compete strongly this coming weekend.
The Jumbos flexed some track muscle in the distance events, especially in the 1000 race. Pitted against All-American Jenn Campbell of Williams, junior Mary Nodine (3:04.74) and sophomore Lauren Caputo (3:06.80) came through with huge PRs to earn second and third place finishes, respectively. Senior Colleen Burns also had a PR on the day in the 1000 (3:10.05) as she followed her teammates closely in fifth place.
"This is a great team, and we get stronger every week and seem to rise to the occasion when tested," coach Kristen Morwick said. "The 1000-meter race was a perfect example of that. Jenn Campbell could have walked away with that race, but Mary [Nodine] and Lauren [Caputo] went after her. Though they didn't catch her, they stuck their necks out there, and both ran a gutsy race."
The 3000 also displayed the strength of the distance crew, as juniors Ashley Peterson (11:01.91) and Sarah Foss (11:05.74) both qualified for the Div. III meet as they set PRs in their second and third place finishes.
"As long as people continue to do what they have done all season, we'll do great at Division III's," Esposito said. "We're all looking forward to it over this week, getting pumped up in anticipation of doing well."
This weekend's upcoming Div. III Championships at the University of Southern Maine will provide a true test for the women's squad as this will be the team's most important meet to date. Eyeing a third place finish, the Jumbos will have to stave off both Williams and almost-untouchable Wheaton.
Williams has great depth in the throws, pole vault, triple jump and distance events, while the Jumbos are strong in the sprints and multi-events. The key to the meet will be how well the women perform against a speedy reserve of Wheaton sprinters as well as against the mid-distance power of Williams.
"I think third place for the team is a very reasonable goal, and all we have to do is perform as we have done all year. Nothing special: just go in there, compete well, and do our jobs out there," Morwick said.
This weekend's pivotal New England Div. III competition is slated for an 11 a.m. start on Saturday at the University of Southern Maine.
