Sixth place finish not enough to extend Jumbos' season

Midway through Saturday's NCAA New England Championship meet the men's cross country team had put themselves in prime position to qualify for the National Championships. But thanks to harsh weather conditions and the best assemblage of running talent in New England in several years, the team tailed off to a sixth place finish out of 35 teams, just short of what it needed to prolong its season.

Keene State (64), Bowdoin (111), Williams (132), and Connecticut College (151) secured the four qualifying spots for the NCAA Div. III National Championship race, while Trinity College (167) also finished ahead of Tufts (176). The Jumbos crossed the line ahead MIT (193), Bates (209), and Coast Guard (209) _ three teams they knew they had to beat in order to have a shot at qualifying _ but a strong team race by Connecticut and Trinity's 1-2 punch of Ryan Bak (1st overall) and Jim Emord (7th overall) were too much for the team to overcome.

As he has all year, sophomore Nate Brigham paved the way for the Jumbos with a time of 25:07, finishing 13th out of all New England runners, while freshman Matt Lacey was also impressive, setting a personal record with a 25:41 on the way to a 28th place finish. Behind him, a trio of Jumbos sped across the finish line in a 14 second span, as junior co-captain Peter Bromka (25:57) finished 40th, sophomore Michael Don (26:03) finished 45th, and junior Ian Joseph ran a 26:11, competing with such fury that he collapsed upon crossing the finish line at 50th overall.

Junior Peter Jurczynski and freshman Neil Orfield also ran impressive races in the sixth and seventh spots, and the rest of the squad, who weren't competing, kept themselves busy. At every turn of the race, crazed teammates, half naked and painted in blue and brown, waved the team flag and urged their teammates on through the icy wind and monotonous drizzle. But it wasn't quite enough to give coach Connie Putnam's squad its sixth consecutive NCAA appearance.

But the team is not entirely finished for the season. By virtue of his high finish, Brigham will advance to race individually at the National Championship Race at St. Olaf, MN. Several team members will continue to train with him as he seeks to finish in the top 35 nationally and gain All-American status.

The rest of the team will take a short break from training to reflect on a successful season, which culminated in this final performance, which proved to many that Tufts is one of the top teams in the region, even in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.

To achieve this status, the team overcame barriers that few others had. Four seniors graduated from last year's top seven, and the team's lack of veteran experience and leadership probably cost them, as many of the top runners around the rest of the region were seniors.

Out of three returning sophomores, injury kept Brian McNamara out for the entire season, and Michael Don for most of it. And just as he returned to form late in the season, the squad lost junior co-captain Jon Rosen to injury. Brigham became a solid #1 runner, however, the junior class stepped up, and freshmen Matt Lacey, Mike Cummings, and Neil Orfield all displayed vast potential throughout the season.

This meant the conversation in the van on the way back from the meet was already abuzz with visions of next year's potential. The Jumbos have only one senior among their top 13 runners, so virtually the entire team will return after an off-season of training and recuperation from injuries.

If Saturday's race was any indication, the team is already on its way to maturity. Unlike previous races, Saturday's shortcoming couldn't be chalked up to mental breakdowns or focusing too much on beating one team. Everyone ran well, leading to one simple conclusion: on Saturday, Tufts was not one of the four best teams in New England.

"You can't pinpoint it on any one person or factor," Bromka said. "It was awesome competition, and everyone would have needed to run a little better."

"Before the race, I told the team that if all seven guys ran their hardest, and we still came up short, then we walk away with our head high," Putnam said. "So that's what we'll do."