Devine, men's track race to another win

The men's indoor track team raced to its second consecutive win on Saturday at Tufts, narrowly defeating coach Connie Putnam's Alma Mater, Springfield College. The meet was highlighted by senior tri-captain Greg Devine's school record-breaking time of 7.66 seconds in the 55 meter hurdles. The time was also a NCAA qualifier. Devine, who narrowly missed breaking the previous record of 7.74 seconds by 0.01 seconds last weekend, was thrilled.

"I'm not going to complain this early in the season," Devine said. "To run a time like that, I was really pumped."

Coach Putnam was pleased with the performance of Devine and fellow senior tri-captain Adam Sharp, who battled injury to win the 1500, and cited the pair's achievements as the meet's highlights.

"Greg ran a terrific race, and Sharp is approaching NCAA times as well, which is impressive," Putnam said. "Their performances really show senior leadership, setting the standard for the rest of the team."

Sharp was also pleased with his result.

"I was out most of the week with a bad hamstring," Sharp said. "But I bargained with the trainer, went out conservatively, finished hard, and had my best indoor time."

Devine also placed second in the 55 (6.67) and 200 (22.96), narrowly beaten in both by Springfield's Jason Jackson (6.57 and 22.51 respectively). Sharp (4:03.34 in the 1500), who ran the final quarter-mile in a speedy 61.5 seconds, was supported by third and fourth place finishers sophomore Michael Don (4:06.97) and junior Peter Bromka (4:07.76).

The meet was marked by many solid supporting roles as well. Freshman Shawn Hansberry (2:00.77) finished second in the 800, ahead of senior Bryant Coen and freshman Tim Creedon. Freshman Michael Cummings (15:48.12) also finished second in the 5000, while sophomores Nate Brigham (8:53.11) and Aaron Kaye, and freshman Neil Orfield finished second, third and fourth in the 3000.

"I would describe the day as very consistent," Putnam said. "We really maintained that level of consistency and were pleased with the result."

The victory over Springfield added to the excitement. The Jumbos had not beaten Springfield since before Devine, Sharp and fellow senior tri-captain Bryan Pitko joined the team.

"It's a physical education school," Putnam said. "They have 2200 students, 1900 of whom play on a varsity team, so it was a big achievement."

The Tufts throwing team also put in a strong effort, garnering points in both the weight throw and shot put. Sophomore Dan March (14.01 meters) led the Jumbo charge, placing sixth in the weight throw while senior Adam Lukowski (12.73) finished eighth. Junior Ryan McPherson (12.57) finished seventh in the shot, also earning points. The throwers, three of five of whom are new this season, should not be overlooked, according to March. There may even be a possibility of Division III championship qualification.

"The team is going really well so far, though we're not large by NESCAC standards," March said. "But the program is on the up and up, with increasingly better results. We can score a few crucial points for the team, which is something the team has failed to do the last couple years."

Those points will be crucial going into next weekend's meet against powerhouses Bowdoin and MIT at Bowdoin.

"It will be a true test, because Bowdoin is extremely strong in the distance events, and MIT is a big school, with a big group [of students] to draw on," Putnam said. "There's no place for the feint of heart. I'll be spending the next couple days plotting the lineup, how to offset the other teams' strengths."

Sharp agreed, calling for the best from all team members.

"We'll have to dig deep," Sharp said. "We'll need pull from everyone."

One thing the team has not lacked is support. While the last two weeks have proved no exception, the team hopes to see even more spectators at the next home meet, on Feb 8.

"You always want to do a lot better [in front of a home crowd]," Devine said. "But we'd like to see even more people down there.

"We're much more successful in our meets [this year]. The talent is not any better or worse than in the past, but I think everyone's performing at a much higher level."