Competitive times for men's track

With the sounds of Chopin's 'Polonaise' resonating across his office from a radio in the corner, men's track and field coach Connie Putnam did not look like a man entering championship crunch time. But with the New England Div. III's taking place this weekend at MIT, Putnam is looking for a very tight, close finish.

"It's going to be very close," Putnam said. "It will be tooth and nail all the way. If we have a great day we could score around 65 points. We could be anywhere from third to sixth."

Along with host MIT, the Jumbos main opposition will come from Bates, Williams, Bowdoin and Springfield. MIT, because of its all-around depth, is undoubtedly favored to win the meet, according to Putnam.

"I don't think anyone can beat MIT, as sorry as I am to say it," Putnam said. "I don't think anyone can stop them. They have the best balance of any team."

How the rest of the field falls into place will come down to who performs better on the day. The Jumbos will be in the thick of things, battling for one of the top five spots behind MIT. The news that Wheaton will not compete will create a greater battle between the teams for the additional points. Wheaton had figured to be a strong contender for second place, with star athletes in the sprint and jumping events.

The Jumbos are most evenly matched with Bowdoin, particularly in the distance events. The team will be looking for strong performances from sophomores Nate Brigham with a seeded time of 15:11.05 in the 5000 meter, Michael Don (8:48.77) in the 3000 and Aaron Kaye (4:01.55) in the 1500. Senior tri-captain Adam Sharp (2:34.40 and 4:03.34), will be running the 1000-1500 meter double.

"We need the distance guys to run effective races to beat some people out there to get some points," Putnam said. "We'll also be leaning heavily on our hurdles guys for the bulk of our points."

Senior tri-captains Bryan Pitko (7.65 seconds, 55 hurdles) and Greg Devine (7.66), plus sophomore Nate Thompson (7.92), will provide the team with a strong presence in the hurdles. With Bates set to dominate the field events with one of the better throwing teams around, the hurdles will be particularly important in helping to neutralize Bates' points haul.

The Jumbos have just one thrower in the field, sophomore Dan March, who won't know whether he will actually be able to compete until the morning of the competition. March (14.14 meters in the weight throw) is entered provisionally in the event. But if he competes, he is set for a bust out performance, according to Putnam.

The 400 meter dash will create some interest, with sophomore Ray Carre (50.19) the sole Jumbo representative. Wheaton's Erik Benson (48.94), who had been dominating, will not be present, leading to what could be a very open-ended race.

"That changes a lot of things," assistant coach Ethan Barron said. "Ray has a chance to do some damage."

With Devine running on an abbreviated schedule as he continues to nurse a slight muscle injury, the team is somewhat thin in the sprints, including the 55 and 200 meter dashes. This will place added weight on the 400 and 600. In the 600, freshmen Shawn Hansberry (school record 1:22.49) and Pat Mahoney (provisional 1:24.08) will be looking to score additional points for the team.

Putnam also believes the 4x400, 4x800 and distance medley relay teams could conceivably race to three third place finishes, also providing some strong support. In the field, Thompson will also contend in the long jump. Freshmen Seth LaPierre and Will Heitmann and junior Adrian Clarke will battle against a talented group of pole vaulters.

The main thing though, according to Barron, is not so much the spread of over twenty Jumbo athletes across the events. What is more important is that the team goes out and competes hard and gets the job done.

"We have everyone covered," Barron said. "We just have to go out there and beat them."