On the weekend of May 14, senior track tri-captain Pete Jurczynski found himself in an unlikely position.
He was lining up for the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the ECACs at Williams with one last chance to qualify for the NCAA national championships, held at Millikin University in Illinois from May 27 to 29.
In order to do so, Jurczynski needed to break his personal record of 9 minutes, 28.30 seconds by about five seconds.
Five seconds is an eternity in a track event, and Jurczynski failed to qualify, finishing seventh with a time of 9:42.37, thus ending his collegiate career. But the fact that Jurczynski was even running with a shot at nationals would have seemed ludicrous four years ago, and if any members of the men's track and field team knows anything about improving, Jurczynski is the guy to do so.
Jurczynski was raised in Schenectady, N.Y. and turned to track after getting cut from his eighth grade basketball team. When looking at colleges, the track program was a factor in Jurczynski's decision to attend Tufts.
"Track was important in my decision to come here," Jurczynski recalled. "I was focused on academics, but I knew that I wanted to run, and that Tufts had the type of [track] program where even though I knew I couldn't make an immediate impact, I could by the end."
The reason Jurczynski's impact could not be immediate was his high school caereer was very modest.
"He had a mile personal record of just over five minutes," Tufts coach Connie Putnam said. "That sort of time usually will not be successful on the college level."
And yet four years later, Peter had a chance to qualify for the national championships. Everyone who runs with Jurczynski attributes his success to his work ethic.
"He's a junkyard dog," Putnam said. "He's not supposed to get it done, but he does, time after time."
Fellow distance runner junior Nate Brigham echoed Putnam's sentiments.
"Pete is one of the hardest workers on this team," Brigham said prior to ECACs. "That kid has been thinking 'steeplechase' since cross-country ended. All winter he worked on his hurdle form and his leg speed to give him a shot at qualifying for Nationals. Now he is closer than ever to reaching his goal."
Jurczynski's hard work has been more than evident in his career here at Tufts. As a junior, Jurczynski won the steeplechase at the NESCAC championships in a time of 9:41.7, an experience that he describes as the most incredible memory in his four years here.
At the same event this year, Jurczynski was unable to repeat his first place finish but still ran an excellent time, finishing in 9:39.08 and in second place.
Jurczynski's best time came at this year's New England Championships, which included competitors from every regional Div. III school. Jurczynski finished seventh in the race, with a time of 9:28.30.
"If you're talking about art, then that race was a masterpiece," Putnam said. "It's an example of what hard work can do, and it puts him well on the all-time steeplechase record list at Tufts."
As a captain, Jurczynski's work ethic served as an example to the whole team.
"I generally believe that the most important aspect to success in running is sheer talent," teammate and classmate Jon Rosen said. "But sometimes thinking of Pete makes me reconsider ... through sheer determination he has made himself into a close-to-national caliber steeplechaser."
Jurczynski's main asset as a captain came through his ability to connect with his teammates.
"I have a very open leadership style," Jurczynski said of his captaincy. "Track's one of those sports where it's good to get input from everyone, to work through discussion. Everyone's different, and everyone responds differently to different training methods, so it's valuable to have a personal relationship with the team. Fostering that atmosphere is what I tried to do."
Jurczynski's efforts as a captain and veteran proved especially valuable this year, as a young team that boasted only five seniors looked to Jurczynski for an example of hard work and dedication.
"He was a great captain," Putnam said. "He was great with some of the young guys as well as the top-notch competitors."
Jurczynski looked back on his career here with pride.
"It was so amazing seeing the program grow into what it is now over the last four years," Jurczynski said. "You never know your own potential. I don't have any regrets with my career, and I hope all the younger guys will be able to look back and say the same."
After graduating from Tufts, Jurczynski will head to Stanford University to continue his study of mechanical engineering. He hopes to use the experience to one day pursue a career in sports science. Those who ran alongside Jurczynski in practice everyday know that he will keep working hard to improve in whatever he does. After all, if an average high school runner can fall just short of competing in collegiate nationals, who can doubt his chances for success in anything he does?
