More known for its prowess on the track, the women's track and field team enters the indoor season with plenty of veterans ready to make their mark on the field.
With much experience under their belts, the Tufts throwers and jumpers are optimistic for a productive winter season.
In the 2004 spring season, the team's most successful field event was the high jump. Seniors Melissa Graveley and Sika Henry, whose junior high jump seasons were highlighted last spring by tying for sixth place in the NESCAC Championships, will not return for the indoor season, leaving openings in the team's jumping lineup.
Henry also tied for ninth place in high jump at the New England Div. III Championships last spring, another competition where the Jumbos placed second in the NESCAC, again behind Williams.
Tufts returns two veteran throwers this winter in seniors Jessica Colby and Katie Antle. Despite a lack of depth in their events - the hammer, discus and shot put - the seniors feel ready to improve on last spring's results. Going into this winter, Colby is hoping for success in multiple events.
"I'm doing shot put and weight [hammer]," Colby said. "I usually end up focusing on weight a bit more. [I] am really hoping to just end my career with [personal records] and really contribute to the team scores."
Last spring, Colby found her best results in the hammer throw, placing 10th at NESCACs. The senior also found success in the shot put, putting together a 13th-place result at NESCACs before finishing 17th at New Englands.
Although Antle previously found the most success in the discus, Colby expects her senior teammate to excel alongside her in the shot put this winter.
"For the indoor season, Katie is going to be focusing on the shot put and is looking to be a major contender in the NESCAC league and hopefully beyond," Colby said.
Last spring, Antle placed 12th in the discus at NESCACs before moving on to New Englands to finish 16th in that event.
The fourth, and more sprinting-oriented throwing event, is the javelin. Tufts has high hopes in that event going into the indoor season, as Graveley is coming off a spring where she finished third in the javelin at NESCACs. At that same competition, junior Megan Sears provided a 15th-place result in that event.
Look for Sears to make up for the losses of Graveley and Henry in the high jump along with the long jump, an event where she experienced success early this year. Despite the absence of the senior jumpers, the team has a strong freshman class ready to fill the holes.
With plenty of experienced leadership on the field this indoor season, the team is more than ready to start competing.
"We are extremely excited for this season," Antle said. "We have been working hard in the off-season and are going to have a lot of fun this year."
