Aaron Kaye, Men's Track & Field
The senior had a record-breaking weekend, running in the All-New England Championships at Boson University. Kaye obliterated the long-standing Tufts record in the 1,000 meter event, set by Paul Murray in 1982 (2:29.32).
Facing strong Div. I, II, and III competition, Kaye ran his record time of 2:28.93 in the preliminaries of the 1000. Kaye cruised through the beginning of the race and then took the lead as the pace of the pack slowed. In the final fifth lap, he charged and crossed the line right behind Div. I competitors. Kaye advanced to the finals in the 1000, where he finished in seventh place and earned two points for the Jumbos (2:30.10). Overall, Tufts placed 10th out of 36 schools with 23 points.
This is the second time Kaye has put his name in the record books, this season. The senior ran the leadoff leg of the DMR team that broke the school record at BU's St. Valentine's Invitational earlier this month in a time of 10:01.33 and will likely advance to Nationals in March.
Distance Medley relay, Women's Track & Field
The team cruised to an 11:59.80, shattering their time from the St. Valentine's Invitational by ten seconds and setting a new school record. The team of Senior Katie Sheedy, junior Rachel Bloom, and freshmen Katy O'Brien and Laura Walls also likely solidified its entry at the NCAA Championships in two weeks at Illinois Wesleyan.
O'Brien led off in 3:39 sticking with some stiff competition from DI and DII schools, improving her time on the leg by two seconds. Bloom ran the 400 leg in a blistering 57.7 with Sheedy then running a 2:19.5 for the 800. Laura Walls then ran the mile leg in 5:02, seven seconds faster than her time at St. Valentine's.
The team broke the school record, set by Colleen Burns, Sarah Deeb, Lauren Esposito, and Leslie Crofton, which they set at the NCAA Championships, taking third in 2000. The girls currently own the fourth fastest time in the nation.
"I told the girls after the race that they exceeded expectations and I never say that," coach Kristen Morwick said.
