Throughout the season, the goal of the men's track and field team was to qualify as many athletes as possible for the post-season meets. Individual performances were the focus and the team's overall scoring came second.
But this weekend, when the Jumbos host the New England Div. III Championships, scoring points for the team will be on every athlete's mind. And the Jumbos shouldn't have trouble racking up points this year.
"In this meet, we're looking for every guy to compete as hard as he can," coach Connie Putnam said. "Good competition will produce good times, heights, and distances, but this is more of a case where everyone's points will be crucial to the effort. The major look at this point is to try to have every guy score as high as he can in the standings, and get as many points as possible for the team. It's more of a team affair."
The last time the Jumbos won the N.E. Div. III competition was 1991, under the guidance of Putnam, currently in his 21st year as head coach for Tufts. Now the numbers alone suggest that this could be the Jumbos' year. In 2000, Tufts placed sixth, in 2001, they placed fifth, in 2002, fourth, in 2003, third, and then second place in 2004.
But it's more than just a trend in the numbers that makes Tufts a frontrunner for the Div. III title this year. The Jumbos have always struggled against a few other superior running programs, but thus far the team believes it holds the edge.
"We're all excited about it," senior Nate Brigham said. "We'll have a good chance of winning the meet. We think we're pretty good and we should be able to squeak by Williams this year, which should be pretty nice."
Last year, the Jumbos traveled to rival Williams for the championships, where the Ephs emerged victorious on their own turf and were crowned 2004 New England Div. III Championships. This season, the Jumbos have the luxury of competing at Tufts, and it's their opponents who will make the road trips. According to junior Matt Fortin, racing at home may make the difference for the Jumbos.
"I think it does [make a difference]," Fortin said. "We'll be very comfortable with the venue, and I think the fans that come out will help. The familiarity of the area, and knowing our routing will be the same as it's basically been every meet, will be a big help."
The Div. III championships are only for the athletes who pre-qualified for the events earlier in the season by hitting a certain time or height/distance (for the field events), so only the elite competitors will be representing their teams.
Freshman Jeremy Arak will compete for Tufts in the pentathlon event, which is comprised of the 55 meter hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 1000 meter run. Arak is ranked fifth in N.E. Div. III for this event, an impressive feat for a freshman. He will also represent Tufts in the high jump.
Sophomore standout Fred Jones will compete in the long jump and the triple jump, two events for which he holds the record in this season's N.E. Div. III (7.02 meters in the long jump and 14.61 in the triple jump). Freshman Kenneth Kang and senior Nate Thompson will also compete in the long jump and triple jump, and freshman Dan
Marcy will join them for the triple jump.
Junior Jason Galvin will represent the Jumbos in the weight throw and the shot put. Sophomore Ryan Byrne will also compete in the shot put event. Juniors Seth LaPierre and William Heitmann are entered in the pole vault event.
Freshman Marcus Boggis is the only Jumbo sprinting in the 55 dash. Sophomore Jamil Ludd and Nate Thompson will take to the track forTufts in the 55 hurdles. Junior Trevor Williams is entered in the 400, and freshman Nathan Scott and Nate Cleveland will race the 600. Junior Patrick Mahoney will compete in the 800.
Senior Aaron Kaye and Fortin will race the 1000. Fortin, who will also run the 1500, is ranked first in N.E. Div. III for the 1000 (2:30.68). Junior Matt Lacey and senior Michael Don will run the 3000. Sophomore Josh Kennedy and Brigham (currently in first in N.E. Div. III, 14:36.59) will race the 5000. Freshman Chris Kantos qualified for the 5000, but will not be able to run due to health issues.
After making headlines by breaking the school record last weekend at Boston University's Valentine Invitational, the Distance Medley Relay team, comprised of Kaye, Fortin, Mahoney, and Williams, will compete in the DMR, where they currently are rated third for N.E. Div. III (10:01.33). Tufts also has one team entered in the 4x400 as well as the 4x800 relay.
Although numerous schools will be represented this weekend, according to Putnam, the teams to beat are MIT, Bates, and especially last year's champion, Williams. MIT beat Tufts this year at a four-way meet at Bowdoin by a small point margin (184-163).
"I'm cautiously optimistic," Putnam said. "I think we probably have a good of a chance to place in the top three as we ever had, and if the guys really compete, there's an offsides chance we could win this go."
