From the annual preseason Alumni Run to the former Jumbos who show up at NESCAC's and nationals to cheer on runners they may or may not know, it's no secret that Tufts' cross country alumni remain an important part of the program.
That fact was emphasized this past weekend, when an anonymous Tufts alumnus from the program paid for the team to fly to the ultra-competitive Jim Drews Invitational at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Jumbos finished seventh out of 23 teams, including several top-flight D-I schools, and ahead of higher-ranked D-III schools such as Wartburg and Haverford.
"[The gift] just highlights the alumni community that Tufts cross country and track and field has," coach Ethan Barron said. "Just because you graduate doesn't mean you're removed. I think it's one of the tighter alumni communities Tufts has."
Barron declined to disclose the donor's name to the Tufts Daily, but the team sent him a thank-you note and he also stopped by practice.
"He didn't really want to make a big deal about the funding of the trip," senior co-captain Matt Lacey said. "But he told us some stories from when he was on the team, and he just wanted to get a feel for what we were like and marvel at how far everything has progressed since he ran [in the late 1980's]."
It was the first time in program history the Jumbos have flown out west other than for nationals.
"Getting up before dawn on Friday and making the trip out there together was an experience that the team needs to make and the program needs to make," assistant coach Rod Hemingway said of a squad that has finished sixth and 11th the last two seasons at nationals. "They've come to the next level and they need to know that they know belong there."
For Lacey and fellow senior co-captain Matt Fortin, seniors Kyle Doran and Neil Orfield, junior Josh Kennedy, and sophomore Chris Kantos, all of whom have competed at nationals, the trip was a chance to scout out and try to measure up to the elite competition, and to have fun on a road trip without the pressure of nationals.
"The whole goal is to make nationals feel like just another Saturday, and it will be much more like that this year," Lacey said. "I feel so grateful."
For junior Justin Chung and sophomore Dave Sorensen, neither of whom has been to nationals before, it was an opportunity to get a taste of nationals-type racing before the actual race.
"It was a great experience," Sorensen said. "I've never run in that type of race before and it was a great chance for us to race against the top Midwest teams we might see later."
"I had a tough time running at nationals for the first time last year because it felt different than any race I had run before," Lacey explained. "So it was clutch for everyone to get this experience."
Barron agreed that the trip served its purpose well.
"I was really pleased with how relaxed the team was," he added. "No one showed any inkling that they had just been on a long plane ride the day before. That's exactly what we're going for."
According to Barron, the trip was on the schedule even before the alum, who makes an annual contribution to the athletics department, stepped up to the plate.
"We were going to find a way to pay for it somehow, and this just relieved that big burden," he said.
"It makes you feel like you're running for something more than just yourself and the current team," Lacey said, "when you know that the alumni care a lot as well. I didn't know who he was before this and he didn't know who we were. But he's had a positive impact on our season."
Coming next week: a broader look at the role of cross country alumni in the program.
