Rachel Bloom, women's track and field
At the Div. III New England Regional Championships this weekend, senior tri-captain Rachel Bloom demonstrated the skill and leadership that earned her the position, winning the 600 meters and single-handedly taking the 4x200 from fifth place to second place on her anchor leg. She also ran the second leg of the 4x400 relay, helping that relay to a first-place finish.
The All-American contributed 28 points (10 by herself) to Tufts' total of 122.33. Bloom's first-place time of 1:37.23 in the 600 is the third-fastest time in Tufts history and is faster than Caitlin Murphy '00, a two-time indoor national champion in the 800 meters.
Guiding the 4x200 to second place in 1:46.84 wasn't enough for Bloom, who also led the 4x400 to the top spot (4:01.54). Bloom was part of a valiant effort by the Jumbos to wrestle the title from defending champion Williams. Next week, she will lead the team to Boston University for the All-New England Championship, which Tufts will use to qualify more members for the NCAA Championships.
Dave Shepherd, men's basketball
Junior tri-captain David Shepherd played an integral role in the Jumbos' 101-89 NESCAC quarterfinal victory over Williams on Saturday. The junior point guard chipped in 20 points - trailing only sophomore Jake Weitzen's 21. Fifteen of these came in the final 10 minutes while the Jumbos held off the sharp-shooting Ephs. Shepherd was one of three Jumbos to pull down a team-high seven rebounds and he also dished out five assists. But his biggest contribution may have been his 10-11 showing from the foul line, including a perfect 8-8 in the final minute.
After only scoring five points in the first half of the game, Shepherd came up big during a 10-0 Tufts run late in the second half that kept the Ephs at bay, creating a 15-point lead that would prove insurmountable. After Brian Kumf scored five points on a dunk, a lay-up, and a free throw, Shepherd scored Tufts' next five with two lay-ups and a free throw.
Shepherd is second on the team this season in assists with four per game and his fourth on the team in scoring with 9.6 points per game, but his contribution as the captain of the?Tufts offense far outweighs his stats. Shepherd and Tufts head into Amherst this weekend to take on Trinity in the NESCAC Semifinals, with the winner taking on either Amherst or Bates in the league championship game.
