On the kind of day that showcased the New England fall in all its glory, the men's cross country team had something to celebrate.
Three freshmen placed in the team's top five as the Jumbos took sixth place at the season-opening Conn. College Invitational. The Jumbos scored 199 points, but were beaten by a strong pack of teams, led by Div. I powerhouse Yale (33). Southern Conn. State (76), Stonehill College (84), The College of New Jersey (129), and NESCAC rival Trinity (140) rounded out the top five.
Coach Ethan Barron was extremely pleased with his team's first showing in the 2006 season.
"We were much better this year than last year," Barron said. "The end result really didn't mean anything. All we were trying to do was to stay focused, and stay together, which we did very well. Connecticut College was in worse shape this year than last year."
While it was not the season's most important test, the day was a strong start to the 2006 season and showcased impressive and inspiring finishes from some unlikely places.
Senior Justin Chung led the Tufts pack, finishing 12th overall in 25:43, and may have been the biggest story for the Jumbos. He finished the race in less than 26 minutes for the first time in his career, drawing immense praise from both his coach and his teammates.
"With Justin, there is no telling what he is capable of," Barron said. "He has great potential, and the fact that he was able to finish that high in the standings while we were asking him to slow down proves just how great he can be."
"I think there is much more to see from Justin," senior co-captain Nate Cleveland said. "I honestly believe that by the end of the season he'll be challenging 25 minutes."
Freshman Nick Welch (26:32) placed second for the Jumbos, followed by the pair of junior Dave Sorenson (26:47) and freshmen Peter Brown (26:50). Freshman Jesse Faller (27:13) rounded out the team's top five finishers.
"I was extremely pleased with the freshmen," Barron said. "For many of them, this was their first five-mile race, and they all showed how much potential they really have."
Sorenson was equally as pleased with his new teammates.
"[The freshmen] did really well," Sorenson said. "They controlled themselves and stuck to the strategy."
Despite the pleasant weather, rough terrain and a difficult course slowed down times.
"Even though it was sunny and cool, the course has a marsh loop where you have this free-standing water, which just slowed the whole race down," Barron said. "But everyone runs the same track so it's not really a disadvantage for anyone in particular."
Cleveland agreed that the course conditions made for a more difficult race.
"Those marsh loops really slow down the race," he said. "They are just piles of mud and wholes and they make the footing down their extremely slippery."
Despite the solid performance, the Jumbos now look ahead to the remainder of their season, which continues on Saturday at the annual UMass Dartmouth Invitational, which was plagued last year by heavy rain and strong winds.
While the race does yielded some surprising and encouraging results, the runners will still control themselves and allow the freshmen to progress steadily.
"Our freshmen still aren't very experienced in five-mile races," Barron said. "It's still early in the season, and we want to pace ourselves and be in control of ourselves. However, I have no doubt in my mind that our runners will be physically ready for the race [on Saturday]."
