With rested legs after a two-week break from competition, the members of the men's cross country team will return primed and ready for Saturday's NESCAC Championship meet at Conn. College. Welcoming the opportunity to test the extent of their new peak of fitness, the Jumbos are prepared to tackle the race ahead.
"I'd say they're in the best shape they've been in all year; we're an entirely different team physically from we were at the New England Open," coach Ethan Barron said. "Mentally, we've got a lot of confidence. We've raced this course [at Conn. College] a lot of times, in both championship and non-championship races."
A return to the Conn. College course, where the men competed in their first race of the season, will provide comparison for how much improvement the team has made throughout the season. Familiarity with the course will also provide a certain degree of comfort, as runners can mentally prepare for trouble spots or plan exactly when to start their kick for the greatest effect.
Most importantly, this foreknowledge will allow the Jumbos to put their focus more intently on the field and their place in the upcoming race. The team also knows which competition to look out for.
"The team to beat right now is Williams and closely [behind is], Bowdoin," Barron said. "After that, it's a pretty tight race between Amherst, Trinity, Wesleyan, Bates, and us."
If the season behind is any indicator, Saturday could be anyone's championship. While
consistently finishing ahead of Conn. College, Colby, and Middlebury, Tufts has been jockeying for position with rivals Bates and Amherst all season, triumphing over them at the Jumbo Invitational on Sept. 23 but falling behind on several occasions with less than 10 points separating them. Williams and Bowdoin remain the powerhouse contenders, but any combination of factors could dictate the day and shake up the order.
"If you go in too concerned about how everyone else is running, a race can become very difficult in terms of confidence,"Barron said, "We're going to take care of our own race, but that's going to put pressure on the other teams to run well, step up, or get left behind."
Although the most recent New England Div. III poll on Oct. 23 puts Tufts behind six other NESCAC teams, the numbers are not an accurate reflection of the season's progress. The data does not take into account the fact that Tufts has not competed in the last two weeks while the others have, yielding greater scoring opportunities that inflated their rankings. In the short run, a drop in the polls means relatively little, and the payoff may be more than worth it; the decision to recuperate from the pace of the season might actually give Tufts an advantage in what is a strenuous and taxing season.
"You're never going to be 100 percent good to go, by the nature of this sport," Barron said. "We've got a couple of scrapes and bruises. Every mile in practice is wear and tear, but everyone's legs are feeling really good and rested."
The weekend forecast for Waterford, Conn., does not look nearly as sunny as the Jumbos' outlook. A 60 percent chance of showers on Friday with a 30 percent of the same on Saturday, and projected highs in the 50s both days foreshadow a wet and chilly day. A mud-slicked course will slow chances for personal bests, especially on the marsh loop that mucked up the team on their first go-around at the Conn. College Invitational on Sept. 9. However, Barron said adverse weather
conditions remain part of the contest for all competitors.
"I'm not too worried about the weather," said Barron. "Everyone has to put up with showers if they come. It's a universal thing that all athletes have to deal with."
As the race rolls closer, the Jumbos are prepared to take on their NESCAC competitors with a healthy blend of optimism and uncertainty.
"We're ready to go this weekend," Barron said. "Any team on any Saturday could step up and shock everyone."
