The Second Seven, women's cross country
For some area cross country teams, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships are a chance to give your all and field the most competitive squad that you possibly can. For others, they're a chance to take a week off.
The Tufts women's team sent their "second seven" to ECACs, using the weekend to rest their top runners in preparation for the New England Div. III Championships, and later Nationals. And despite only fielding their second seven, the Jumbos managed a sixth-place finish in the 35-team field at ECACs, a solid performance for a group of young, inexperienced runners.
The second seven featured two seniors, a junior and four sophomores, and three of the seven placed in the ECAC top 20 Saturday. The Jumbos were led by sophomore Susan Allegretti, who finished 13th overall, while senior Samantha Moland took 17th and junior Anna Shih finished 20th. Two of the sophomores, Betsy Aronson and Kate Charyk, achieved new personal best times despite finishing out of the top 20. Senior Angie Lee and sophomore Veronica Jackson also turned in solid finishes for the Jumbos, who overcame the difficult, hilly Williams College course to earn a total of 169 points in the event.
Kevin Gleason, football
Talk about a breakout performance. Facing the league's third-best passing defense in the Colby Mules, the Jumbos were forced to adjust their aerial game on Saturday. Sophomore David Halas was nursing a calf injury and still not at 100 percent, so the Mules' secondary turned its attention to containing senior Steve Menty, the Jumbos' other top receiver.
The result was a golden opportunity for junior tight end Kevin Gleason. A former defensive end, Gleason entered Saturday's game with just three career catches since moving to tight end last season, but he exploded against Colby, leading all receivers in the game with 49 yards on four catches, and scoring the game's only touchdown.
Gleason's first catch came on a 17-yard pass from senior quarterback Matt Russo in the third quarter, as the Jumbos picked up a first down on the Colby 31 with three minutes left in the quarter. The gain was fruitless, however, as the Jumbos walked away with a turnover on downs.
Two drives later, however, the Jumbo offense stepped up, as sophomore Will Forde and junior Brendan Georges carried the running game, and Gleason reeled in three more catches to propel the passing game. Gleason's final catch, on a five-yard fling from Russo down the left side of the field, put the Jumbos in the end zone, giving them a 7-0 win and a much-needed win over Colby, putting Tufts back above .500 heading into the season's final week.
