Following an uncharacteristically low eighth-place finish in the NESCAC Championships two weeks ago, the men's cross country team is trying to learn from its mistakes before heading into this weekend's New England Championships, in Springfield, Mass., a competition that Tufts has won the past three years.
After the eighth place finish at NESCACs the Jumbos were ranked 10th in the Oct. 30 Div. III New England coaches poll. The Jumbos hope their lackluster performance at NESCACs will have little bearing on the upcoming race as they look to qualify for Nationals for the fourth straight season.
"We have put it behind us," Cleveland said. "We know what it was, and we are ready for Regionals."
The top two teams at Regionals on Saturday will receive automatic bids to Nationals, and 16 at-large bids will be handed out nationally on Sunday. At-large bids are based on postseason performance, so the Jumbos poor finish at NESCACs could keep them out of the national competition even if they have a strong finish on Saturday.
The varsity squad's top seven runners have had a two-week hiatus from competition and should be well-rested heading into the weekend's competition.
"The break was very important for the team," senior co-captain Nate Cleveland said. "We are all coming off midterms, and the fact that we had a week off to relax and run more in practice benefited us all."
The field includes squads from all over the region, though the Jumbos' fellow NESCAC competitors will likely pose the greatest threat to Tufts' aspirations for gold.
"I'm pretty sure that the top five or six finishers will be from our conference," Cleveland said. "But we're not worried about what they are doing - we are concentrating on ourselves."
If the Jumbos want to repeat last year's first-place finish, their top seven need to be healthy and running at full-strength. Though a few runners were afflicted with a rash acquired at NESCACs that has spread to cross country teams around the region, the Jumbos primary concern for the past few weeks has been the knee of senior co-captain Josh Kennedy, who took a disappointing 22nd at NESCACs.
"Josh is okay," Cleveland added. "He is working his way back, but he is a competitor, and we are expecting a lot out of him."
Kennedy is also confident about his health.
"My knee is fine," he said. "I'm not worried about hurting myself."
While the team performance will hinge on the runs of Kennedy and senior Justin Chung this weekend, it will also need strong efforts from senior Chad Uy and junior Dave Sorensen.
The team will also find itself relying heavily on freshmen Nick Welch, Jesse Faller, and Peter Browne. Kennedy, though, isn't worried about inexperience hurting the Jumbos.
"We need [the freshmen] to do well," Kennedy said. "But I think they have shown all season that they are ready."
An important factor in the Jumbos' race will be their ability to stick to the predetermined strategy. Coach Ethan Barron has encouraged a conservative racing style for the majority of the season in order to preserve his runners' energy. This approach is now being slightly modified after two consecutive poor NESCAC showings yielded an inability to advance in the pack of runners.
"We have different concerns now than at the start of the season," Cleveland said. "We are worried about position, not necessarily time. We need to go out strong, establish our position early, and then maintain it for the rest of the race."
If the Jumbos do not qualify as a team for Nationals, there is still the possibility that the team will qualify runners individually for Nationals. The top seven runners who are not members of teams that have qualified for Nationals earn an individual trip to the race, which will be held at Wilmington College in West Chester, Ohio.
Kennedy, a two-time All-American, could very likely still get a trip to Wilmington College. Chung, who has consistently been the top finisher for Tufts and in the top pack of races, also could contend for one of the seven individual spots. Chung finished 29th overall at the All-New England Championships and took 13th last year at Regionals. Welch, who took 20th at NESCACs, could also qualify individually.
