With the team-related portion of the season completed and a majority of the men's track and field squad starting to prepare for the imminent outdoor season, only a handful of Jumbos were still competing this weekend at the Open New England Championships, held at Boston University. But those individuals did not disappoint, turning in season-best performances.
Teams were still scored and placed, however, and as a result, the Jumbos finished 18th out of 32, earning eight points in the meet. Tufts competed in a pack that included several Div. I and II schools, along with a handful of the Div. III powerhouses, with the Jumbos finishing sixth among the Div III schools.
UConn dominated the meet, finishing first with 149 points, while Tufts' New England Div. III rivals Williams (34), Keene State (11) and Springfield (9) finished 10th, 15th and 16th, respectively.
"I was quite pleased with this weekend's performances," coach Ethan Barron said in an e-mail with the Daily. "Almost everyone who raced took some sort of step forward, be it physical or tactical, some both. As a team, we need to keep making those small evolutions forward, and over time we will surely close the gap between our competitors and ourselves."
Senior-tri captains Fred Jones and Nate Cleveland led the way once again, as Jones finished third in the triple jump, achieving his season-best distance and provisionally qualifying, while Cleveland finished 10th in the 800-meter run.
"I think things went okay," Jones said. "We are getting close to the best performances of our season, and I think everyone did pretty decent. I'm not totally satisfied with my performance, but I feel like I'm making gradual improvements so that I'm at my peak at Nationals."
Other notable performances included junior Jeremy Arak, who finished seventh in the high jump, and freshman Ikenna Acholonu, who also placed seventh, in the 55-meter hurdles. Junior Dave Sorensen rounded out the string of strong performances by placing 10th in the difficult 3000-meter run.
"We definitely took some great performances away from this weekend's championships," Barron said. "Cleveland's 1:54 puts him third all-time for our indoor team. Ikenna Acholonu made the finals in his first trip to a meet this size, which is a great feat in itself, but he also knocked a few hundredths off his best as well."
With the end of the season on the horizon, the few Jumbo athletes who are still competing in indoor events will now turn their attention to this weekend's ECACs at Wesleyan, while also keeping one eye on the NCAA Championships. While the size of the team continues to dwindle, the squad's goals remain the same, and Barron sees no reason to alter the formula that has been working all season long.
"Our goals for the rest of the season and outdoor track remain the same that they've been for the past few years: continue to improve," Barron said. "It is only by staying focused and having faith in yourself as an athlete, competitor, and teammate that we'll continue to reach new heights."
If the team wants to continue to improve and reach new goals, it will also need to stay focused and rely on its senior leadership this weekend.
"Guys like [senior tri-captain Dave] McCleary and Cleveland are so influential," Jones said. "Even though we are working individually now, it's important that the people who aren't necessarily racing in a race like ECACs help the guys train who will be competing."
While most of the team goes through the transition period between the indoor and outdoor track seasons, the handful of Jumbos still competing will look to achieve their season-best performances. And for seniors like Jones and Cleveland, it will be a chance to end their Tufts indoor track and field careers on a high note.
