With the NESCAC Championships less than two weeks away, the men's track and field team continued their preparation this past weekend, competing in both the Davis Invitational and the Bates Decathlon.
The Jumbos did not have Mother Nature on their side this weekend, continuously having to battle through strong rain, cold temperatures and gusting winds. But despite the difficult weather conditions and some stiff Div. II and III competition, they were still able to post some impressive performances.
"I thought the team performed well under the circumstances," coach Ethan Barron said in an e-mail to the Daily. "The weather will always play a role in every outdoor competition for any sport. Be it warm and sunny or cold and rainy, the weather is always a factor that plays a role."
At the Davis Invitational, the Jumbos were led by a plethora of strong performances, most notably that of sophomore James Bradley, who finished first in the high jump competition with an impressive jump of 6 feet, 2 inches. Senior tri-captain Nate Cleveland also turned in an impressive finish, placing third in the 800-meter run, while senior Justin Chung finished third in the 5,000 meter, and freshman Ikenna Acholonu finished third in the triple jump.
"It was another great performance this weekend," senior tri-captain Dave McCleary, who finished third in the 400-meter hurdles, said. "People continue to improve, and as usual, our underclassmen are impressing us with their performances and maturity during meets."
In addition to Acholonu, the rest of the rookie class continued to provide consistency for the Jumbos. Andrew Longley led the way, finishing seventh in the 200-meter dash and 12th in 100-meter dash. Nick Welch came in fifth in the two-mile run, while Billy Hale placed an impressive fourth in the 800-meter dash.
"Nick and Ikenna are strong freshmen," Barron said. "They both have talent and work ethic. Together that's a good combination."
"Longley seems to have a big meet every Saturday," McCleary said. "He works hard and doesn't give up. We expect a lot of big things from him for the championship meets."
The Bates Decathlon provided Barron's decathletes with a chance to compete in the difficult 10-event competition. Two Tufts athletes participated in the five-athlete pool, which was moved to Tufts from Bates. Sophomore Skip Pagel's first-place finish naturally highlighted the day, with junior Derek Engelking and freshman Jared Engelking finishing third and fourth, respectively, to round out the Jumbos' participants.
"It was a great performance and it was good to see everyone come out and support them on Sunday afternoon." Barron said. "They had great overall performances considering the weather and a few down events by each. I was very pleased with their focus and ability to stay in the present as the days progressed."
Regardless of the meet, horrible weather plagued the Jumbos all weekend and for athletes like McCleary, the results were mixed.
"Personally, at the beginning of the meet when I threw javelin the wind was affecting me negatively and it psyched me out a little, so I did not throw too well," McCleary said. "But by the end of the meet I ignored the weather and actually ran the best 400 hurdles of my career."
The Jumbos will look ahead to this weekend's MIT Invitational, which will be followed by the ultra-competitive Penn Relays April 26 and the all-important NESCAC Championships at Middlebury April 28. As anticipation begins to build around the Jumbos' camp, the team is beginning to mentally prepare itself for the season's climax.
"We're all very excited for that meet," McCleary said. "We have a lot of guys placed in the top 10 in a lot of the events. Most of us are planning on having our best performances for that meet."
