Ask any member of the men's cross country team, and he'll tell you the same thing: no one's losing any sleep over the season's first meet.
The Jumbos, like everyone else, use their early meets largely as a tune-up for their contests in October and November. If Saturday's performance is any indication, the Jumbos have tuned up nicely, demonstrating the depth of their roster en route to a second-place finish.
Led by sophomore Jesse Faller, who turned in a second-place finish, the Jumbos finished with 43 points, second only to the host Bantams, who won the seven-team invitational with 21 points. Faller finished the 5k course in 16:34, just behind Trinity junior Hunter Norte's mark of 16:22. Norte, who took first place at both NESCACs and the New England Regionals last year, was one of four Bantams to finish in the top five.
Despite the Bantams' supremacy, Tufts' performance was also impressive, with three runners posting top-10 finishes. Senior tri-captain Dave Sorensen placed sixth with a time of 16:55, while sophomore Nick Welch followed in seventh place, running the hilly course in 17:04.
Though the Jumbos were pleased with the race results, they were not overly concerned with Saturday's times, as the course conditions altered the outcome of the race.
"[My time] was about where I expected it to be," Welch said. "The first real race is really just a chance to shake the cobwebs out of your legs and get used to racing again. The course was also a little slow and a little long. I talked to some of the Trinity guys and they agreed. So I don't think anyone's times really reflected what they can do in a 5k."
Tufts' performance was all the more impressive considering the stifling conditions in Connecticut, where temperatures stayed in the high 90s throughout the day.
"Heat is the worst enemy of a distance runner," coach Ethan Barron wrote in an e-mail to the Daily. "I think it played a huge role on Saturday. However, as a factor, weather falls into the same category as course conditions. It doesn't help to worry about anything that affects every athlete the same. We probably could have done a little better job minimizing the effects of the heat, but we will rarely see another 95-degree meet."
The Jumbos also had to overcome their unfamiliarity with the Wickham Park course, where they were racing for the first time. Normally, the team opens the season at Conn. College, which moved its meet to Sept. 22 this season.
The Jumbos were also without senior tri-captain Chris Kantos, who pulled tendons in his hip and has been unable to run for the last month.
"Hopefully I'll be back in a few weeks, but in the meantime all I can do is stay optimistic and try to give [the team] the most support that I can," Kantos said.
Three Tufts freshmen, making their collegiate racing debuts, were among the team's top seven finishers. Greg Pallotta, Jeff Ragazzini and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot placed 13th, 15th and 20th overall, respectively.
"Given the circumstances, a lot of the freshmen did well, and adjusted quickly," Kantos said. "They've put in the work, and now we just need to get them more race experience, which will come in time."
"I was very pleased with the freshmen," Barron added. "More so, I was impressed with how well they worked with the returners. Everyone did a great job packing up and racing together."
The freshman class' strong performance was an encouraging sign that the Jumbos are fielding a deep squad that can compete with the conference's elite.
"We still have a lot of work to do, but we're looking a little better than I expected at this point in the season," Welch said. "Once Chris Kantos returns from injury, we'll be even stronger. We should be in the top four in the NESCAC."
The Jumbos will race next weekend at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational in a tune-up for the Jumbo Invitational, their only home meet of the season, on Sept. 22. As the team continues through the early part of its schedule, it remains cognizant of its lofty season goals.
"In some ways, we are exactly where we want to be," Barron said. "In others, we have a lot of work ahead of us. Everyday is a new starting point and we do what we have to do to get better."
"We definitely are a team that can be in the top two or three at Regionals," Welch added. "Teams like Williams are always going to be up there, and we'll need to have a great day to beat them, but we're definitely capable."
-Carly Helfand contributed reporting to this article.
