Although the beginning of the cross country season serves as a mere tune-up for the championship schedule, tomorrow's meet - the sole home race of the season - will certainly be a matter of pride for the Jumbos, who have annually taken the title since the 2003 season.
Just like last year, in which the squad finished first out of a field of four teams, Tufts hopes to take advantage of its familiarity with its home turf. But this time around, the Jumbos hope they can come away with the win a little more easily. Led by senior Justin Chung, who took second place behind Bates senior Steve Monsulick, Tufts barely eked out a one-point victory over second-place Amherst on Sept. 23, finishing with a total of 35 points.
"It would be nice to win since it's our home meet," senior tri-captain Dave Sorensen said. "It's going to be a small meet, but we do have some good teams coming like Bowdoin and Bates, who are NESCAC rivals, so we get to see what they look like."
While it is a good chance to scout out the competition for All-New Englands, which kicks off Oct. 6, and the NESCAC Championships two weeks later, the Jumbo Invitational will also be a test of endurance.
The Tufts Farm Course in Grafton, Mass. is one of the most difficult courses around. The course is home to some of the worst slopes in the NESCAC.
"It's not a critical race, but it's a hilly course," Sorensen said. "The first championship meet is at Williams, another hilly course. This will be a good early season indicator of where we're at, and it will set the pace for where we need to go."
Compared to the other two courses the Jumbos have competed on this season - at Trinity Sept. 8 and UMass Dartmouth Sept. 15 - tomorrow's route will be significantly more difficult.
"It's one of the hillier courses in the New England region," sophomore Nick Welch said. "Trinity was a little bit hilly but overall it wasn't too bad. Dartmouth was like a pancake. Some of the courses we're going to see are going to be pretty flat. Grafton is definitely one of the most technical courses that we see. It requires more strength than other courses. It's a challenge."
Most of the Jumbos are used to this challenge, however, having practiced and raced on their home course plenty of times. And though the freshmen only have a fraction of the experience of their upperclassmen teammates, the Jumbos are hoping it will be enough to give them an edge.
"So far the freshmen have been doing a great job of getting used to the program and running very well," Welch said. "I would expect that that will continue this weekend. They've seen the course a couple of times, which is a huge advantage over the other teams. They'll feel comfortable. They know all they have to do is get out there and stay relaxed."
Fortunately for Tufts, the outcomes of tomorrow's race will not have any far-reaching effects on the team's standing heading into the championship season, as the race is more a matter of practice and pride. Nevertheless, the Jumbos are by no means taking the task lightly, and are eager to emerge victorious on their home turf for the fourth year in a row.
"It means a lot to us," Welch said. "It's our one home invitational, our home course. Not only do we host a meet there, but also we go and train there a couple times every week. It's definitely an issue of pride for us to go out and defend our home course. It doesn't mean anything in the long-term stance, but there's a sense of pride from running well. We have every intention of winning."
