This fall, there's one glaring question facing the men's cross country team: will this fall be a repeat performance of last season, or a return to the glory days of the previous three years?
Between 2003 and 2005, the Jumbos accomplished a feat unprecedented in program history, winning three consecutive NESCAC titles and three straight Div. III New England crowns. To cap it all off, they placed fifth at the NCAA championship meet in 2005 - another school record.
Last year was a step back, however. The team's fifth-place Regionals finish improved on a frustrating eighth at NESCACs in October.
"We've had many years of success, so it was tough to imagine that that could happen," said senior tri-captain Chris Kantos, who was abroad last season. "It was just a bad day. It was unfortunate, but it makes it more exciting to come back this year, to try to rectify what happened last year."
The one bright spot of the Jumbos' Oct. 28 NESCAC performance was the emergence of then-freshman Nick Welch, who led the Tufts squad for the first time in his career, finishing the 8k course in 26:54 to finish 20th overall. Nevertheless, Welch was disappointed in the performance of the team as a whole.
"That race, more than any other from last season, is motivation to do better this year," Welch said. "That was our low point performance-wise. It was sort of a fluky day, with a big storm going on, 50-mile-per-hour winds and horizontal rain, but everyone was just running through it."
While Welch was a breakout performer in his freshman season, the Jumbos were primarily led by senior Justin Chung, who was the team's top finisher in five races and was its lone Nationals competitor. Chung's departure, along with those of senior co-captains Josh Kennedy, a two-time All-American in cross country, and Nate Cleveland, will leave a big void for this year's team to fill.
"We lost two really good captains, and three of our top seven," said senior Dave Sorensen, who will captain this year's squad alongside Kantos and classmate Alex Bloom. "It's obviously hard to make up for that fact. But this year's sophomore class has really improved a lot. We're looking for them to step up, improve their times, and be an even bigger part of our team."
Welch is just one of the returning sophomores who should bolster this year's squad. Others include Jesse Faller, who placed 66th at Regionals last year, classmate Billy Hale, and Ryan Lena, who finished 30th at ECACs, leading the team. The sophomores are the deepest class on the team, and they should provide some much-needed depth.
"Definitely, as far as our running ability, I think we've all improved," Welch said. "We came in last year from all sorts of high school programs - some of us used to running hard for 8k, and some for whom that was a change. But now, we've all gotten more used to the intensity of college running."
Nine freshmen have been added to the roster as well, and several have already had an impact on the team this season. The freshmen participated in the team's Alumni Run Saturday morning, and according to Sorensen, three - Greg Pallotta, Jeff Ragazzini and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot - all had strong finishes. Pallotta was especially impressive, finishing second on the entire team.
"It's another large class," Sorensen said of the freshmen. "When you have that many people, someone's bound to step up and produce something. I know that my year and the junior class's year, we were kind of light on numbers, so it's good to see such a big influx of new talent."
That new talent, along with the core of Sorensen, Kantos, Welch, and Faller should go a long way toward restoring the Jumbos' status as a contender for a regional title. But Kantos was quick to point out that it won't be easy.
"The NESCAC is obviously going to be tough competition this year," Kantos said. "A lot of teams are going to be strong this year that we're not used to. It's tough to tell now though, because it's so early. Once we start racing, we'll have a better chance to gauge where we are."
That start comes this Saturday, as the Jumbos open their season at 11 a.m. at the Trinity Invitational.
"It's our first meet, and it's a 5k, so it's not the full distance that the championship meets will be," Sorensen said. "While it's still early - it matters more what you do in October - it's going to be good to see how we stack up against the other teams, and to see where they're at in their training."
If the Jumbos are to return to their championship form of two, three and four seasons ago, they'll need to overcome a stacked NESCAC slate, one which shows no signs of slowing.
"If anything, the region is even stronger than last year," Welch said. "Williams will be strong every year - they're just so deep - and other teams, like Amherst and Bowdoin, are both going to be tough. I think Wesleyan's going to have a good shot to be up there too.
"I wouldn't be surprised if at Regionals, you saw eight or nine of the top 10 teams be from the NESCAC," Welch continued. "Our conference makes up a lot of the strength of the New England region."
And if all goes well this season, Tufts will be a big reason why.
