Following a successful indoor season, the men's track and field team got its outdoor season underway on Saturday by hosting the annual Snowflake Classic.
Despite the Jumbos' decision to field several younger competitors, they were still able to finish an impressive second out of 14 teams. Tufts totaled 154 points, second only to Dartmouth's tally of 223. Bates (102), Southern Maine (74) and Boston University (54) rounded out the top five.
"It was a strong first meet," sophomore Nick Welch said. "This meet was like a lot of the meets we had earlier in the indoor season in that we weren't looking to put together a lineup that would have the best chance of winning as a team. But to come away second shows we had a lot of strong performances considering it's just the start of the outdoor season."
The team had only a small layoff from the end of its indoor winter season, which concluded with a spring break trip to the NCAA Championships. By jumping right into the outdoor season, Tufts won't have to spend too much time getting into proper shape.
"We definitely have our base built up from indoors," senior quad-captain Dave Sorensen said. "We are still in shape and we don't take too much of a break. Outdoor is such a short season, and championship week is only four weeks away, and you have to be ready to run fast races right away. Hopefully the weather catches up to allow us to do that."
Weather was indeed a factor over the weekend, as Tufts had to contend with unusually cold and windy conditions. Temperatures Saturday remained in the mid-30s, nearly 15 degrees below the average high, while winds gusted as high as 22 miles per hour.
"It obviously has a bigger effect on sprints and jumps," Sorensen said. "The first event of the day was the high jump, and you could tell that [the jumpers] couldn't get the speed or height they were used to. The winner only jumped six feet, one inch, and he had jumped six feet, nine inches two weeks ago. It affects the shorter races because they need the heat to get warmer. It's not fun, and it's hard to get the cold weather out of your mind. It's good to get used to."
Still, the Jumbos were still able to string together a series of impressive performances, most notably by their younger athletes.
In the 800-meter run, the Jumbos were paced by sophomores Scott Brinkman (2:03.86) and Alex Landy (2:04.89), who finished first and third respectively. Meanwhile, sophomores Jesse Faller and Billy Hale turned in a one-two effort in the 1,500-meter run.
Tufts also found success in the hurdling and jumping competitions. Sophomores Jared Engelking, Trevor Donadt and Ikenna Acholonu put together a sweep of spots two through four in the 110-meter hurdles, while sophomores Andrew Longley and Donadt placed first and second respectively in the 400-meter hurdles.
"I think all year, from cross country all through indoors to now, the freshmen and sophomores have shown that they are a huge part of the team," Welch said. "Some programs are more top-heavy and really depend on their upperclassmen for points. That's not to say we don't have an amazing group of captains and seniors. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be as successful as we have been."
Welch also joined the growing group of winning sophomores, taking the 3,000-meter steeplechase in his first-ever collegiate experience with the event.
"A win is always a good thing," Welch said. "I would definitely say I came away with a much longer list of things that need improvement than things that were done well. It was fun, and it's an exciting event that I'm looking to improve in."
Freshman Frank DeSalvo highlighted the jumping events, finishing fourth in the high jump (1.81 meters), while senior Joe Brown placed third in the men's hammer throw (48.98 meters).
The meet was the Jumbos' lone home event of the outdoor season. The team will take to the road next weekend when it travels to Stonehill College.
