In the words of former NFL coach Herman Edwards, you play to win the game.
And while the third and final Tufts Invitational of the year was a non-scoring meet that didn't even feature the entire team, the women's track and field team proved that when they compete, they compete to win.
"It was mainly just for people that wanted to qualify [for New England Div. III and NCAA Championships who] haven't yet," senior tri-captain Paula Dormon said. "We did well -- there were a few PRs. Overall, I'd say it was a good meet."
The meet was characterized by several first- and second-place finishes for Tufts, highlighted by freshman Heather Theiss breaking the school record in the pole vault for the second time this year and just barely missing the NCAA provisional qualifier by half an inch. Her vault of 11' 2 1/2" was good for first among collegiate competitors.
"I was absolutely ecstatic just because 11 feet has always been a goal of mine, and it always seemed like a distant goal," Theiss said. "To actually finally get there is unbelievable. I mean, I knew I would keep improving, but I just didn't realize how fast.
"It turns out I'm half an inch below the qualifying mark [for NCAA Div. III Championships]," Theiss continued. "[It's] kind of frustrating because now I have to jump that height again, but it's OK because I feel like I'm capable and I can do it again. I have great coaches, and with their help, I know I'll be able to jump even higher soon."
The previous Tufts record in the pole vault was also held by Theiss, as her jump of 10'8" during the first Tufts Invitational on Jan. 17 surpassed the six-year record of 10'6", set by Myriam Claudio (LA '03) in 2003.
"It's just awesome to know that coming in; usually freshman don't contribute that much," Theiss said. "I didn't really know my competition, so it was hard to know how I'd do and measure up to everyone else. But ultimately, it's just a great feeling to know that I'm contributing to the team from such a young age."
The Jumbos also did well in the 4x800-meter relay, as the team composed of freshman Lauren Flament, sophomores Jen Yih and Amy Wilfert and senior Amy Hopkins took first with a winning time of 10:04.84. This weekend marked their first time competing together this year.
"I was really excited about the relay because we had a huge comeback from behind," Wilfert said. "Coach had me run anchor and [with the Jumbos behind] she said, 'Just run as fast as you can until you can't run anymore.'
"I was expecting to get tired, but I didn't get tired, and all of a sudden the girl from [the leading] Sacred Heart [team] was right in front of me," Wilfert continued. "It was a different kind of race for me because that's not usually how races are. You don't sneak up on someone. It's usually more clear-cut."
Tufts also saw a strong performance from Dormon, whose weight throw of 41' 2 1/4" was not only good for second place, but was the best of her career. It surpassed her previous high this year by four feet and now leaves her with the second-best weight throw in New England.
"I was extremely happy," Dormon said. "Freshman year was hard to overcome. The farthest I'd ever thrown was [freshman] year and it's been haunting me ever since, so it was nice to beat that and get back on track senior year."
The Jumbos rounded out their successful day with second-place finishes among collegiate competitors from freshman Dayorsha Collins and sophomore Kaylee Maykranz in the high jump and 400-meter dash, respectively. Collins hit a mark of 5'3" while Maykranz finished in a time of 1:02.71.
With only two weeks before Div. III New England Championships, the Jumbos will split their squad this weekend, sending some competitors to BU for the Valentine Invitational and others to MIT.
"We're sending some of our jumpers to MIT because it's a better place in terms of jumping," Wilfert added. "I think the point of this weekend is to get a little confidence boost and sneak out another good performance before New Englands."
