Even with personal records being broken and NCAA automatic qualifiers being surpassed, Tufts' spirited challenge of Williams' dominance of NESCAC women's track and field fell a little bit short on Saturday. The Jumbos finished in third place at the NESCAC Championships, racking up 145 points. Williams, with 180 points, captured its 10th straight title, while Middlebury scored 156 points to take second place.
"Everyone did a really great job and we had so many PRs," junior Logan Crane said. "I think individually, we all did really well. It's a little disappointing not to get the title, but it just makes us want it even more next year."
"I personally think we have a really good team," sophomore Steph McNamara said. "We definitely should be able to beat Middlebury and Williams, but sometimes things happen that you can't control. Overall, we had a great meet in terms of individual performances."
Although the Jumbos had some big-time performances -- McNamara and Crane were both double title winners -- Williams simply had too much depth. While the Ephs only won four events, one fewer than the Jumbos, they were able to secure multiple seconds, thirds and fourths in a number of events. With a scoring system that gives points to places one through eight, Williams was able to accumulate a huge point total without posting many first-place finishes.
"[Williams] had people all across the board," Crane said. "What really killed us is that we'll have a couple people in an event, but [Williams] always has more than us and is always claiming points."
"Our top individuals in every event match up pretty well with those from Williams," McNamara added. "The only difference is that they have a lot of depth. Even if we're performing to the best of our ability, if they have five girls in the 800 and we have two, they have a greater chance of placing higher or getting more points."
Although the Jumbos fell short in the quest for their first NESCAC championship, there were plenty of formidable efforts put in by Tufts athletes.
Crane, with a time of 12.67 seconds, took first in 100 meters by one-hundredth of a second, edging out Williams junior Elise Johnson. Crane had an early lead, but Johnson closed in during the second half of the race and a photo-finish ensued.
"She was in the lane next to me and it looked like we finished exactly at the same time," Crane said. "I was actually quite nervous until they announced that I won. It was a really great race."
In the long jump, Crane had her best performance of the season with a jump of 18'6". The distance was an improvement of nearly six inches on her previous NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 18'1/4".
"I was focused on jumping up," Crane said. "I tend to just jump forward, but that doesn't make you go any further. The last jump, everything was perfect."
Crane also finished fourth in the 200 meters and anchored the 4x100 relay team to a second-place finish.
McNamara, who last weekend ran an NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 5,000 meters, accomplished the same feat again on Saturday in the 1,500 meters with a personal record time of 4:31.28.
"I felt great during the race and it was a PR for me by a full second," McNamara said. "I was thrilled with it."
McNamara also cruised to a first-place finish in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:37.84, 35 seconds ahead of the next competitor.
The fifth and final, first-place finish for the Jumbos was accomplished by freshman Heather Theiss in the pole vault, whose height of 10'8 3/4" was well ahead of the competition.
"Heather has been amazing," McNamara said. "Both indoors and outdoors, she has done incredible things. Yesterday was her first-ever NESCAC title, so we're thrilled to have her, and we're all really happy for her."
Besides Crane and McNamara, two more Jumbos reached NCAA provisional marks. In the 1,500, sophomore Amy Wilfert finished in second place with a time of 4:34.20, a personal record. In the triple jump, sophomore Kanku Kabongo also secured second place with a distance of 38'2".
Junior Julia Feltus had the best finish in the throwing events for Tufts, taking second in the hammer throw with 147'10". In the shot put, senior tri-captain Paula Dormon finished in third place with a distance of 41'2 1/4".
With the NESCAC meet now behind them, many Jumbos will move on to Div. III New Englands, which begin on Friday. The Jumbos will be looking to improve on their fifth-place finish from last year. During the week, however, they will have to find time to train during a rigorous academic period.
"The end of the semester is always tough," McNamara said. "It will take a toll for performances in workouts because stress always wears you down. I expect to feel a little tired until finals are over, but you just push through it."
