Behind another outstanding performance from senior quad−captain Jared Engelking, the men's track and field team narrowly claimed a third place finish at the New England Div. III Championships hosted by Bates this weekend.
On Friday, Engelking, who delivered the Jumbos their only first− and second−place finishes of the weekend, started the meet off strong with his victory in the pentathlon. Engelking's point total of 3,513 was a personal best and a national provisionally qualifying score, the 10th best pentathlon score made by a Div.−III athlete this season.
Engelking returned to competition Saturday with a runner−up finish in the 55−meter hurdles, finishing in 7.85 seconds, .06 seconds behind the first−place finisher.
"The pentathlon obviously went really well. I think my score is good enough to travel for Nationals, so that was a good start," Engelking said. "It was tough coming back the second day, and I don't think I really had as much pop as I had hoped for, so it was a little tougher to run the hurdles … But all in all, I was pretty pleased."
Following Engelking in the hurdles was classmate Trevor Donadt, who finished in 7.90 to take third. Freshman Jeff Marvel also delivered a third−place finish for Tufts, running a time of 1:57.01 in the 800−meter race.
"We got out pretty slow [in the 800]," Marvel said. "It was a really tactical race, but we closed really hard, and I was able to put myself in a good position and really just outkick some guys in the last 100 or 200 meters."
Senior Jason Hanrahan and freshman Dan Kirschner also were able to score in the 800, placing fifth and eighth, respectively.
"There was definitely a lot of talent in the race," Marvel said. "It was nice to be able to run in that competitive of an atmosphere, because that really brings out the best in you as a competitor as well … [Hanrahan, Kirschner, and I] were able to work as a team in the last 200 meters and were able to get three scoring positions, which was really important for our team's score.
Freshman Matt Rand placed third in the 5,000−meter run, finishing in 15:19.71.
"Matt Rand ran an awesome 5K," Marvel said. "To come as a freshman and run against some guys who have run incredible times, he makes it look like he's done it a million times. He really looks likes a veteran out there, and he was able to get us six points."
Freshman Sam Haney also contributed four points to Tufts' score with his fifth−place finish in the 1,000−meter run, crossing in a time of 2:32.93 in a packed field house.
"There was so much energy," said Marvel of the meet. "It had a completely different atmosphere [than other meets]. It got everyone pumped up, and everyone was out there determined to score points for their team. It was definitely the most competitive meet I've been to this year, not necessarily time−wise, but tactically, trying to score points for their teams."
MIT and Williams dominated the team scoring in the meet, taking first and second with respective scores of 132.5 and 109 points. However, the competition for third was much tighter. The team scores remained close throughout the meet, and the final places were not determined until the last event of the day, the 4x800−meter relay.
Going into the relay, Tufts had a one−point lead over Southern Maine and a six−point lead over Amherst. To secure the third−place finish, the Jumbos had to beat Southern Maine and hold off Amherst.
Marvel, Hanrahan, and Kirschner returned from their top−10 finishes in the 800−meter run to compete in the relay, accompanied by senior quad−captain Billy Hale.
The team stepped up to the challenge and finished third in the event, crossing the line in 7:58.01, finishing behind Amherst and Bowdoin, and securing the team's third place finish. Tufts' final score was 65 points, just barely in front of Amherst's 63.
"I think we did great as a team," Engelking said. "We knew Williams and MIT were strong, but it was very tight after that between us, Southern Maine and Amherst ... All around we had some really good performances, and we were pretty pleased with the outcome."
The Jumbos will compete in the All−New England Championships this weekend, hosted by Boston University, before participating in the ECAC Championships the ensuing weekend at Smith College. Tufts hopes to use the strong efforts seen at the Div.III Championships to propel the squad through the rest of its championship season.
"Our goal was to get in the top three, so we definitely accomplished that," Marvel added. "It was a really hard−fought victory ... We only won the pentathlon, so the meet consisted of guys giving small contributions — guys getting one or two points here or there that added up — so it was not one or two guys scoring all the points for us. It was really a team effort, and that was neat."
