It all comes down to this. As of this morning, the men's track and field team has sent five athletes to Depauw University in Greencastle, Ind. to compete in three events at the NCAA Championships this weekend in the final meet of the season.
The Jumbos return All−American athletes to the national field in both the distance medley relay (DMR) and the 5,000 meter. A relay team consisting of seniors Jesse Faller and quad−captain Billy Hale, sophomore Ben Crastnopol and freshman Sam Haney will compete today in the relay, along with senior quad−captain Jared Engelking in the pentathlon. Faller also will return to compete in the 5,000−meter run tomorrow.
Hale and Faller are returning members of the national third−place DMR team from last year and are looking to gain All−American status in the event consecutive years with an even stronger relay team this season.
Leading off this year will be Haney in the 1,200−meter portion of the race, making his premier to the national scene.
"I think Sam Haney is a smart racer," Faller said. "Even though he's a freshman, we have a lot of confidence in what he can run, and I think the race is really going to play into his hands. That 1,200 leg is usually a ‘sit and kick' kind of race, which is perfect for his style."
Haney will hand the baton off to Crastnopol in the 400, the shortest leg of the relay, where position can be crucial to avoid the traffic of a chaotic handoff.
"The DMR is not won in the 400," Hale said. "Ben is going to run fine really regardless of where he is in the race at that point."
Hale, the 1,200−meter leg of the All−American relay team last year, will return to nationals as the Jumbos' 800−meter leg of the relay this year with more experience at the national level and the advantage of a distance better suited for him.
"I think this year with the experience and with the distance that I am more comfortable with — the 800 is something that I've been running for eight years, while the 1,200 I have only done a few races — that I'm going to run with a little more aggression and a lot more confidence," Hale said. "I want to put our anchor in a position where he can win the race. I think we have the talent and the experience this year where we can be really successful."
"Billy is probably one of the faster 800 runners in the DMR," Faller said. "The best thing about Billy is that he can run a really good 800 regardless of if he's running right behind people or right in front of people. You can be sure that he will give you a good, solid effort."
Anchoring the relay at NCAAs for the second year is Faller, running the 1,600−meter leg.
"He is our strongest leg," said Hale of his classmate. "You're getting the top runners in the country [at Nationals], but I still wouldn't choose any other anchor on any other team than [Faller]. I think that if we hand the baton off near the front of the pack, we have the strongest closer in the field."
According to Faller, his goal is to move up a few positions from wherever he receives the baton. In last year's race, Tufts was in ninth place overall when Faller was handed the baton, and Faller moved up six spots to secure a third−place finish and give him and his teammates All−American status, which is awarded to the top eight finishers.
The Jumbos' qualifying time of 9:59.97 for this year's national meet seeds them fourth among the 11 entrants.
Engelking today makes his first national appearance in the pentathlon, though he took third at NCAAs in the decathlon last outdoor season.
Engelking enters the competition as the 12th seed in the competition in a field of 12 competitors. His goal is to gain his second career All−American title, meaning he will have to ultimately finish with a good−enough point total to boost him up four spots on the list.
"I just think if I prepare myself well, if I have good warm−ups and if I just really relax and do what I know I am capable of doing, I think I will move up a couple places," Engelking said.
However, Engelking's qualifying score of 3,529 points is only 76 points from the athlete ranked eighth.
"I definitely think [I can improve] in the 1,000[−meter dash] and also probably the shot put and the high jump," said Engelking, whose strongest event is the 55−meter hurdles. "But I think the key is not really one big improvement in any one event. It's sort of just doing a little better in all of the events and I think I'll be alright if I do that."
On the track, Faller will look to gain another All−American finish in the 5,000−meter run.
Faller's qualifying time of 14:34.07 ranks him in sixth of 12 competitors entering the race. Faller hit the NCAA qualifier back in December before taking time off due to injury.
"I haven't run a 5K since December, and quite frankly I haven't had the training that I would have liked to have at this point in the season because of various injuries, so that's why I'm not putting a lot of pressure on myself to do well," Faller said. "But I think in the past I have surprised myself with running very good times off of little training, so I'm confident that I can run with the competitors at this meet, and I'm confident that I'm supposed to be here at this meet even though I ran the qualifying time over two months ago."
The 5K at nationals tends to be a tactical race, meaning many cautious competitors do not end up running as fast as their seed times. Last indoor season, Faller crossed the line in 14:35.46 to finish fourth at NCAAs and was the only athlete to post a faster time in the race than his qualifying time.
"It normally goes out slow because people are nervous to make a move too early," Faller said. "That's what has happened in almost all of the nationals races I've been in, so I expect this year to be no different. This kind of tactical race plays into my favor because that is the way I like to run anyways, and I think this will give me the best chance at doing well."
Only 14 seconds separate the seed times between the first and final 12th competitor. This small range suggests that the 5K could be anyone's race. No athlete enters the race as a clear favorite, whereas last year the top qualifying time was over 18 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
"I'm excited to have the chance to be running in the 5K at nationals," Faller said. "It's difficult to get into the race, and I'm excited to have another shot at it this year. I was successful last year, and I hope that I can come home with the same success again."
