For senior quad−captain Jared Engelking, transitioning from the indoor to the outdoor decathlon was a piece of cake.
With the men's track and field team split between two meets this weekend — the 5th Annual Last Second Multi at home and the George Davis Invitational at UMass Lowell — Engelking qualified provisionally for NCAAs in his first decathlon of the spring season at home on the Dussault Track at the Ellis Oval. Engelking's score of 6,329 surpassed the national qualifier of 6,050 and ranks him second in the NESCAC in the event, behind Bates freshman Jesse Chapman, who was the victor in this weekend's competition with a score of 6,586.
Engelking's strongest performance came in the 110−meter hurdles, which he won with a time of 14.78 seconds. But with just one meet left before the NESCAC Championships, he will look to improve his other events to boost his score in order to ensure that he will travel to NCAAs.
"I think just getting in a little more practice will be basically what I need," Engelking said. "We've been sort of neglecting some of the events that I did indoors just to work on some of the events that I haven't done in a while … so I just think a little bit more practice and getting in a little bit better shape will be exactly what I need."
Engelking competed in the pentathlon at nationals this indoor season, but he prefers the decathlon because it incorporates more of his strengths, including the pole vault.
"I think it suits my strengths better, and it's a little bit more fun," Engelking said. "I think I'm not necessarily just a good sprinter and jumper; I'm more of a sprinter, jumper, thrower, pole−vaulter type of athlete."
Following Engelking's second−place performance were fellow Jumbos junior Frank DeSalvo, junior Bobby Bardin and freshman Michael Blair, in fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively. The meet was the debut performance of both DeSalvo and Blair in the decathlon. Tufts was led by two second−place finishes Saturday at UMass Lowell. Freshman Curtis Yancy's throw of 43.10 meters in the discus earned him the runner−up position in a field of 31 entrants.
Senior Trevor Donadt captured the other second−place finish with his time of 55.11 seconds in the 400−meter hurdles among 22 athletes.
"[The 400−meter hurdles] played out well, pretty much as best they could given the circumstances," said Donadt, referring to the windy home stretch on Saturday. "I was in a really good field of guys, actually running against the guy who had the meet record for the event. I had a really good start, but the tricky part was that there ended up being a head wind right at the end of the race, and that slowed you down a lot right at the part of the race that is the hardest."
Donadt, who is returning from an injury that he suffered during the indoor season, also dominated in the 110−meter hurdles at the George Davis Invitational, running a time of 15.36 seconds to secure a third−place finish.
"Slowly I am getting back to full strength," Donadt said. "I almost had two months of not sprinting when I started coming back two weeks ago … so we have to change some workouts to be a little bit shorter so I could wean myself back into the sport, but pretty much this week and next week, I should be getting back to full strength and not have to think about it anymore."
Donadt's performances in the hurdles rank him first in the 400−meter hurdles in the NESCAC and second in the 110−meter hurdles.
The team's strong performance was aided by the large field of competitors this weekend, much stronger than the smaller field from the week before, according to Donadt.
"We also saw the return of some senior athletes who had been injured, like Andrew Longley, so I think that a lot of people got a little more excited to be running that week and ran a little bit faster," Donadt added.
Fourth−place finishes were recorded for Tufts by freshman Gbola Ajayi and classmate Jeff Marvel. Ajayi took fourth in the triple jump with a distance of 12.74 meters, while Marvel ran a 1:57.35 to take fourth in the 800−meter run.
"It was very windy, so that complicated things a lot, because you have to be careful when you pass people, so as to not work too hard against the wind," Marvel said. "I was able to get in a good position at the beginning, tuck in behind the lead pack and let them carry me through the first lap and then just try to outkick some guys in the final 200 meters."
Freshman Matt Rand also posted a strong race, taking fifth in the two mile run, finishing in a time of 9:28.36 among a field of 45 competitors.
On Saturday, the Jumbos will head to the MIT Invitational, the last remaining meet before the team enters the championship season.
"I think our steam is starting to shape up as a contender for the NESCAC championships," Marvel said. "We have a lot of depth in every event, and guys are really stepping up and having great performances. I think with a few things going our way and good performances all around; we're definitely shaping up to be one of the top teams in the conference."
