Jeff Marvel, Men's Track and Field
Sophomore Jeff Marvel shattered a school record in the 800-meter on Friday night at the All-New England Championships, hosted by Boston University, breaking the previously 17-year-old mark.
Marvel's time of 1:52.12 not only surpassed the 1:53.10 record and his personal record, but also automatically qualified him for NCAAs at Capital University on March 11-12. Marvel's time on BU's banked track converts to 1:52.72, narrowly sliding under the automatic qualifier of 152.80. The time currently ranks Marvel as the eighth-fastest Div. III competitor in the 800-meter nationally.
After taking second in his heat, seventh overall in the preliminaries and first in the division among 28 combined Div.-I, -II and -III athletes on Friday night, Marvel advanced to the finals on Saturday, in which he took eighth with a time of 1:55.78.
Earlier in the season, Marvel also provisionally qualified for NCAAs as a member of the Tufts' Distance Medley Relay squad, running the 800-meter leg.
Junior Connor Rose, who is also a senior staff writer for the Daily, also broke the school record and ran a provisional national qualifier in a time of 1:52.44, just 0.24 seconds off the automatic qualifier, ranking him 10th nationally in the 800.
Marvel will race at the ECAC Championships this coming weekend, before heading out to NCAAs in Ohio the following weekend to come for his first collegiate national appearance.
—Lauren Flament
4x400 meter Relay Team, Women's Track and Field
The Tufts women's 4x400-meter relay team posted a national qualifying time this weekend, helping the Jumbos to a 20th-place finish at this weekend's NEICAAA Championships. Boston University hosted the competition, which featured 33 Div. I, Div.II and Div. III teams.
The Tufts relay squad — made up of sophomore Alyssa Corrigan, senior tri-captain Kanku Kabongo, junior Dayorsha Collins and freshman Jana Hieber — ran a combined 3:55.98 time on BU's banked track, which converts to a 3:57.58. The relay finished ninth at the meet and second among Div. III schools.
The Jumbos' time was comfortably within the NCAA provisional cutoff time of 3:59.50, a feat the team has attempted all season long. At the Feb. 11 BU Valentine Invitational, the same team finished in 3:59.11, but after this time was adjusted due to the school's banked track, it was just over the provisional qualifying time. The Jumbos' 4x400 team is ranked No. 17 in the nation.
—Ethan Sturm
