Coming off a strong performance in its last home meet of the season, the Tufts Invitational III, the women's track and field team is looking to continue its fine form at the most important team−scoring event of the season, the Div. III New England Championships at MIT.
The meet marks the beginning of the closing stretch for the squad, who in the coming weeks will hopefully send some team members to the All−New England Championships at Boston University and the ECAC Championships in New York City. But New Englands are also important to the team for another reason: They give the Jumbos a chance to take on their closest rivals.
"It's the biggest team meet, and MIT and Williams are the most similar teams to us in terms of size and stature," senior tri−captain Kanku Kabongo said. "This meet gives us a chance to see where we stand against other schools, and to beat those teams would be a validation of all we've done this year."
Kabongo, who provisionally qualified for Nationals with a triple jump of 37−2 1/4 at the Tufts Invitational III, is not the only athlete looking to improve on already remarkable results from earlier in the season. Sophomore Kelly Allen, for example, posted personal bests while winning the weight throw and shot put at the Tufts Invitational III — and breaking her own school record in the former event.
The 4x400 relay team will be looking to qualify for Nationals after barely missing the provisional standard last week.
"This is one of the last chances we have [to qualify for Nationals]," Kabongo said. "I just want everyone to realize their potential and recognize that this is one of the most important moments of the season."
New Englands also mark the beginning of the end for the winter season, as just three more weeks will remain before the NCAA Div. III National Championships at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio. Thus, it is one of the last times the team will be together as a whole, a fact not lost on the athletes competing.
"That's another reason why the New Englands are so important, it's the team dynamic," Kabongo said. "Hopefully people will come out and support us, and we'll be able to perform to our capabilities as a team."
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