The women's track and field team came away with a victory, as well as several top-five finishes, at Saturday's non-scoring George Davis Invitational at UMass Lowell, solidifying its times in preparation for NESCACs.
"There was a good feeling going into this weekend," senior co-captain Anya Price said. "There were a lot of Div. I and Div. II schools there, so it was a good chance for us to get up against some good competition and a chance to shoot for better times."
On the track, sophomore Jana Hieber notched several individual accolades, leading the Jumbos to a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.48 seconds and then a second-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.57.
Hieber also was part of the Tufts 'A' team in the 4x400-meter relay, alongside freshmen Caitlin Pohl and Lauren Gormer and junior Alyssa Corrigan. The group placed second overall with a final time of 4:06.25, less than two seconds behind the first-place squad.
The Jumbos enjoyed similar success in the 4x100-meter relay, finishing third thanks to the combined efforts of sophomores LaTishaCurtiss and Anya Kaufman, junior Samantha Bissonnette and freshman Christina Harvey. The foursome put together a time of 49.86 seconds, just 1.47 out of first.
Even after a successful weekend, the team sees room for improvement.
"We're still stretching our legs, so to speak, with outdoor track," Price said. "With such a short season, it's still a time for us to see what kind of shape we're in. But we're getting encouraging feedback."
On the field, junior Kelly Allen took care of business, notching top-three finishes in three events: third place in the shot put with a final throw of 41-8 3/4, second place in the discus with a throw of 140-6, and third place in the hammer throw with a heave of 169-8. Allen currently ranks seventh nationally in the hammer.
Close behind, classmate Sabienne Brutus finished fourth in the hammer throw with a toss of 159-0. Rounding out the throwing events, sophomore Robin Armstrong earned third place in the javelin with a final distance of 116-9.
The only event in which the Jumbos came away with a victory was the triple jump, where senior Nakeisha Jones had the winning leap of 37-10 - more than six inches higher than second-place Soroya Hudson from the College of Saint Rose - despite a strong wind.
"The momentum is very positive right now," senior co-captain Katherine Tang said. "Everyone's continuing to build on their prior performances, and the hard work we put in at practice is starting to show at meets. We're excited to be outside and looking forward to NESCACs in a couple of weeks."
Since opening the outdoor season over spring break, the Jumbos have steadily built off of a string of solid early-season marks and a renewed focus.
"Since day one, we've been focused on NESCACs by knowing our competitors and seeing where we stand week-to-week," Tang said. "All the girls know the season is short and the weather usually doesn't cooperate, so we've been working hard in order to qualify and be ready."
Looking ahead, the team will begin preparations with head coach Kristen Morwick for the Skyhawk Classic, which will take place at Stonehill College next weekend.
