The gun sounded, and the race, fraught with tension, commenced. Runners from the 11 schools of the NESCAC lined up at the start to vie for both an individual and a team championship. It was all over in less than half an hour.
Senior co-captain Matt Rand, who is also a Contributing Writer for the Daily, narrowly missed out on the individual title, edged out by a mere half-second by Bowdoin'sCoby Horowitz, who won on his home turf. But the All-American and first team all-conference's second-place finish among 124 competitors was the driving force behind Tufts' team victory - an elusive fourth NESCAC title, its first since winning three straight from 2003-2005 and a huge confidence boost for a team that experienced a special day in Maine.
"The atmosphere that day was nothing short of magical," sophomore Joseph St. Pierre said. "This victory is only the beginning of a season's worth of exertions finally coming to fruition."
Though it was Rand who led the charge, as has been the case throughout the season, the entire top-seven provided the boost that would eventually claim the team title for the Jumbos.
At a meet - one of the toughest conference meets in the nation - that required a stellar performance from each of Tufts' seven scorers, six personal bests and five runners in the top 20 could not have been timelier.
Junior Ben Wallis, the second Jumbo to score, arrived just outside the top 10 in 11th place with a time of 24:41. Behind him in 14th place by approximately 15 seconds was senior Kyle Marks, who notched a time of 24:56.
Wallis and Marks were the other two Jumbos to gain individual honors on the day, as their top-14 finishes earned them All-Conference second team designations for the first time. Rand, meanwhile, was named to the All-Conference first team, as coach Ethan Barron was named NESCAC Coach of the Year on the back of his team's performance.
Junior Jake McCauley and senior Tyler Andrews were the last two scorers for Tufts, finishing two seconds apart to finish in 19th and 20th place, respectively.
The most interesting part of the race happened about a mile from the end, as the lead 10 runners, including Rand and Wallis, broke off from the rest of the field, with Marks and Andrews fading slightly but remaining in the top 20.
Both Rand and Wallis were among the contenders for the individual title until the 200m mark, at which point Rand and Horowitz, the eventual race-winner, kicked into gear while Wallis fell back from the lead
When the rest of the runners had crossed the line, second-seeded Tufts emerged victorious, finishing with 66 points, just three ahead of Middlebury. The battle for third and fourth place was even tighter, as a single point separated in-state nemeses Bowdoin and Bates, with Bowdoin coming out on top.
"We knew we had a great shot to win NESCACs, and actually accomplishing it was awesome," said senior Adam Brosh. "It was just about executing on the day of the race."
With the NESCAC title now under their belt, Tufts will look to harness this momentum in anticipation of the Division III New England Championship at Westfield State on Nov. 10.
There will be a target on Tufts' back, but the team isn't concerned heading into the regional meet.
"There's always a little pressure that comes with being the top team," said Brosh. "I think we will be able to handle this well. Our goals are clear. The team is focused."
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to a Tufts athlete as Jason St. Pierre. His name is actually Joseph St. Pierre. The current version reflects this change.
