Tufts Performs Well At Valentine's Invitational

(2/9/2007) Full Results

The 2007 Valentine?s Invitational was definitely a meet built for the avid track enthusiast. The full day of competition that ended well after 11:00pm left many fans fully saturated with track & field. The Jumbos took full advantage of the day?s events to qualify a few more for upcoming weeks of championships.

The competition began for Tufts with the 3k, where four of five posted lifetime bests. Sophomore David Tilton was joined by seniors Chad Uy, Justin Chung, and Peter Goransson grabbing PR?s at this Friday?s competition running 9:08, 8:47, 8:54, and 9:18 respectively.

Soon after the 3k, the Tufts sprinters took the track which resulted in another flurry of personal records. Andrew Longley led the way in the 400m with his 50.45, while teammates Dustin Virgilio and Colin Fitzgerald both bettered their NE qualifying marks to 51.48 and 51.89. Longley, as well as senior Mickey Ferri, would return to the track for the 200m posting times of 22.67 and 22.81 respectively.

The Jumbo 800m and 1000m runners continued the steady flow of great performances as Jason Hanrahan became the 3rd freshman to run 1:58 this winter. That trio was joined by seniors Nate Cleveland and Dan Sullivan as the five Jumbos qualified for next week?s New England Championships in the 800m. Cleveland would post his own impressive race on Friday continuing his noteworthy season.

The last time Cleveland got a shot at the 1000m he was forced to take the lead and pace the pack through to a 2:33; however, this time he benefited from some helpful pace setting and his final time was indicative of that. The pack got out comfortable and possibly a bit slow, but Cleveland?s 5th lap was his 2nd fastest as he kicked home to a finishing time of 2:31.02.

Capping off the evening at 11:30pm were a pair of Jumbo qualifiers in the 500m run. Freshman Scott Brinkman and sophomore James Bradley ran in tandem working together to hit the NE qualifier. Brinkman out-leaned Bradley for a 1:07.41, yet Bradley would also qualify with his own 1:07.72.

All in all it was a solid 10 hour work day that the Jumbos put in at the track. Although, the most impressive feat of the weekend would be that almost every Jumbo that competed on Friday evening would wake up and make the trip to MIT the next morning to help support their fellow teammates. That support will be a huge aspect of the next few weeks as the level of competition will surely rise in the coming championships.



Full Results