Jumbos Ready for Outdoor Season

(4/1/2007)

The Tufts Men's Track & Field Team is gearing up for a strong spring campaign. With the success of the indoor season as a base, the Jumbos have been training hard during the few weeks between the two seasons.

As usual, expect Senior captains Fred Jones, Nate Cleveland, and Dave McCleary to lead the squad through the final two months of the school year (and their track careers).

Jones, who just earned his eigth and ninth All-America honors at the 2007 Indoor NCAA Championships, will lead a deep and talented jumps squad. With 2006 triple jump All-American Dan Marcy returning from injury, 2007 high jump National Qualifier James Bradley, 2006 high jump National Qualifier Jeremy Arak, New England pentathlon champion Nathan Scott, and multiple others, the Jumbos jumpers should be the deepest in the region.

McCleary, focusing on the javelin during the outdoor season, looks to make a strong mark and lead an already talented and greatly improving throwing squad. Juniors Joe Brown and Seniors Tyler Groff and David Igbalajobi are expected to make major contributions to the team.

Cleveland, coming off of his tremendous indoor season in which he broke the 600m school record--the only Jumbo to ever run under 1:22.00--will lead a talented squad of mid-distance runners. Sophomore Marcelo Norsworthy, Senior Dan Sullivan, and the talented class of 2010 will follow Cleveland in anything from the 400m dash to the mile-leg of the DMR.

In the distance events, Junior Dave Sorensen, Senior Josh Kennedy, and freshman Nick Welch all hope to pick up where they left off at the end of the indoor season, during which they pushed their way into the sixth, seventh, and eighth spots, respectively, on the Jumbos' Indoor 3000m all-time list. They will be joined by Seniors Chad Uy and Justin Chung, freshman Ryan Lena, a fully recovered Jesse Faller, and many others.

The sprinters, who, for the first time in many years, became one of the biggest strengths of the Tufts Track Team during the Indoor season, look to increase their dominance this spring. Led by Seniors Dustin Virgilio and Mickey Ferri, Sophomore Colin Fitzgerald, and Freshmen Marc Soskin and Andrew Longley, the Jumbo sprinters should hit some very fast times.

The freshman-dominated hurdle squad of Ikenna Acholonu, Jared Engelking, and Trevor Donadt should do as much damage in the 110m High Hurdles as it did in the 55m Hurdles inside. Engelking and Donadt will also join Sophomore Skip Pagel and a fully recovered Derek Engelking in the difficult and demanding decathlon.

The sprinters, jumpers, distance runners, throwers, hurdlers, and decathletes will all make contributions to what should be an incredibly successful Outdoor Track & Field season. The Jumbos have been training hard, are well-rested from spring break, and are excited and ready to get back to competition.

The 2007 Outdoor Season opens up with Tufts' only home meet; the Tufts Snowflake Classic will be held at Ellis Oval on Saturday, March 31st. Events kick off at 11:00 AM.