Jumbos Ready to Roll

(9/1/2007)

Tufts Cross Country has been known for some impressive streaks in the past few years. Three straight NESCAC and Div. III New England Regional Championships between 2003 and 2005 made the Jumbos the class of the New England Region. But last year's 8th place finish at NESCACs and 5th place finish at Div. III New England Regionals ended a streak of three straight trips to Nationals and the Jumbos have spent months eagerly preparing to start a new path. With a trio of talented runners up front and some new additions to the varsity, Tufts should be back in contention very soon.

Seniors Dave Sorensen and Christopher Kantos and sophomore Nick Welch will be a tough pack to handle for most teams. Sorensen, tri-captain and an All-American last spring in the steeplechase, and Welch, an All-Region runner last year as a freshman, are ready to lead the Jumbos up front. Despite losing key seniors Josh Kennedy and Justin Chung, the Jumbos will welcome back senior tri-captains Kantos and Alex Bloom, who both spent parts of last year abroad. Kantos finished 18th overall as a sophomore at Regionals in 2005. Sophomore Jesse Faller ran varsity last year and saw huge success in track last spring, running 3:57 in the 1500. The Burlington, MA, runner will return to help the Jumbos this fall.

The team will also look to junior David Tilton and sophomores Ryan Lena, Billy Hale, and Josh Gordon to round out the top seven. Additionally, a large group of freshmen should give the Jumbos solid depth and some competition for the final few varsity spots.