Tufts Nabs 2nd in All-NESCAC Tri-Meet

(9/22/2007) See more Photos     Full Results

Saturday marked the lone home 8k competition for the Tufts University Jumbos. The Polar Bears of Bowdoin and Bobcats of Bates rounded out the field for this weekend's tri-meet. Saturday's high temperatures led to a conservative start and an inability to push the pace. As a result, Saturday's competition turned into one of the slowest races ever run at the Farm Course. No athlete would run under 27:00 and only 13 racers bested the 28:00 barrier. Bowdoin College's Thompson Ogilvie claimed the top spot in a time of 27:04 leading his team to their second victory in two weeks. Bowdoin notched 25 points, with Tufts in 2nd at 49, while Bates rounded out the field with a close 3rd place performance with 54 points.

Individually for the Jumbos, sophomore Jesse Faller and senior tri-captain Dave Sorensen finished 3rd and 4th in times of 27:12 and 27:13 respectively. Their races were impressive as their times were only 2-3 seconds off of last year's times in a race that was, on average, 30-40 seconds slower. Freshman Greg Pallotta (10th), sophomore Nick Welch (14th) and freshman Jeff Ragazzini (21st) rounded out the scoring for the Jumbos this weekend. Saturday's race epitomized the tightness of the Jumbo's front pack this year. Welch, the #1 runner from last week's UMass Dartmouth Invitational, dropped to 4th this week. Pallotta, Sorensen, and Faller all put out solid efforts to help back up their teammate this weekend. The added security that the tight pack provided helps disperse the pressure to carry a team. David Tilton, a junior, and Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot, a freshman, completed the top seven for the Jumbos this weekend. Right on their heels was freshman Chris Brunnquell, who also made his Grafton 8k debut.

In a race that everyone wanted to win, but no one wanted to lead, the front pack started out in a pedestrian 5:40 pace. From there, the pack stayed very tight through 2.5 miles where it then began to string out slightly. Throughout the up and down fourth mile it continued to thin as the racers moved back into the woods loop for the second and final time. Exiting the woods, with 1200 meters to go, Ogilvie took the lead for good as racers behind him jockeyed for position. When all was said and done, it was a great day at the Farm Course only overshadowed by the enjoyment of the BBQ that followed.

Thank you to all the parents, alumni, and track & field members that ventured out to the course to make it the event a true success. The tight community that is TUXC was all too evident from start to finish.


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