Sorensen, Faller lead Jumbos to 5th of 11 in North Adams

(10/27/2007) Full Results

On a much tamer November Saturday than last year's torrential conference championship, and the Jumbos ended the day in the middle of the pack but a big step above their disappointing 8th place finish of 2006. With 128 points, Tufts came out 5th of the 11 NESCAC teams competing at Mt. Greylock High School on Saturday, as host Williams won the meet with a decisive 37 points. Amherst was second with 86 points, Bowdoin (98) took third, and Trinity beat out the Jumbos for fourth with 109 points.

Senior Dave Sorensen continued to lead the Jumbos with an impressive ninth place finish. Since his remarkable 6th place finish in the Steeplechase at last spring's outdoor nationals, Sorensen has proved he is one of the top distance runners in the region. Sophomore Jesse Faller joined him with All-NESCAC honors, finishing 12th after moving up with a strong last mile. Senior Christopher Kantos, in his first NESCAC championship in two years, came in third for the Jumbos in a solid 30th place, with sophomore Nick Welch 15 seconds back in 36th. Freshman Greg Pallotta continued to impress, rounding out the scoring for the Jumbos in 46th place, moving up from the 80s in the second half of the race and proving he is one of the strongest first years in the conference. Junior David Tilton and freshman Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot both ran great races to come in 78th and 81st for the squad, respectively.

With the new NCAA selection process for nationals in its second year, the Jumbos knew they likely needed a top 5 finish at NESCACs in order to have a shot at the at-large bid that eluded them last year after finishing 5th at Regionals. With such strong regions around the country, however, and a several tough teams joining the NESCAC group at Regionals next Saturday, there are no guarantees outside the two automatic bids each region receives. The New England Regional Championship will take place November 11, hosted by Connecticut College at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, CT, site of last year's tempestuous NESCACs. There, the TUXC squad will look to improve upon yesterday's fifth place showing and secure a bid to the NCAA National Cross-Country Championships at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.


Full Results