Six All Americans at Rose Hulman

(3/14/2009) Full Results

With the promise of the sunshine and warmth of Spring Break right around the corner, six Tufts University athletes postponed their March travel plans in lieu of something so much more. Rather than boarding a plane for sunny Puerto Rico, Miami, or Santa Barbara, these six Jumbos headed west to Terre Haute, IN. Now Terre Haute may not be first on the list of Spring Break destinations, but I’m sure that it will be a memorable one for these athletes.

The Distance Medley Relay (DMR) consisting of Billy Hale (Jr), Phil Rotella (Sr), Scott Brinkman (Jr), and Jesse Faller (Jr) was joined by James Bradley (Sr) in the high jump and a pair of Jumbos in the 5k, Faller and Nick Welch (Jr). With the female Jumbos also suiting up for the DMR, 5k, HJ, and TJ it was sure to be an exciting weekend for the TU squads – they wouldn’t disappoint.

The weekend began with Tufts finishing 7th place in the National Dual Meet Power Rankings. These rankings don’t attempt to predict a programs finish at the national championships, but rather reflect the overall depth and competitiveness of the teams entire year. Tufts was the top New England program, almost breaking through the 150 point barrier.

The first athletes to suit up for the Jumbos was the quartet in the DMR. Although each of the four legs was competing at their first indoor national championships, it would not show as they ran like seasoned veterans. Perhaps it was the back to back weekends of running 9:59 and 10:00 or just the sheer determination of finishing the season on a high note, but each Jumbo brought the baton around with a complete refusal to give up any ground.

The 1200m leadoff leg went out as strategically as it always does with athletes running 4-5 wide for the first 200m. The slow pace at the start and strategic mindset led to a somewhat slower first leg for all teams. Hale got the stick into Rotellas hand as the clocked ticked by 3:08. Getting out hard and intent on making up ground, Rotella was forced into lane 3 to avoid the 400m leg from Allegany College who had taken a fall. From there, no one looked back. Rotella got the stick to Brinkman in 9th place just out of contact for the coveted final All American spot. In his usual fashion Brinkman surged hard in the final 200m of his 800m leg to put the Jumbos in 8th place going into the anchor leg.

Whether at the NESCAC, Open NE, ECAC, or DIII Championships, the Jumbos have grown accustomed to seeing strong finishes from Faller on the anchor leg. However, the rest of the nation would be introduced to Fallers talent over the next 4+ minutes. Faller quickly fell back into 9th place as the miler from Amherst College flew by in first 100m. This fact didn’t stop Faller from coming through his opening quarter in 60 seconds. From there, he would only let up a bit. Running in 9th place for the majority of his leg, Faller slowly worked up to the pack of racers all fighting for third place. With 600m to go, he sat in 9th place at the back of the pack. With 400m to go, he had moved up to 5th on the outside hip of the pack. And with 200m to go, he unleashed his final lap of 28 to kick home for 3rd place. His 2:04/2:03 1600m was a new DMR PR for him and good enough to get the team to the third spot on the podium.

From there, the baton went to senior, quad captain James Bradley in the high jump. After looking great in warm ups, Bradley failed to clear in each of his first two attempts at the opening height of 6-4.75 (1.95m). After clearing the bar on his third and final attempt, he never looked back. Clearing heights of 2.00m and 2.05m, James moved himself up into 6th place to earn his first All American honor.

And to close out the weekend for the Jumbos was the pair of 5k runners, Faller and Nick Welch. Returning off the DMR from the night before, Faller put together an indoor PR in the 5k as he closed in an impressive 27 second final 200m for his finishing time of 14:35.46 and a 4th place finish.

All in all it was a great weekend for the Jumbos and a huge step in the right direction for both the program and all athletes who competed. The six athletes were able to put the team a mere 10 points out of a podium finish in the top four. This completes indoor competition for the Jumbos. Outdoor competition begins in a few short days as some decathletes gear up for the Walt Disney Invitational in Orlando, FL this Wednesday. Great year Jumbos.


Full Results