TUTF Divides to Conquer Two Venues

(2/14/2009) Full Results

With a split squad for the first time this year, the Jumbos spread out across the Greater Boston area grabbing PRs and last chance qualifiers for next week's New England Championships. With most distance runners suiting up against top competition from Division 1, 2, and 3 over at BU's fast banked track, the core of sprinters and jumpers took off at MIT's track and previewed the site for next weeks championship.

Starting things off at MIT, junior hurdlers Jared Engelking and Ikenna Acholonu took the top 2 spots in the 55mHH, both dipping under the 8-second mark. In the 200m, Matt McGrath and Dan Stone dropped under 25 seconds, McGrath's a lifetime PR. Representing the distance squad over in Cambridge, freshman Scott McArthur knocked more time off his 3k best with a 9:11.56, concluding his indoor season with yet another PR. Classmate Erik Antokal ran a gusty race in the 5k, leaving everything on the track to the point he couldn't stand up under his own strength. With more races with that kind of determination his times will surely drop in outdoors.

The Tufts jumpers hit some great marks off MIT's springy surface. In the pole vault, sophomore Sam Read cleared 14 feet for the first time in his life and qualified for ECACs with a mark of 14-3. Leading the jumpers on the runway, sophomore James Wheeler, back from injury, and junior Jonathan Pak were separated by just a centimeter at 6.36 and 6.35 in the long jump. Pak's 20-10 jump was a PR and a New England qualifier. Junior Ikenna Acholonu grabbed 6th in the triple jump, and freshman Matt Williams and David Dormon put up points in the shot with two more top-8 finishes.

Meanwhile, across town the Jumbos were suited up in some hot races at BU. Kicking things off in great fashion, senior captain Colin Fitzgerald dropped a huge PR in the 200m to move up to number two all-time, flanked by junior and school record holder Andrew Longley and classmate Phil Rotella. Building on Fitzgerald's breakout run, Rotella then put up a new best himself of 49.51 in just the second 400m of his life, only to drop below the 49 mark when he split 48 in the 4x4 later in the meet.

Moving up to the 800m, junior Jason Hanrahan not only PRed, but broke 1:57 for the first time in his life and qualified himself for his first Open New England Championships. Tiring of the slow early pace, Hanrahan took over the lead and didn't look back, running a bold race that had all his teammates on their toes. Classmate Billy Hale certainly took notice as he stepped up in the 1000m with a PR of his own. Breaking another barrier, this time the 2:30 mark, Hale became the second Jumbo of the day to take over a number #2 spot on the all-time lists. Sophomore Jeff Ragazzini then followed suit by busting through 4:20 on his way to a 4:19.59 PR in the mile. Capping off the BU meet was junior Jesse Faller in the hot seeded section of the 5k. With some of the top Division 3 runners from all over the country mixed in with D1 studs, Faller ran an aggressive race to an indoor PR of 14:39.65. He and classmate Nick Welch sit 13th and 12th in the country for the 5k.

At the end of it all, the Jumbos looked poised for what is sure to be a hotly contested New England Championships next weekend at MIT.



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