TUXC Depth on Display at ECACs

(11/7/2009) See more Photos     Full Results

Less than one week removed from their 3rd place finish at the NESCAC Championships, the Jumbos were again in uniform, this time for the ECAC Championships hosted by Williams College. The meet was an incredible success for the TUXC squad that displayed its impressive depth in the meet. Toeing the line against 43 teams and a scattering of individuals, senior Matt Tirrell and freshman Dan Kirschner let the Jumbos to an 8th place finish overall with thier top 35 finishes.

With the Jumbos top 10 runners not suiting up this weekend, the six athletes that spiked up for Tufts this Saturday held their own against many other teams varsity seven. Other NE teams elected to also rest a good selection of their top seven for next weeks Regional Championships; however, others choose to continue to race their varsity squad. The TUXC squad took it one step further choosing to rest their top 10 runners.

In fact, this years ECAC team ended up looking more like the Tufts Mid-D cross country team than anything else. With only one athlete on the squad who has ranged higher than the 1500m suiting up this Sunday, it was great to see the strength and base that the Jumbo 800m and 1500m runners built this summer and fall.

Led by Matt Tirrell (4:04) and Dan Kirschner (1:56) the team stood up against some of the regions more competitive 3k and 5k runners. Seniors Jason Hanrahan (1:54) and Billy Hale (1:53, 2:30) were joined by freshmen Brandon Severson rounding out the top five. Junior Corey Melnick continued his string of PRs as he builds on the best summer of his life. Each of the six Tufts competitors ran very gritty races this weekend fighting through a difficult Mt. Greylock course that only allowed for seven sub27:00 performances on the day.

As a whole, this weekends showing at the ECAC Championships illustrates the new depth and future potential of the TUXC team. At last falls ECAC Championships, the Jumbos suited up their 6-13 runners and only came away with a 12th place finish. This years team moved up to the 8th place while running a mixture of the second and third seven.

This Saturdays race wraps up a successful season for these six Jumbos. After a little time off, they will turn their attention towards their indoor training to see how they can build on their new base. It is safe to say that all six had their most successful XC campaign of their lives and look to follow it up with some of their most successful track performances as well. Look for each of these athletes to factor in big for the Jumbos come championship season this winter and spring.



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