Seniors Finish Off Careers at ECACs

(5/22/2011 4:54 PM) Full Results

A nearly six hour drive, crotchety bus driver, foul weather conditions, and the temptations of summer vacation were not enough to dissuade many of the Tufts Track and Field team from heading to the ECAC Championships hosted by Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. The Jumbos finished in 17th place overall with 18 points from a pair of sophomores and a pair of freshman.

Sophomore Mike Blair led the way for the squad by taking home the title in the high jump. Blair added ECAC Champion to his resume that already included NESCAC and DIII New England Champion. With his season best jump of 2.01m, Blair currently sits at 24th in the nation. Fellow sophomores Brad Nakanishi (PV) and Gbola Ajayi (LJ, TJ) also competed at this weekend’s ECAC Championships. Just as with Blair, their hard work and dedication have begun to inch them closer to the top of the national list. Nakanishi sits at 27th in DIII nationally with his vault of 15-7.75, while Ajayi is 41st in the TJ and 43rd in the LJ with his leaps of 46-1.25 and 22-9.75.

In the throws, freshman Atticus Swett continued his strong finish to his rookie season by advancing to the finals of the discus throw. Swett finished 7th overall. The team will miss his presence on the team for the next two years as he begins his 2-year mission to Hungary this summer. Swett will rejoin the squad in the fall of 2013 for his sophomore campaign.

On the track, freshman Graham Beutler added another PR to his rookie resume as he broke the 50 second barrier for the first time. His 49.68 is the fastest time from a Tufts freshman in almost ten years as Ray Carre was the last to do it with his 48.65 in 2002. Beutler returned to anchor the 4x4 later in the day. With Dan Lange Vagle’s ankle still not at 100%, the Jumbos suited up the same team as last week. Junior Ben Crastnopol gave the team yet another strong lead off leg with his 50.2, handing off to sophomore Lawrence Xia in good position. Xia’s 50.4 proved that his breakthrough from last week was not a flash-in-the-pan. Senior Jeff Prunier kept the team in striking distance with his 51.0 leg, passing the stick to Beutler in exactly the position a chaser likes to be – striking distance. Beutler didn’t linger in the 49.0 range for long as he split 48.7 to clock in at a season best 3:20.79.

Looking at the distance races, the Jumbos put their depth on display. With Matt Rand resting for next weeks National Championships and a number of others already looking toward next falls XC season, junior Scott McArthur and sophomore Kyle Marks suited up in the 5k. McArthur knocked another second from his current PR, but the sub15:00 club still evades him. His 15:02 should provide ample motivation for putting in a great summer of training.

The only sad note on the day was the team saying farewell to some of its most tenacious competitors. Seniors Alex Gresham (HT), Sam Read (PV), Jeff Prunier (400), and Nick Welch (10k) suited up for the Jumbos for their final time. Each has made his mark on the program and helped elevate it to new levels. All four of these Jumbos leave with their name etched on the All Time Top 10 Lists and are welcomed with open arms into the Jumbo Alumni family.

Thanks to all the seniors for a great four years. You’re always welcome at Gantcher and we hope to see you at all the alumni events next year.


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