Rand Earns 2nd NESCAC Athlete of the Week Honors

(10/10/2011 4:59 PM)

For the second time this season, junior Matt Rand (Cape Elizabeth, ME) of the Tufts men's cross country team has been named the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Performer of the Week.

On Saturday, Rand was not only the best performer in NESCAC, he was the top runner in all of Division III at the 2011 New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Championships held at Franklin Park. His 24:55 time over 4.95 miles was the best for Division III at the race, edging Middlebury's Michael Schmidt by one second. Rand was sixth overall at the event, which featured competitors from Divisons I, II and III. It was the best Tufts finish at the NEICAAA race in three years.

Led by Rand's pace, the Jumbos finished second among NESCAC teams and third in Division III with a 274 score. They edged NESCAC rival Williams College, which finished at 277. Tufts was eighth overall out of 43 teams, their best showing at the All-New England meet since the 2005 Jumbos were also sixth.

Rand first earned NESCAC Performer of the Week accolades this fall on September 19 after winning the Maine Invitational hosted by Bowdoin in 25:05.99.