Depth on Display at Conn College

(10/17/2011 8:25 AM) Full Results

With the top 12 Jumbos cheering from the sidelines this weekend, a number of young TUXC members posted some impressive PRs at the Connecticut College Invitational. Under difficult racing conditions that included 30-40 mph winds, sophomore Jake McCauley led the way this weekend with a PR of 26:37 and a 20th place overall finish. The mix of Tufts’ 2nd and 3rd seven assembled a strong finish of 7th overall totaling 172 points.

Two first-year racers, Cyrus Cousins (26:57) and Joe Poupard (27:05) finished 2nd and 3rd for the team as they continued to acclimate to the 8k distance. Cousins PR’d by 50+ seconds while Poupard improved by over 3 minutes from a rough showing at Open New Englands the week before. Rounding out the Jumbos’ top 5 was the pair of milers, Jamie Norton and Jeff Prescott. Junior Luke Maher and freshman Marshall Pagano both made impressive steps as racers to finish 6th and 7th for the team.

Everyone’s performances from Saturday illustrate one of the driving forces for the Tufts Cross Country team. There is no room for complacency. With every individual working hard to improve, no individual can afford to let up one bit. On a team that has #13, 14, 15 runners capable of being top 5 runners for other programs, there will always be someone challenging you for your spot. Healthy competition will always be a great motivator.

The TUXC squad will suit up next at the NESCAC Championships in two weeks hosted by Amherst College. With four NESCAC teams ranked in the top 20 nationally, the meet looks to be one of the most exciting in recent years.


Full Results