Jumbos Qualify for Nationals

(11/14/2011 6:46 PM) See more Photos     Full Results

It truly turned out to be a rollercoaster ride for the Jumbos at this weekends New England Regional Championships. In search of a berth to the National Championships, the squad toed the line with the 50 other regional teams, seven of which were ranked in the top 30 nationally. When all was said and done, Tufts came away with a 5th place overall finish and an at-large berth. The seven runners were only outpaced by conference foes Williams, Middlebury, Bowdoin, and Bates.

As the gun fired at noon, the entire Jumbo squad got off the line well, but it seemed like the rest of the region also got out well. The front duo of Matt Rand and Kyle Marks established themselves in the front pack of 15 runners early on. The rest of the Jumbo squad found themselves much farther back than they were looking to be. Sophomores Brian McLaughlin, Ben Wallis, and Liam Cassidy sat in the mid 60’s with senior Connor Rose and sophomore Andrew Shapero back in the 80’s.

Near the one-mile mark, McLaughlin moved to reposition himself and grabbed an additional 20 spots with a solid surge. It proved to be a very savvy move as it put him primed to finish All Region. Cassidy sat back for an additional mile, but moved up his own 15 spots near the 2.5 mile mark. Classmate Andrew Shapero was also able to reposition himself a handful of spots throughout the race yet that would be it for the Jumbos.

Most athletes felt some difficulty moving up throughout the race; however, it was due more to lack of room to move through packs than paces that were too difficult to hit. Ideally, this won’t be the case next Saturday at the National Championships.

The Jumbos will suit up a talented and well-rounded team at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, WI. Matt Rand has powered the Jumbos all season with his top 6 finish at Open New Englands, as well as All NESCAC and All Region performances. Brian McLaughlin continues his incredible progression with his All Region finish this past Saturday. Kyle Marks looks to improve on his 64th place finish at last season’s National Championships as he is the 36th returner from the meet. Liam Cassidy and Andrew Shapero are a great 4-5 duo slamming the door for Tufts. Additionally, Tufts is one of the few teams at the NCAA Championships with two qualifiers to track Nationals as their 6th and 7th runners. Ben Wallis (steeplechase) and Connor Rose (800m) have demonstrated their national caliber potential and could be a great boost for the Tufts squad this weekend.

Stay tuned…


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