Good Energy and 3k Onslaught at Stampede

(2/7/2012 12:35 PM) See more Photos     Full Results

It was a busy weekend on campus, as Fan The Fire events brought Jumbo alums back to Medford for two basketball games as well as the two-day Tufts Stampede. With TUTF graduates suiting up for the Has Been Mile and a record number of teams, the Gantcher Center was a packed house.

On Friday evening, sophomore Andrew Osborne and freshman Allan Yau hit the track for the first heptathlon of their lives. Both followed up PRs in the flat 60m with solid jumps in the long. Allan’s was another personal best, while Ozzie’s best was, unfortunately, eight inches from touching the board. Though both now sit at second and third all-time in this new event—Yau the frosh record holder—there is without a doubt hundreds of points of potential left in these young multis.

On Saturday morning, Tufts hit the ground running in the 3000m with 15 entrants, 12 of them in the seeded section. By the end of it all, the Jumbos put eleven athletes under 9 minutes and came away with a mess of new PRs. Junior Matt Rand led the charge in a new lifetime best and top 10 all time mark of 8:35.54, followed closely by sophomores Liam Cassidy (8:41.63) and Brian McLaughlin (8:44.77) to sweep the top three places. Fellow members of 2014 Jake McCauley (8:47.87) and Benji Hansen (8:47.95) dipped under the ECAC qualifying standard of 8:50, and Luke Maher (8:51.72) became the eighth Jumbo to qualify in the 3k for New Englands. In total, TUTF now has thirteen sub-9:00 3000m runners—and three at 8:37 or better—easily the most in school history.

After Brian McNamara (’05) handily won the Has Been Mile over multiple-time All American Jesse Faller (’10), other PRs came from senior Jeff Prescott, who won the 1000m in 2:32.26, freshmen Ptah Osayande (8.60) and Greg Hardy (16:06.87) in the 60mH and 5000m. Juniors Brad Nakanishi (PV) and Gbola Ajayi (LJ) and frosh Brian Williamson (SP) all notched top three performances.

At the end of it all, Tufts took the top team spot with 125 points, ahead of UMass Dartmouth’s 87.5 and WPI’s 68. Next week, the team will be split between BU’s Valentine Invitational and the Tufts Last Chance Meet.


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