Slew of Lifetime Bests, Near Misses at ECACs

(6/7/2012 12:47 PM) Full Results

With one week left before the NCAA Championships in Claremont, CA, the Tufts Track & Field team traveled outside of New England for the first time this spring for the ECAC Championships at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. As several seniors suited up for their final collegiate meet, the Jumbos finished seventh out of 62 teams with 28.5 points.

None of the class of 2012 finished off his year—and career—on a higher note than Ben Crastnopol. After four years off inching closer to the 50-second barrier, Crasty broke through in a big way in the 400m with a decisive PR of 49.71.

On the distance side, junior Kyle Marks closed out 2012 with a lifetime PR of his own in the 5000m. After an indoor campaign that saw him break 14:50 for the first time and wrapped up with an impressive 8:29.32 for fourth place at the Armory, Marks continued his ECAC success with a fifth-place finish in 14:46.99. After three years of consistent improvement, Kyle will be looking to travel in 2013.

Ben Wallis followed suit in the steeplechase. After setting new PRs for two consecutive weeks in the event, the sophomore was narrowing in on the low 9:1X range that, in recent years, has consistently qualified for the NCAA Championships. And at RPI, he made it three in a row, with a new lifetime best of 9:12.24 for sixth place overall. Unfortunately, the steeplechase would prove, along with the 10,000m, to be one of the strongest events of the year nationally, as 9:07.41 was the last time into the meet. Yet that takes nothing away from the sensational progression Wallis made in the last month of the year, lowering his steeple best over 15 seconds from 2011, PRing in three consecutive meets, and setting the stage for a fantastic junior year.

Meanwhile, junior Brad Nakanishi took to the pole vault runway in hopes of adding a centimeter to his season and lifetime best of 4.90m. Squaring off against several of the athletes directly behind him on the national list, Brad’s clearance of 4.76m earned him fourth place on the day and prevented anyone from ECAC passing him on the list. Across the track, junior Gbola Ajayi took one more shot at the long jump as he prepares for the triple jump competition at next week’s national championship. On his fifth jump of the day, Ajayi got out to 6.91m for fifth place.

In the throws, Brian Williamson capped off an impressive freshman year with another PR in the shot—his third in four weeks. After breaking the 15-meter mark at NESCACs and extending to 15.20m at New Englands, Williams PRed in the prelims at 15.23m. Unsatisfied, he tacked on another 8cm in finals on his sixth and final attempt with a mark of 15.31m, earning two points in the process. Junior Curtis Yancy added six more with two sixth-place finishes of his own. After a 45.08m mark in discus, Yancy came back with a 1.5m-plus lifetime best in the hammer at 52.63m. Yet his best throw was his last, where a narrow foul erased what would have been a huge PR and possible NCAA-qualifying mark.

In the end, that was the tone across board for many Jumbos. Mere seconds and centimeters kept what could have been a double-digit squad at NCAAs down to a select few. But the bulk of point-scorers returning, 2012-13 promises to be an exciting year. Before then, four juniors will travel to Claremont, CA next week for the NCAA Championships.


Full Results