Wallis Wins, Freshmen Shine at Purple Valley

(9/28/2012 8:45 AM) Full Results

With the bulk of the varsity squad training through in preparation for next week’s Open New England Championships, the Jumbos ventured to Mt. Graylock High School for the Williams College Purple Valley Classic with a young but talented group suiting up for the 5k. After last week’s 8k opener at the Bates Invite, the shorter distance was a great chance for rookies and middle distance specialists to be stick their nose in and be competitive against some of the region’s top teams.

Leading the charge was freshman Michael Curley, who did exactly that. Battling in the top 10 for the entirety of the race, Curley closed well to finish sixth and split up a pack of Division II runners from UMass Lowell. Seconds back were the duo of sophomore Alex Sheltzer and frosh James Traester in 12th and 13th overall. Shelzter, an 800m runner on the track, showed a new level of strength to hang with our top distance freshman.

Rounding out the scoring five were senior Adam Brosh in 16th and junior Brandon Wheeler just three spots back, both strong showings given their middle distance focus and recent return from injury, respectively.

With 61 points, Tufts ended up second overall as a team, behind only D2 UMass Lowell with 33. Host Williams was third with 70. Though Williams had two in before our #1, the Jumbos slammed the door with strong finishes from Traester, Brosh, and Wheeler.

Minutes after, junior Ben Wallis stepped to the line in the 8k. The lone entrant for the Jumbos, Wallis had cautiously taken last weekend off from racing and would debut here in advance of next week’s Open New England meet. Lining up against many of the top teams and individuals in New England, Ben executed a tactically near-perfect race, running comfortably in the back of the lead pack until making a decisive (and winning) move up the hill the second time. His final time of 26:13 was by far the fastest of his career on the course.

It was a solid day for TUXC, but the real tests are still weeks away. Next weekend the Jumbos will go up against many regional rivals at the Open New England meet hosted by Westfield State.


Full Results