Tufts Wins NESCAC Championship

(10/28/2012 2:17 PM) See more Photos     Full Results

The post-season began in earnest this weekend at the NESCAC Championships. With clear skies and firm terrain, this year’s meet broke with recent history of soft, muddy races and produced some of the fastest times in conference history. And for the first time since winning three straight 2003-2005, the Jumbos finished on top with 66 points, just ahead of Middlebury with 69. Bowdoin edged Bates 88-89, and Williams was fifth with 97. A big gap separated these five from Wesleyan, sixth with 164, and Amherst in seventh with 196.

As he has all season, senior co-captain Matt Rand led the charge for the Jumbos with one of the strongest races of his career. Second overall in 24:27.29, Rand finished just half a second behind individual champion Coby Horowitz of Bowdoin after battling down the final 200 meters. The two emerged seconds ahead of Conn College junior Michael LeDuc and a strong chase pack that had repeatedly attacked each other with surges over the final three kilometers.

Rand’s time, his first under 24:30, was just one of several lifetime bests on the day. In second for Tufts, junior Ben Wallis lowered his 8k PR to 24:41.53 and posted his best NESCAC finish to date in eleventh. After a fearless move into third with 800 meters to go, Wallis struggled to cover the move over the final straightaway. Likewise, senior Kyle Marks grabbed the last All NESCAC spot in fourteenth and a new PR of 24:56.92. For much of the first and second miles, Marks led the chase pack after Tully Hannan of Bates opened up a 10-second lead from the gun. Both finished knowing there is more in the tank.

Junior Jake McCauley was fourth for the Jumbos in nineteenth and senior Tyler Andrews fifth, both in new personal bests of 25:05.44 and 25:07.15, respectively. Only two points separated four teams through their third runners; it was thanks to their depth and McCauley’s and Andrews’ strong grind over the final kilometer that the Jumbos came out with the victory.

Rounding out the scoring seven were juniors Brian McLaughlin (25th, 25:17.49) and Andrew Shapero (31st, 25:24.36). Senior Sam Haney set a huge 30-second lifetime best of 25:32.77 for 37th place, and junior Jamie Norton, senior co-captain Jeff Marvel, and sophomores Joseph St. Pierre and Marshall Pagano showcased the program’s depth. Along with frosh Michael Curley and sophomore Greg Hardy, they’ll suit up as the varsity seven for next week’s ECAC Championship at Williams College, where Tufts will look to improve on their runner-up finish from 2011.

With NESCAC atop the regional poll and the top five teams ranked in the top 17 in the nation, this year’s NESCAC Championship was really a preview of the New England championships. The win was validation that the Jumbos’ hard work is paying off. But in truth it’s just the beginning. More to come.


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