Bhalla qualifies for Nationals at Last Chance

(3/13/2014 4:10 PM) Full Results

Veer Bhalla ’16 went into the Tufts Last Chance Meet last Thursday, on the bubble of qualifying for Nationals in the 800 meters. Teammate Mitch Black ’16 had already ran the fastest time in the nation earlier in the year to punch his ticket to the big dance, and now it was up to Bhalla to follow in Black’s footsteps.

After Black rabbited the field through 1:22 at the 600, Bhalla was able to close and was able to run a PR of 1:52.86 on a flat track, which converts to a 1:51.26 on a banked track. This was good enough for the fifth fastest time nationally, and to give Bhalla a ticket to Lincoln, Nebraska for Nationals this weekend.

As a tune-up to the mile at Nationals, tri-captain Jamie Norton ’14 was also entered in the race, running a solid 1:55.53 on the banked track. Alex Apostolides ’16 also closed out his season in the race, as he ran 1:57.25 for ninth overall.

In other action on the day, tri-captain Ben Wallis ’14 ran a brave and gusty 5000 meters, and crossed the line in 15:10.04 after 25 laps of the Gantcher track. Graham Beutler ’14, who had already qualified for Nationals in the 400 meterss placed third in the 200 meters by running 22.37. Brian Williamson ’15 and Atticus Swett ’16 (perhaps the best throws tandem in the NESCAC) placed second and fourth respectively in the shot put, as Williamson heaved the ball 51 feet nine inches, and Swett launched it 50 feet three and one half inches.

Though this was the last meet of the indoor season for most of these athletes, a few of them will be heading out to Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend for the Division 3 National Championship meet. There will be a Jumbo presence in the 400 meters (Beutler), the 800 meters (Black and Bhalla), the mile (Norton), and the 4x400 meter relay (Beutler,Black, Francis Goins ’16, and Alex Kasemir ’16). All are seeded in the top eight of their respective events, meaning all have a chance to become an All-American. As a team, the Jumbos will be looking to maximize their point total to perhaps sneak in a podium spot. You can watch the meet live on Friday and Saturday of this week at NCAA.com.


Full Results