The 2004-2005 Campaign Ends, 9 All-American Honors in Hand

(6/1/2005)

With the NCAA Outdoor Championship meet over, the campaign of the 2004-2005 school year is finally complete. The meet marks the 33rd time Jumbos have competed since the first cross country race last fall. Preparation began long before those meets in September, and similarly, the end of this school year by no means reflects an end to the hard work that will continue for the Jumbos.

Still, the end of school year allows for reflection on the accomplishments of the past three seasons. The strong performances of the cross country season stand as a reminder of the hard work of the distance squad. The many new school records from the indoor and outdoor track seasons are a testament to the dedication of all the Tufts track athletes. For those graduating this year, the accomplishments will stand as final memories of four full years spent competing for Tufts.

All told, the Jumbos earned nine All-American awards this year. Sophomore Fred Jones earned three of the awards himself, finishing national runner-up in the long jump indoors, runner-up in the triple jump outdoors, and seventh in the long jump outdoors. The cross country team won the NESCAC title, the ECAC title, the New England title, and came in sixth at nationals with sophomore Josh Kennedy earning All-American honors. Indoors, multiple new school records were set, some being reset within a matter of weeks. This included two new school records for the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) which went on to place 8th at the indoor national meet and earn All-American honors for its members: Aaron Kaye, Trevor Williams, Pat Mahoney, and Matt Fortin. Senior captain Nate Brigham also earned All-American honors at the indoor meet, finishing in eighth place in the 5,000 meters. During the short outdoor season, school records fell multiple times in the 5k and 10k to both Matt Lacey and Nate Brigham, with Lacey holding both at the conclusion of the season.

A strong crew of Jumbos leave the team this year as graduating seniors. This group includes Nate Brigham, Brian McNamara, Mike Don, Dan Wolchonok, Aaron Kaye, Evan Blaser, Nate Thompson, Ray Carre and Tom Tropea. In addition, Peter Bromka finished his studies last semester. Despite these losses, Tufts cross country and track & field moves on with a very bright outlook for the coming seasons. Only two of the nine All-American awards were earned by graduating seniors and the top three finishers from cross country nationals return. The team hopes to improve on the gains made by this year's squad with more success next year.

During the cross country campaign the team will be led by captains Matt Fortin and Matt Lacey. Captains during track will be Lacey, Trevor Williams, and Jason Galvin.