Tufts takes NESCAC Title for a Second Consecutive Year

(10/30/2004) See more Photos     Full Results

On what might be described as a perfect day for cross country running, the Tufts Jumbos won their second consecutive NESCAC title in Waterville, Maine. Hosted by Colby College, the NESCAC course provided the harriers with a mix of grass, wood chips, and a number of challenging hills. Facing nationally ranked Williams and Bates would truly test the strength of this Tufts squad. Undaunted by the difficulty of the course, and the strength of their opponents, Tufts entered the meet with a level of quiet confidence.
Starting out the day was the JV race, and much like last year, Tufts had athletes at the very front of the pack. Performing well in the 5k was Tim Churella, who placed 2nd. In the 8k, Peter Orth and Chad Uy both ran strong races to place in the top 10.
Shortly before the varsity race at 2 o'clock, Coach Putnam addressed his 12 man squad. Reminded of their hard work over the summer and early fall, as well as their current level of fitness and resolve, Tufts toed the line ready to race. It was immediately apparent that Tufts was prepared to win, as the Jumbos established a large pack at the front of the race in the early going. Wary of the difficult hills that lay ahead, the athletes did conserve some energy for what was certain to be a very fast last 2 miles. This may have been the deciding factor for the Jumbos, as Williams athletes rode the Holtschulte-train through the pack, up to, and eventually past the Tufts group of Nate Brigham, Josh Kennedy, Matt Lacey, and Brian McNamara. Aware that the critical part of the race was happening right before them, the group rose to the challenge the Eph trio presented. Meanwhile, a few steps back in the group, the depth of Tufts program was securing what would be an eventual victory for the Jumbos. Peter Bromka and Matt Fortin ran strong just off the back of this pack, well ahead of William's 4th and 5th men. After descending the long and winding downhill, Tufts knew they had to pick off runners if they were to win the team race. Matt Lacey lead this charge, and was able to move ahead of Williams' third runner, and was just nipped by a hard charging Stephen Wills, good enough for 4th place. Continuing his amazing streak of (2nd team) All-NESCAC performances established his freshmen year, senior Nate Brigham had a chance to step up to first team All NESCAC status, only to see two of his teammates run past in the last 400 meters. Citing mild sickness, Brigham said he was not himself during the closing stretch of the race. His teammates, especially Matt Lacey, agreed. The trio of Josh Kennedy, Brian McNamara, and Nate Brigham finished in 7th, 8th, and 9th respectively. Junior Matt Fortin rounded out the scoring 5 with his 15th place performance. Peter Bromka was close on his heels placing 17th. Also running well for the Jumbos were Kyle Doran (25th), first year stand out Chris Kantos (31st), Justin Chung (67th), Neil Orfield (71st), Mike Don (76th), and Michael Cummings (83rd).
When all was said and done, the Jumbos had secured a second NESCAC title with a low score of 43, ahead of Williams' 62 and Bates' 115. The Jumbos now look ahead to the ECAC Championship, where their second 7 runners will try to bring home another championship title to The Hill.


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