Fast Times and Big Marks at Hillside Relays

(4/6/2006) See more Photos     Full Results

The Tufts Jumbos hosted their second meet of the outdoor season and saw some great performances. Teams from all divisions (I-III) were present, and the competition level was high.

Nate Scott and Skip Pagel started off the meet for Tufts on Thursday as they competed in the Decathlon. Nate won the 400 and 1500 meter events. The rest of the Decathlon events went to the overall victor Kristoph Becker of Middlebury. Nevertheless, Nate scored 5612 points which surpasses his score at this meet last year by nearly 150 points. Skip also had a good showing in his first collegiate Decathlon with a score of 5116.

The triple jump was contested on Friday afternoon. The Jumbos showcased their depth in this event. Even with the absence of Fred Jones and Dan Marcy, three athletes easily exceeded the qualifying mark for Division III New England?s. Jeremy Arak led this group with a two foot PR (12.88m). Ted McMahan was just three centimeters behind as he also set a new PR. Jake Fromer equaled his collegiate best with a 12.83 leap.

The competition on Saturday morning began with the 10000 meter race. For weeks, this race received a decent amount of hype as it was well known that a few athletes were seeking national qualifying times. Josh Kennedy ran over 70 seconds faster than his previous best. His winning time of 30:56 provisionally qualifies him for Nationals. Sophomore Chris Kantos competed in his first ever 10k. The result was also an NCAA provisional qualifier. Chris completed the race in 31:02. Matt Lacey hoped for a fast time in the 5000 meter race but the task was too difficult to complete alone. He won the race in 15:08

Senior Pat Mahoney finished second in an exciting 800 race. He used a fierce kick to move past Sam Moorhead of Trinity College to take in the runner up spot in 1:56. Nate Cleveland raced out of a slower section and won his heat in 1:58--good enough for sixth overall.

There were a number of good results posted by the Tufts sprinters. The athletes didn't have to deal with severe winds like last week at the Snowflake classic. Fred Jones ran well enough to qualify for the 100 finals. His time was 3 tenths faster than his wind-hindered time from the previous week. Freshman Colin Fitzgerald ran the fastest 200 of the day for Tufts in 23.48. In the 400m, Senior captain Trevor Williams continues to improve as he ran 50.61. This meet also saw the return of junior Dustin Virgilio who sat out the Snowflake classic with hamstring issues. Dustin ran an inspired race and finished under 51 seconds for the first time ever (50.92).

Juniors Dave McCleary and LeQuan Hunter led the Jumbos in the hurdle events. Dave made the 110H finals and finished 5th in 16.54. LeQuan ran a strong 400H race and PRed with a time of 57.91.

In the Pole Vault, Timothy Bassell continued to improve. The senior propelled himself over 13'5.25", earning himself a spot on the Tufts' Top 10 list.

There were also a number of highlights among the Tufts throwing crew. Senior Jason Galvin placed third in the Hammer Throw with a solid effort of 167-03. Sophomore Derek Engelking had an excellent showing in the Javelin. He placed second overall in the competition with a PR of 170-01.

The class of 2006 won this year's class relay 4x4 in 3:32. Usual triple jumper Jake Fromer bravely ran the 1200 meter leg of the Distance Medley Relay. After a painful experience, Jake will stick to his specialties in the upcoming weeks.

The Hillside Relays also marked the last home meet of the outdoor season for Tufts. Next week, the Jumbos will once again take on stiff competition at the Davis Invitational hosted my UMass Lowell.



See more Photos   Full Results