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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Men's cross country team prepares for NESCAC Championships

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Senior co-captain Marshall Pagano runs through the rain towards the finish line.

The men's cross country team begins its postseason on Saturday with the NESCAC Championship meet at Middlebury College. As a traditionally tough conference, the NESCAC includes some serious competition for Tufts in teams like Middlebury, Amherst, Williams, Bates and Colby. 

Senior Joe Poupard feels that despite low expectations for Tufts, the team will go into the meet in a strong position and with the ability to perform very well.

"It's nice to go into the meet knowing that you're behind because the only thing you can do is make up ground," Poupard said. "Whereas if you're in front, it gives you a lot more opportunity to choke because you've got a lot more pressure, and I don't really see that kind of pressure being put on this team this year."

The crowd and conditions likely won't affect the experienced Jumbo roster. Sophomore Luke O'Connor had only run two 8K races prior to the championship meet, but he found the experience at last year's NESCAC Championships rewarding.

Poupard echoed the sentiment that postseason meet experience is invaluable.

"Stepping out onto the field and just ... having that energy, we knew something special was going to happen that day," Poupard said of the Tufts team that won the NESCAC meet two years ago. "Hopefully we'll feel the same way this time."

Sophomore Tim Nichols is primed to contribute as one of the three strongest runners on the team, along with O'Connor and senior co-captain Nicholas Guarnaccia. O'Connor won NESCAC Performer of the Week honors on Sept. 15 after finishing first in the Bowdoin Invitational. For his part, O'Connor is focused on getting Tufts to Nationals, going so far as to grow out his facial hair with teammates in what they call "staches for natches."

"There [are] only a few teams outside of NESCAC that really pose a threat, so basically NESCACs really shows us where we are in the region, with the exception of maybe MIT," Poupard said. "NESCACs is basically who we are going to be up against at New England [regionals]."

O'Connor has a strained right quad, but said that it has been feeling better recently and he hopes it will hold up during the race. Poupard also has experience with injuries, having missed the 2013 NESCAC Championship due to posterior tibial tendinitis, but is looking to contribute in his senior season.

"It's my senior year, so I'm really hoping to punch some holes," he said. "Where before I was sort of ... in a supporting role, this year the duty is a little more on me to punch some holes, so hopefully I'll be up to it."

The race will be held at Middlebury College this year, which Poupard believes will give the hosts a slight advantage.

"I think you always have an advantage if you're running on your home course just because you've probably trained on it," he said. "You've probably raced on it a lot more times than other people have, and by virtue of that, you just know the feel a little more. You know when to pick it up, when to ease off ... where a novice on the course might give up hope in the third mile because he doesn't really see the end in sight ... It's definitely an advantage, but I wouldn't say it's a make or break advantage, it's still anybody's race."

For his part, O'Connor is excited because the team does not often go to Middlebury.

"I hear it's two large wooded loops, so unfortunately not very good for spectators, but it is very interesting to run I hope," he said. "It looks like it from the course map."

Middlebury is known as a hilly course, and both Poupard and O'Connor said they feel prepared for that after partaking in extra strength training with assistant coach Michael Schmidt this season.

While the NESCAC tournament ostensibly has no impact on the Jumbos' chances of earning a bid to Nationals, beating their main competition a week before Regionals would certainly be a psychological advantage for the Jumbos. The desire to beat teams that will be opponents again later this postseason will provide the Tufts runners with extra motivation this weekend.