The women's track team traveled opened its outdoor season last Friday at the Uconn. Invitational, where it expected to battle top Division I competition such as the University of Connecticut, Boston College, and the University of Vermont. What the Jumbos did not expect was a strong showing from Division III powerhouse Wheaton College, as well as what coach Kristen Morwick described as "ridiculous weather."
The low temperatures and pouring rain were not the only disappointments on the day - Tufts finished in last place with 29 points, while Wheaton scored 96.5.
But the team did excel in some races, including the 400 meter dash, the 5000, the 4x100 relay, the 4x400 relay, and the long jump.
Despite struggling in terms of points, Morwick saw the team's performance as a success. "We achieved our goals of the day, which was to get a meet in and to qualify runners for postseason meets," she said.
Senior captains Leslie Crofton and Sarah Deeb each stepped up in the poor weather conditions and qualified for postseason meets. Crofton ran a personal best of 17:20.42 in the 5000, finishing third in the race and scoring six points for the Jumbos. By completing the race in under 17:29.59, she automatically qualified for nationals.
"I was happy, I didn't expect it so early, it is nice to know I have secured a spot in [nationals]," Crofton said.
Deeb was impressive in the 400, completing the race in 58.59, good enough for a third place finish and another six points. With that time, she qualified for several championships, including the NESCACs, Division III New Englands, ECACs, and the Division I New England championships. Her time did not make the cut for nationals, however.
Because of the weather, most Jumbos competed in just one event, and Morwick conceded that the team "lost points by not doubling people up."
Deeb and sophomore Myriam Claudio (100), were exceptions to this rule, though, each running her event and also competing in relays. The 4x100 team - composed of senior Folake Aaron, freshman Jessica Trombly, Claudio, and Deeb - finished third with a time of 50.45. The foursome had no prior in experience running as a unit.
"The handoffs were good considering it was their first run," said Morwick, who said handoffs are an essential component to any good relay team.
But the Jumbos did suffer a setback when Aaron strained her left hamstring during the first leg. She was still able to complete the handoff to Deeb, but was sidelined for the rest of the day, missing a chance to compete in the 100 hurdles.
"I feel a lot better today then Friday," Aaron said yesterday when asked about the injury. "The 4x100 team did well, even in bad weather and against the D I people," Aaron said on Monday.
The 4x400 team also finished third, coming in at 4:11.03. Joining Deeb, Trombly, and Claudio for the relay was freshman Emily Bersin; while young, the squad has more experience together than the 4x100 team, and handoffs went smoothly on Saturday.
"Together nobody ran a spectacular leg, but they beat some good teams," Morwick said.
As Morwick expected, long jumpers senior Nadia Samadani and junior Sarah Leistikow both had solid days, and each set personal bests. Samadani finished eighth, scoring one team point, with a jump of 5.22 meters. Leistikow finished eleventh with a jump of 5.10 meters. The duo qualified for the conference championships, to be held at Wesleyan College at the end of this month.
With NESCACs looming, then, the Jumbos hope to use this weekend's Springfield College Invitational for some fine-tuning. Saturday's meet should be more indicative of the progress the squad has made, as it will compete against Division III opponents only.
"This will be a better indication of where we stand as a team," Morwick said. Since Crofton has already qualified for the 5000, she will test her luck at the 10,000.
