After a three week hiatus, the Gantcher Center will again play host to a track and field event. This time around the women's track and field team will be squaring off against competitors from 134 schools in the ECAC Championship meet. In total, 22 Jumbos will enter the fray with goals ranging from making National qualifying marks to giving a final season best.
"This is the largest championship our whole team can participate in, we are going for personal bests and season bests," coach Kristen Morwick said. "There are 134 schools attending, and the competition is national caliber, it will be a great meet. We're looking for season bests and possible NCAA qualifiers."
Last week, the 4x400 meter relay team posted a time of 3:57.97 to better its National qualifying mark. The National provisional mark for the 4x400 is 3:56, which the squad of sophomore Sika Henry, freshman Rachel Bloom, junior Emily Bersin, and junior Jessica Trombly will attempt to achieve at ECACs.
Though the 4x200 and 4x800 teams have less of a chance of heading to Nationals, neither will be competing in vain this weekend as both are attempting to chase down school records. Sophomores Ayako Sawanobori and Claudia Clarke and freshmen Katie Gadkowski and Meredith Dobbs will do so as the 4x200 contingent.
Freshman Daniela Fairchild, juniors Katie Higley and Lauren Caputo and either sophomore Katie Sheedy or Mary Nodine will compete as part of the 4x800 squad. After last week's performance at the All-New England meet, the 4x800 team is only 2.3 seconds off the school record.
The fourth Jumbo relay will be the distance medley relay (DMR), which has improved its time by over 30 seconds in the past two weeks. Last week saw senior Danielle Perrin ran the 1200 leg, Higley the 400, Sheedy the 800, and Caputo the mile. This same group will compete at ECACs as it tries for a season best and a possible Nationals bid.
The throwing events will feature three Jumbos, one in the weight throw and two in the shot put. Junior tri-captain Jessica Gauthier will be the lone Jumbo in the weight throw, while sophomore Katie Antle and junior Gwen Campbell will represent the team in the shot put. Though none of the three are looking towards Nationals, they do anticipate a high level of competition that will hope to turn in some impressive season ending lobs.
"There's really no chance of us going to Nationals [given the high caliber of competition in the region], but it is an opportunity for us to end the season on a good note," Gauthier said. "UVM and Williams should provide us with some great competition, it should lead to some good performances."
Many of those competing in the relays will also have a chance to shine in their respective individual events as well. Bloom will run in the 55 dash while Clarke and Higley will both compete in the 500 race. Clarke and Higley are ranked eighth and tenth going into this weekend's competition.
Trombly will try her luck in the 55 hurdles, in which she is ranked fourth overall with a seed time of 8.52 seconds. In the multi-events, sophomore Melissa Graveley, junior Amy Spiker and freshman Megan Sears will represent Tufts in the pentathlon. Graveley, Spiker and Sears are seeded fifth, tenth and eleventh based on performances from earlier in the season.
The distance events will feature a variety of Jumbos in a variety of events. Nodine, Sheedy, and freshman Elyse Archila will be contending in a field of 29 in the 1000. Caputo will be the lone Jumbo in the 1500, while freshman Becca Ades and Perrin will team up in the 3000, with Perrin seeded at a promising ninth overall.
"The meet will be a good way to end the season for this team, in one of the best seasons track has seen at Tufts. It'll feature strong competition and be a great culmination to a great season," Gauthier said.
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