For senior Jesse Faller, the beginning of the outdoor track and field season simply marked the continuation of his already impressive final season for the Jumbos.
Faller, who garnered All-American honors for the winter season in March at the NCAA Championship meet in the 5,000-meter run, scored two victories in shorter, outdoor races at Westfield State College's Jerry Gravel Classic this Saturday, surging to wins in both the 800- and 1,500-meter races.
Faller took the 800 with a time of 1:56.22, edging out Wesleyan senior Chris Coleman at the finish line by .07 seconds. He also won the 1,500 by .86 seconds, earning 20 points for Tufts' 35 points in the overall team standings, which gave the Jumbos a seventh-place finish at the meet.
Junior Alex Greshman, who one week prior came in 11th at Northeastern University's Husky Spring Open, came in third place in the hammer throw at Westfield State, ringing in as the top Div. III finisher with a 166'7" hurl. The Jumbos also received a fourth-place finish from freshman long jumper Gbola Ajayi, who leaped 20'7", the best Div. III mark at the meet.
On the women's side, junior Amy Wilfert and first-year Kelly Allen came away with wins in the 1,500-meter race and the discus, respectively.
Wilfert cruised to victory in her race, winning by nearly four seconds in a 4:44.97 time, while Allen's best discus toss of 134'8" won by a foot. Additionally, Allen came in third in the shot put and fifth in the hammer throw. Junior Kanku Kabongo rang in third in the long jump, while senior Julia Feltus took fourth in the shot put, helping the Jumbos come away with 44 points, good enough for sixth place overall.
On March 20 at the Husky Spring Open, Feltus smashed her own program record in the hammer throw, hurling eight inches further than her previous mark of 147'10" set last year at the NESCAC meet. Allen also came in fourth in both the shot put and discus throw at Northeastern.
The Jumbos will be in action next when they host the Snowflake Classic this Saturday on the Ellis Oval.
