Jumbos take third at NESCACs, look to weeks ahead

On Saturday, the women's track and field team was at Amherst for the NESCAC Championships. Although Tufts kept it tight for most of the meet, they eventually finished third with 123 points, behind Williams, which finished first with 165 points, and Middlebury, which finished second with 140 points.

The Jumbos' senior captains led the charge on Saturday. Senior quint-captain Alexis Harrison gave an impressive all-around performance. She won the 100-meter dash with a fast time of 11.88 seconds, which tied for third nationally. She also won the 200-meter with a 25.40 second finish and won the long jump with an 18 ft., 6 in. jump that was good enough for 14th nationally.She also anchored the winning 4x100-meter relay team that ran the 14th fastest time in the nation, 47.92 seconds, and tied for fourth in the high jump with a 5 ft. 2 1/4-in jump.

Classmate quint-captain Marilyn Allen was also a conference champion on the day, taking the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.48 seconds, good enough for 13th nationally. She also ran the 400-meter hurdles, taking 13th with a time of 68.72 seconds, and took fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.50 seconds. Like Harrison, she was also on the winning 4x100-meter relay team.

Senior quint-captains Sydney Smith and Audrey Gould also had career days. Smith took second in the 1500-meter with an extremely fast time of 4:31.23, good enough for 11th nationally. She also took sixth in the 800-meters, running 2:14.02, and was a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that took fifth with a time of 4:00.80. Gould came second in the 10,000-meter, though her time was slightly slower than the 15th-fastest time in the nation that she ran earlier this season.

Though the season is over for most Jumbos, many will continue on into the coming weeks. Some will eye top finishes at next weekend's Division III New England Championships held at Springfield College, while others will go for success at the NCAA Division III National Championships held at Wartburg College in Iowa. Regardless, the Jumbos will be giving it their all until the season is officially complete.