Track And Field

Track And Field

Women's track just missed cuts for nationals

March 31

The women's track and field team will not send any athletes to the NCAA Nationals this year, the team discovered this week. The announcement brings an official close to the indoor season and an opportunity to focus all attention on the outdoor season. "The NCAA committee took more relays which left little room for individual athletes like [sophomores] Shushanna Mignott and Jess Trombly, and [junior] Myriam Claudio," coach Kristen Morwick said. Even though the team didn't send any athletes to the NCAA meet, there were many season highlights that bode well for the upcoming outdoor season. "We had a lot of improvements this season, especially in the pentathlon, the 400m, and the 4x400 relay. The throwers were also impressive," senior co-captain Lauren Esposito said. "Overall, I was happy with the season outcome." The two pentathletes, senior Sarah Leistikow and freshman Melissa Graveley, displayed impressive consistency throughout the season. When their performances mattered most, Leistikow and Graveley came through - namely at the Division III and ECAC Championships. Both had obstacles to overcome in the indoor season, as Leistikow was coming off of knee surgery and Graveley was competing in the pentathlon for the first time. The two promise to be contenders in the outdoor equivalent of the heptathlon event. Throughout the season, the sprinting tandem of Trombly and co-captain Claudio showed little signs of stopping. While contributing in the sprints, from the 55 dash to the 400 dash, and the 4x400 relay, the pair also made an impact in other arenas. Claudio soared in the pole vault, breaking her personal record numerous times throughout the season, while Trombly flexed her track muscle in the 55 hurdles. Joining Trombly in the hurdles was fellow sophomore Amy Spiker, who improved in the 55 hurdles and the high jump. Spiker cleared 5' 2'' in the high jump and sprinted her way to a finish (9.19) in the hurdles that scored team points at the Div. III Championships. Mignott also showed dramatic improvement, saving the best for last as she leapt to a two-foot PR in the triple jump at the ECAC Championship meet. Under the guidance of coach Karen Hoch, the throwers posted results unlike any seen in the recent past. Sophomore Jessica Gauthier and freshman Katie Antle led the way in the weight throw and shot put, respectively. "The throwers were great. We were from scoring no points in the throws for years in a row to being really competitive this year. They'll be even better outdoors," Morwick said. The longer distances had some impressive performers. Junior Ashley Peterson bettered her mark in the 3000 and qualified for the ECAC's, while junior Mary Nodine and sophomore Lauren Caputo had consistently quality finishes in the 1000 and the distance medley relay. Looking towards the outdoor season, the Jumbos are hoping to continue their success in the sprints, jumps, and throws, and improve on the middle and long distance events. "We need to get our distance squad healthy and return key people from abroad. We should be better outdoors in the longer distance [10K] and in the steeplechase, and the 4x100m relay should be great," Morwick said.The Jumbos will get a jump start on the outdoor season over spring break, as they travel to Sin City to hedge their bets and try to get some early outdoor qualifying times. While in Las Vegas, the team will compete in two meets, one during each weekend of the break. The squad hopes to post some fast times as they come off the peak of the indoor season and head away to the warmer climate. "In Las Vegas, we'll be coming off indoor looking to post good times early. We're still in really good shape, having trained hard for the last few postseason meets," Esposito said. The team has set some early outdoor goals, including placing in the top two or three at NESCACs. The Div. III Championship meet falls during finals, so the NESCAC meet is more likely where the team will perform the best. Many athletes will have a good shot at the postseason, especially given the wider range of events outdoors. Nodine will be a contender in the steeplechase, as will Mignott in the jumps, and Trombly and Claudio in the 400. "We're gearing up for outdoor, letting our bodies recover," Esposito said. "The outdoor season is short, so we have to take advantage of it and get started as early as possible."

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Track And Field

Women's track looks to continue winning ways in outdoor season

March 31

The women's indoor track team had a roaring finish to its season, placing third out of 22 teams in the New England Division III championships in late February. The outdoor team hopes to build off that success when it opens its spring season tomorrow at the Springfield Invitational. First-year head coach Kristen Morwick has similar goals for the outdoor season as she did for indoors. Most important is challenging top contender Williams - incidentally the squad that Morwick coached last season - for the NESCAC crown, as well as improving on the team's third place finish at the indoor New England Championships. The indoor team's achievements did not stop with its third place finish at the New England Championships - the squad also sent a strong group of runners to nationals. From that group, five women returned to Tufts as All-Americans, including senior captains Leslie Crofton (1500m) and Sarah Deeb (400m), who are once again poised to lead the squad. Senior sprinter Folake Aaron (55m hurdle) looks to continue her dominance in the hurdles. Junior Lauren Esposito and freshman standout Jessica Trombly joined forces with Crofton and Deeb to grab fifth in the distance medley relay at Nationals, and expect similar results during the outdoor season. Morwick feels the team's strength lies in its long distance sprinters, which plays directly into the outdoor season; there are more distance races in the Spring, such as the 10,000, that are not offered in the Winter. Morwick has high expectations for Crofton, who is a distance specialist and runs anything from the mile to the ten kilometer race. Crofton herself hopes to qualify for nationals in either the 3000 or 5000. Deeb is a long sprinter whose versatility allows her to run anywhere from the 100 to the 800. Sophomore Mary Nodine is one of the team's top middle distance runners, and hopes to make a comeback after sustaining a stress fracture. Esposito is also expected to contribute to the distance team. Although the squad prides itself on the proficiency of its distance runners, Tufts also has hurdlers who can compete with the NESCAC's best competition. Aaron enters the season as the team's top hurdler, but will have to make the adjustment from the 55 to the 100. She will also contribute to the 4x100m hurdle relay unit, along with Trombly and sophomore Myriam Claudio. Junior Sarah Leistikow brings her multiple talents in outdoor track to the heptathalon event, where Morwick believes she can thrive. "We are trying to carryover the indoor season to outdoor with the addition of some field events," Crofton said. Morwick has strong triple jumpers in freshman Shushanna Mignott and senior Nadia Samadani The coach addressed her concern over a lack of throwers by recruiting three basketball players. Kate Gluckman, Erin Buckley, and Maritsa Christoudias are all freshmen, and will lead the outdoor track team in the field by throwing shot put, discus, hammer, and javelin. Additionally, the women's team has great senior leadership in the form of Crofton, Deeb, and Aaron, along with an excellent freshman class led by Trombly. "The team has high hopes for the outdoor season," Morwick said. "By adding some events, we will have more scorers to add on from indoor season, and should do well if we stay healthy, train well, and get help from the weather." This weekend the team will travel to Springfield to participate in the Springfield Invitational to kick off the season.

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Track And Field

Women's Track breezes through meet

March 31

The women's track team trounced the competition this past Saturday at the Tufts Invitational meet in the Gancher Center, finishing first out of a field of six teams. The women pulled in 216.25 points for a first-place finish over its five competitors, which included Hartwick College (104), Mount Holyoke (73), and Westfield State College (48.25). "[The team] worked hard over the break, and it's showing," senior tri-captain Megan Thurber said. "These meets haven't been that big, but they've definitely been good practice." Senior tri-captain Sarah Deeb tore up the track, placing first in her three events. Deeb set a personal record and qualified for New England Division I post-season competition in the 55-meter dash (7.56), squeaking by her Hartwick competitor, Sheri Kelleher (7.58). In the 200 meter dash, Deeb led the way (26.57), followed by sophomore teammate Myriam Claudio who grabbed a third-place finish (27.90), and qualified for the Division IIIs with a personal record in the event. "Sarah's probably in the best shape of her life right now," Coach Kristen Morwick said. Deeb, junior Lauren Esposito, freshman Emily Bersin, and Claudio ran to a first-place finish in the 4x400 relay, coming in nearly ten seconds ahead of their closest competition with a time of 4:10.51. Esposito and teammate Molly Hobey, a junior, just returned from a semester abroad in Ireland and are currently training to return to their peak performance. "We ran a lot while we were there," Esposito said. "It's hard to get back into racing." Esposito was up to the challenge, setting the pace in the 600, and taking first place with a time of 1:46.33. Close behind were juniors Colleen Burns (second, 1:46.54), Thurber (third, 1:46.70), and Ellen Adams (fourth, 1:47.45). The 4x800 was clinched by the team of Burns, freshman Lauren Caputo, sophomore Kristen Munson, and senior tri-captain Leslie Crofton (10:09.54). On the heels of the Burns-Caputo-Munson-Crofton squad, was the second place crew of sophomores Ashley Peterson, Kathryn Hughes, Danielle Perrin, and Heidi Tyson (10:47.81). Tyson crossed the line steps in front of her counterpart from Hartwick College. Old and new members alike led the team to victory. Crofton cruised to a first-place finish in the 1,500 (4:55.01), and was followed by newcomers Munson (5:10.24), a transfer from Boston University this semester, and Caputo (5:14.43), both of whom will continue to be vital to the team's success the rest of the season. Freshmen Bersin and Emily Craighead led the way in the mid-distance races, finishing first (3:18.44) and second (3:21.31) in the 1,000. Freshmen Lauren Dunn and Katie Mason dominated their race running neck-and-neck in the 5,000, and taking a close first (20:08.25) and second (20:08.72) respectively. They were followed by sophomore Sarah Foss who took third (20:29.21) in the event. Senior Folake Aaron put forth her season's best in the 55 high-hurdles with a first-place time of 8.78 seconds that qualified her for the All New England Championships. In the field events, freshmen Jessica Gauthier and Leistkow picked up points in the shot put with third (30'2.75") and fourth-place (28'10.5") throws, respectively. Leistikow was at her best Saturday as she continued to improve in the high jump with a season high of 4-10 (second) on Saturday. Freshman Amy Spiker tied with the Salem State and Westfield competition for a third-place finish at 4-8. Senior Nadia Samadani also excelled in the jumps, taking second place in both the long jump (15' 2.75") and the triple jump (33' 5.25"), and qualifying for the Division IIIs with her best performance of the season in the latter. "We are still trying people out in new events," Morwick said. "There are only three more meets to qualify." As the Brown and Blue look ahead to the rest of the season, they are hoping for a speedy recovery from both freshman Jessica Trombly and junior Heather Ballantyne. "We have to get a few people back from injury," Morwick said. "We are still training so it's only going to get better." The women will square off against stronger competition next week when they head to Bowdoin to take on Middlebury, Springfield, and the meet's host, the Polar Bears. "It's going to be tough," Morwick said. "They are all very strong, deep teams. This will not only be good competition, but a good test for us."

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Track And Field

Women's track sprints out of starting blocks

March 31

In a meet used to gauge where athletes stand at the start of the season, the women's track and field team came out of the starting blocks with a bang. Making their presence known to a slew of Div. I teams at last weekend's Husky Carnival, the jumbos posted results that bode well for the remainder of the indoor season. Of the 23 Jumbos who comprised the team at Northeastern, an unprecedented 12 qualified for the postseason. Sophomore Emily Bersin took fourth in the 500 meter, posting a personal best (1:21.79) and qualifying for New England's. Qualifying for New England's, especially this early in the season was a great feat. "Of the quality performances put out at the meet, hers was the best." coach Kristen Morwick said. "The meet gave our coaches a great indication of where people are, and a lot performed better than they expected," senior co-captain Lauren Esposito said. "If people started out [this well] at this point, it can only get better." The team benefited not only from the experience of returning members, but also from a talented pool of freshmen, who contributed in a wide array of events. In the sprints, Sika Henry pulled out a 16th-place finish (28.20) in the 200, while the tandem of Claudia Clarke and Ayako Sawanobari captured ninth (1:04.32) and 10th (1:05.08) in the 400. The middle and long distance events were represented well by Meghan McCarthy, who placed 6th (1:23.79) in the 500, and Katie Sheedy, who took 4th (3:11.97) in the 1,000. The throwers also had a breakthrough day, as performances by Katie Antle and Jessica Colby garnered seventh and 17th places in the shot put and 18th and 16th places in the weight throw, respectively. For their first collegiate meet, this group of freshman faired extremely well. "Initially it was very intimidating. There were a lot of teams and I didn't know we were running against Division I schools," Henry said. "But then everyone was so confident that it made me confident and I was ready to race." Junior co-captain Myriam Claudio led the way amongst the returning runners who showcased great strides early on. Claudio came in eighth (27.26) in the 200, and tied for 15th (9'00.00") in the pole vault, tying her own team pole vault record in the process. Sophomore Sushanna Mignott also had a banner day as evidenced by her fourth place finish in the competitive 55-meter dash (7.73) and fifth place tie (34'00.00) in the triple jump. Under the guidance of a new coach this season, the throwers demonstrated amazing results and showed great promise for the season ahead. Coach Karen Hoch provides vast experience in every event offered. This expertise paid off in the throwing event known as the weight throw, an event Jumbos had not previously entered because no one could teach the technique. The weight throw is similar to the hammer throw in track and field, but the weight is heavier. Instead of the traditional 8.8-pound ball attached to a chain used in the hammer throw, the ball is 20 pounds. At her first attempt at the event, sophomore Jessica Gauthier placed 11th place (35'01.00) in the weight throw event, while also capturing a 12th place finish (32'08.50) in the shot put. "We went into the weight throw event not really expecting much, and we all really surprised ourselves," sophomore Gwen Campbell said. "A coach from another team even came up and congratulated us on our intensity."Campbell also had a solid day at the throws, taking 16th place in the shot put and 22nd in the weight throw. The most encouraging part of the meet for the throwers was that every thrower had a personal best in their events, and impressive accomplishment early in the season."We've been putting in a lot of time in the weight room and at practice." Campbell said. "We've been training since September and the fact that it's paying off, especially so early on, is very exciting and promising." The Tufts Holiday Classic, which starts this Saturday at 11 a.m., will provide another measuring stick for the Jumbos, as rivals Williams and Amherst try their luck at the Gantcher Center. Wellesley, Smith, and Mount Holyoke will also provide some healthy competition as the Jumbos look to take advantage of the home track. "We're just going to try spreading people around in different events. We have a lot of rookies, a lot of freshman, and they should do really well on their home track. It'll be exciting to see what the team can do this week." Morwick said.

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Track And Field

Women's track battles Division I schools and bad weather at UConn

March 31

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.

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Track And Field

Women's track finishes third in Tufts Invitational

March 31

Competition was the name of the game this past Saturday when the women's track team managed to out-battle heavyweight contenders from all over the Northeast to take a close third place (87.5) at the Tufts Invitational, coming in just half a point ahead of rival MIT (87). With nine strong programs facing off, it was a challenging day for the Jumbos, who finished behind the College of New Jersey (194) and Ithaca College (94.5). The Jumbos topped Amherst (fifth, 75), Springfield (sixth, 66), Wesleyan (seventh, 60), Trinity (eighth, 38), and WPI (ninth, 31). Although team scoring was not the goal for the second-to-last meet before postseason competitions, the result was likely the byproduct of the team's recent training program. Rather than over-extend her runners, coach Kristen Morwick had them compete in a reasonable number of events to continue training as the postseason quickly approaches. "We pulled people out of things because I'd rather do well at New Englands," Morwick said. "I didn't really care about winning this meet... In terms of the quality of our performances, we did well and that bodes well for the championships." "This is one of the biggest meets we've had this season," senior Heather Ballantyne said. "It's really good to have this kind of competition. People have really been pushed." Senior tri-captain Sarah Deeb proved once again why she is currently first in the nation in the 400 meter dash: Deeb tore up the track for an impressive first-place finish in the 800 at 2:16.74, less than a half- second off of Tufts graduate Caitlin Murphy's (LA '00) stadium record, and missing NCAA provisional qualifying time by only .2 seconds. "Deeb's amazing," senior Jenn Edelmann said. "I'm not surprised. She can kick butt in any event." The 800 proved hazardous for teammate junior Lauren Esposito, who was tripped at the beginning of the race. Nevertheless, Esposito recovered to take 13th in the event. "I give her a lot of credit for sticking with it," Morwick said. The 1,000 was a big race for Jumbo runners, with all three members of the women's team qualifying for ECAC postseason competition. Junior Colleen Burns led the way, grabbing second place (3:08.41). Sophomore Mary Nodine ran for the first time since the cross-country season, coming off a stress fracture in her femur, and placed eighth (3:13.92). Junior Ellen Adams placed 11th (3:15.72) and will also run in the postseason ECACs at Brandeis in two weeks. "Ellen is looking better and better every week," Morwick said. "That's very encouraging." Freshman Emily Bersin had no reason to be disappointed in her second-place run in the 400 (1:03.31), performing well in her first open 400. She will travel to New England Division IIIs for postseason racing. With members coming off the disabled list, the women's track team continues to gain depth. Junior distance runner Heather Ballantyne ran the 3,000 this past Saturday, keeping up a good pace and taking sixth (11:05.28). She was followed by sophomores Kristen Munson (seventh, 11:10.21) and Kathryn Hughes (eighth, 11:23.13), who picked up important team points in the event. Senior tri-captain Leslie Crofton ran yet another NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 5000, keeping pace with Springfield's Barb Swallow the entire race for a second-place (17:44.98) finish. Crofton is currently fourth in the nation in the 5K. "It wasn't my best time [on Saturday]," Crofton said. "I was hoping to go a little faster and qualify automatic." Fellow Jumbo senior Edelmann cut 20 seconds off her previous time in the 5,000 for a seventh-place run (19:01.79), also qualifying for New Englands in the process. Although senior long-jumper Nadia Samadani was working with a tight hamstring, she still managed to pull together an impressive third-place finish in the triple jump, performing her season's best (34' 3") and scoring points that helped put Tufts ahead of MIT at the very end of the day. "This was a big breakthrough for [Samadani]," Morwick said. "She looked good." Samadani took seventh in the long jump (15' 1.25"), out-performed by teammate Sarah Leistikow (fifth, 15' 10.5"). Sophomore Zerlina Maxwell was the lone high jumper to pull in team points with her eighth-place finish (4' 7.5") in the event. "She has awesome form," Ballantyne said. Sophomore Myriam Claudio was all over the field again this weekend, breaking a school record in the pole vault in just her second time competing in the event. "My goal was to get into Div IIIs and I did," Claudio said. Claudio's fifth-place vault sent her 8' 6" flying in the air. The versatile sophomore also placed a very close fourth in the 55-meter dash, finishing in a tie with her Ithaca College competition (7.77). The relays were another strong point for the Jumbo women - the team of Esposito, Bersin, Claudio, and Deeb clinched first in the 4 by 400 meter relay (4:10.17). A good handoff by Bersin to Claudio put the team into second going into the third stretch, when Claudio pulled in front of her College of NJ competition. Deeb kicked into high gear and eased around the track in the final laps. "That was much more exciting than my first race," Bersin said. The final running event of the day was the distance medley relay in which the team of freshmen Emily Craighead, Lauren Caputo, Adams, and Nodine ran to a strong fifth-place (13:31.56). This upcoming weekend, Tufts will host the final meet of the season. Freshman Jess Trombly will return after being out for the major part of the season with a hamstring injury and hopes to use the upcoming weekend to qualify for postseason racing. Morwick plans to concentrate on individual events this weekend, and not to worry about the team score. With Williams coming to the Gantcher Center this weekend, competition will be high. Joined by Stonehill, Wellesley, and Fitchburg, the Jumbos will attempt to stay on top at home. Following Saturday's meet, the team will be hosting a reception in the Gantcher Center for family and fans around 5 p.m. Jumbo supporters should feel free to be on hand to celebrate the team's success thus far this semester.

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Track And Field

Women's track proves well-rounded at Springfield

March 31

With senior leaders Leslie Crofton and Folake Aaron out due to sickness and injury, the women's track team needed leadership this past weekend. They got just that from senior co-captain Sarah Deeb. On a day in which the Jumbos finally ran in decent weather, Deeb, who normally runs the 400, finished fourth in the 100 and 200 meter dashes at the non-scoring Springfield Invitational. She set a personal best of 12.54 seconds in the 100, well below the Div I. New England Championships qualifying time of 12.94. Deeb also battered the 26.84 mark for the 200 with her 25.82. Although she qualified for both the 100 and 200 races, Deeb said she will most likely only run the 200 and 400 at the Div. I meet. Junior Myriam Claudio also emerged at Springfield as a force to be reckoned with. "She had an outstanding day with two personal records; she really rose to the occasion," coach Kristin Morwick said. Claudio finished tenth with a 26.89 in the 200, also a personal best. But that accomplishment was nothing compared to what Claudio achieved in the pole vault. She jumped 9'.25" feet, finishing second, and not only broke a personal record, but also crushed the school record, set in 1996 at a height of eight feet. Joining Deeb and Claudio in the 200 was freshman Jessica Trombly, who finished right behind Claudio with a time of 26.95. "This helps us out for the NESCACs," Morwick said of the three Jumbos who topped 27 seconds in the 200. Trombly also qualified for the Div. I New England meet by running a 16.14 and finishing fifth in the 100 high hurdles. The standard for that event is 16.24, and Trombly accomplished this feat despite having lost approximately one second after tripping out of the starting blocks. Two runners, freshman Emily Bersin (400 hurdles) and junior Lauren Esposito (800), qualified for the ECAC Championships in Saturday's contest. It was Bersin's first time running a hurdle race, as she usually runs the 400 or 800, and her time of 69.56 was good enough for fourth in the event and also beat the ECAC standard of 70.20. "It was okay, fun for the first time; I'm going to stick with hurdles for a while and see what I can do," Bersin said. Esposito, meanwhile, was the only Jumbo to finish first on the day. She won the 800 with a time of 2:24.06, barely eclipsing the ECAC standard of 2:24:24."Esposito led from start to finish; it was nice to see her take control of the race," Morwick said.In place of Crofton in the 10,000 were senior Jennifer Edelmann, freshman Lauren Dunn, and sophomores Sarah Foss and Kristen Munson, who finished one through four in the event. Edelmann ran a time of 40:49.49, which qualified her for the Div. I New England meets. Dunn, Foss, and Munson all finished under 44 minutes, good enough for Div. III New Englands. The team's field event members also had an impressive day, and were led by jumpers senior Nadia Samadani, freshman Shushanna Mignott, and freshman thrower Kate Gluckman. Samadani qualified for the ECACs with a 5.11 meter long jump and a 10.37 meter triple jump. She finished second in both events. Mignott finished fifth in the long jump, with a jump of 4.83 meters, and third in the triple jump (10.23 meters), qualifying for Div. IIIs in both. Gluckman qualified for the ECACs in the discus throw with a second-place toss of 36.34 meters. "It was good for the second meet, the first with good weather. I'm happy with it," Gluckman said. She also finished fourth in the shot put, with a toss of 37'6. 75''. "It was only our second meet, considering we had personal bests and strong performances, I'm pretty pleased on how well people did," Morwick said.The team travels to Connecticut College on Saturday to participate in the Conn. College Invitational, the last regular season meet of the year. Like Springfield, the meet will feature mostly Div. III competition, but it will be a scoring competition. "I think we are going to do pretty well in Connecticut; we are not strategizing to win; we are just putting people out there," said Morwick.

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Track And Field

Women's track sprints to success

March 31

Buoyed by some impressive finishes, the Tufts women's track team took an impressive 12th place (20 team points), out of 30 teams, at the New England Championships this weekend. The meet was held at Tufts' own Gantcher Center on Friday and Saturday afternoon. Team spirit abounded as the entire team showed up to cheer on the qualifiers in the last home meet of the season. "It pretty much went as well as could be expected," assistant coach Pete Loeb said. "Nearly everyone PR-ed for the season." Almost all of the team members who participated in the weekend's events were pleased with their performances, especially considering the level of competition. With competitors from Divisions I and II joining Tufts' usual slate of Division III opponents, the team was able to step up and prove to all of New England that it is a force to be reckoned with. "With good competition, you can knock off little bits of time," Claudio said. The women from the University of Connecticut took the team title racking up 152 points and finishing 59 points ahead of second-place Northeastern (92). UMass-Lowell (62), Wheaton (55), and Boston College (52) rounded out the top five finishers. Tufts finished eight points behind 11th place Providence College, and edged out the NESCAC duo of Amherst and Middlebury by two points. Senior tri-captain Leslie Crofton did not post a personal record, but she proved once again why she is among the top runners in the nation, making the automatic qualifying time for Nationals with her second-place finish in the mile on Saturday, finishing in 4:59.83. The senior distance runner had been hoping to break 5:02 to make the qualifying time, but with the fierce competition, Crofton was able to push herself further to break the five-minute mark and take second place. Her race was a nail biter. Crofton came in only .02 ahead of UMass-Amherst's Melissa Henderson (third, 4:59.85), and Providence College's Francine Darroch (fourth, 4:59.91) was a mere .06 behind her. The Tufts senior kept pace with her competition for the bulk of the race and used her always-impressive backup energy to burst through during the last 100 and push into second. "I'm so excited for her," sophomore Kristen Munson said. "You just get excited for people when you know they accomplished something they wanted to do." "I want to be her," sophomore Ashley Peterson said. For senior tri-captain Sarah Deeb, the 800 proved to be an interesting race. The contest was marred by a couple of unfortunate events. Some of the other school's runners tripped halfway through the race, one runner lost her shoe and finished up with only a sock on one foot. In addition, Providence College sophomore Roisin McGettigan tugged on Deeb's uniform during one of the final laps in order to pass her. McGettigan was disqualified, and Deeb beat out most of the field on the way to a second-place finish with a time of 2:17.33. Although the race was not her season best, Deeb is still among the fastest in the nation in the 800, particularly impressive given that she just started running the race this year. "I thought it was a messy race, but that happens at these meets sometimes," Loeb said. "She would've run a faster time... Sarah did as well as she could." Senior Folake Aaron ran her personal best (8.37 seconds) in the 55 high hurdles on Saturday, in a fifth-place effort. With 30 women starting out in the preliminaries of the 55 hurdles, Aaron had her fiercest competition yet, and her top finish prepares her well for Nationals in two weeks. "I'm still unsatisfied - I want to run faster than that," Aaron said. "It was good, but there's still work to be done." The senior hurdler has been training hard throughout season, and continues to improve. She is currently eighth in the nation in the event. "When she puts it all together, she'll run even faster," Loeb said. On Friday, senior Jenn Edelmann had her season's best run in the 5,000, and qualified for next week's ECAC meet with her 20th-place finish (18:58.59). The senior distance runner was pleased with her performance, yet believes she can do better. "I still feel like I can run a lot faster," Edelmann said. "It pushes up your pace when you see people ahead of you - you know you have to catch them." Senior Nadia Samadani continues to jump well. Her 34' 6.75" bound in the triple jump on Saturday was good for 14th out of 26 jumpers on the field. Also performing well was the team of juniors Lauren Esposito and Colleen Burns, sophomore Jess Trombly, and freshman Emily Bersin, who worked together for 13th (12:44.56) out of 19 teams running in the Distance Medley Relay on Friday. Burns, Munson, sophomore Mary Nodine, and freshman Lauren Caputo ran the 4x800 on Saturday with a 15th-place finish (9:54.40) in another strong relay effort for the Jumbos. A group of girls will travel to Boston University next weekend for the last local meet of the season, the ECAC championships. The following week, Deeb, Crofton, and Aaron will travel to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for this year's National Championships to compete against the best in the nation. "When you're looking at all these good people, you can't help but want to be better," said sophomore Myriam Claudio.

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Track And Field

Women's track team to kick off season under new leadership

August 31

This Saturday the women's indoor track and field team will officially begin its season at the Husky Track and Field Carnival at Northeastern at 10 am. The Jumbos are anticipating another strong season after finishing third in New England as a team last year. At the helm this year is coach Kristen Morwick, in her first season of coaching at Tufts. Additional leadership will come from senior tri-captains Leslie Crofton, Sarah Deeb, and Megan Thurber. This may be Morwick's first year as a Jumbo, but she has a long background in the sport of track and field. Morwick spent her last four seasons coaching both cross-country and track at Williams College, where she helped lead one of Tufts' fiercest NESCAC rivals to a third-place national finish last fall. Prior to her work at Williams, Morwick spent her first six years at Tufts as the assistant coach behind Branwen Smith-King. "We have similar coaching philosophies," Morwick said. "We did the same events when we participated in track and field." Morwick, however, plans to modify some of the coaching techniques in a way that best suits her style. "The focus will not be on winning every meet," Morwick said. "Instead I will be pointing out a few key times to peak as either an individual or as a team. Also, a main goal is that the team will not rely on just one or two kids - I am going to race people less so they will not be spread so thin so as to avoid injury. For example, I may only race the distance squad every other week because they just came off the cross-country season. Lastly, for this first meet, I am just asking the kids who wants to compete. This way there is no pressure." Morwick has also decided to train and work more closely with the men's track team than in past years. "We may or may not divide up the coaching responsibilities. There may be a cross-over of coaching as a way to pool the responsibilities because we spread ourselves over five event groups and about 50 kids per team, if not more." The vacated spots left by seniors who graduated, especially the captains, will be some large holes to fill. The trio of Melissa Bargmann, Molly Frank-Metlzer, and Caitlin Murphy were a strong group on and off the track. "Missy Bargmann did all ten events last year," Morwick said. "Caitlin Murphy was a National Champion. We will miss the points that they put on the board, but we have a talented group of girls coming back. The entire DMR (distance medley relay) team, that placed third at Nationals last year, will be returning." Not only does the squad have the DMR squad returning, but also the Brown and Blue is welcoming 23 freshmen onto the team. Giving the team a total of a squad of 49 girls. "We have a pretty good group," Morwick said. "But, honestly, I don't expect much from the freshmen. In the distance group, there were three freshmen that placed in the top seven in cross-country. They will all do well in track." In a sport where seconds can mean the difference between first place and last, spending only hours together can make an enormous difference. Morwick hopes that most of the indoor team will be running outdoor track in the spring, keeping the squad together even longer. Because they spend so much time together not only training, but also hanging out together during free time, the bond that the girls make is one that only strengthens their performances in meets. This year's team is very optimistic in both track, as well as, field events. Nationally, the DMR team wants to win it all. Coach Morwick puts faith behind Leslie Crofton in the 5K and Sarah Deeb in the 400. On the field side, the Jumbos have recruited a few great throwers. "Unfortunately," Morwick said. "It hurts us that three of our throwers are playing basketball this winter." Morwick has high expectations for the season due to the great talent on her team. "Looking at the talent and hoping that people stay healthy," Morwick said. "We can be in the top five in New England. We have the talent to be very competitive and we have a very balanced team. There were nine Jumbos that went to the Nationals last year, and all but one came back an All-American. This year I hope to either meet that number or exceed it."

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Track And Field

Women's track crushes competition in last Quad Cup

March 31

This past weekend, the women's track team crushed its competition in the fourth and final Quad Cup of the year. Compiling many fieldhouse records, personal bests, and qualifying times, the team worked hard to continue its success this year in its last home meet of the season.

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Track And Field

Women's track ends with strong performance at New Englands

March 31

The women's track team has not slowed down once this season. It has risen to the challenge of each successive meet, consistently turning in quality performances and never once letting up its intensity along the way. The New England Division III Championship meet was certainly no exception, as the Jumbos traveled to Springfield College on May 1 to face some top-notch competition once again. Even so, the squad held its own, finishing in ninth place overall, with a team score of 34 points and a few phenomenal individual achievements as well. "Overall, we ran well," Branwen Smith-King said. "I think that a top-10 finish is very reasonable and respectable, especially considering that none of our throwers qualified for this meet. But more people placed than last year, and everyone improved. That is always a good indicator of our progress." Junior Caitlin Murphy kept up her recent torrid pace, winning the 1,500 meters and automatically qualifying for Nationals as well. With her time of 4:38.25, Murphy also set a new Tufts record for the event. "Caitlin's race was the most exciting one of the day," Smith-King said. "There was a Williams girl right with her to the end and she out-kicked her for the victory. It was definitely the highlight of the meet." "I was glad to [achieve a] PR (personal record) in the 15, because I haven't been in my best shape due to injuries," Murphy said. "But I had some good competition at New England Division III's." Senior tri-captain Jenifer Shapiro ran 4:51.7, good enough to qualify for the All-New England Championships in the 1,500, while senior Iris Rave (4:55.2) and freshman Amanda Watson (4:58.3) both made ECACs. In the 10,000, freshman Molly Hobey placed third, at 39:30.69. Her time also earned her a spot in All-New Englands. "Molly ran a real gutsy race," Smith-King said. "She has a lot of talent and ability and was able to hold her own." Junior Cindy Manning, ended up sixth in the 5,000 (18:28.30). Her time was also good enough for an invitation to All-New Englands. Sophomore Sarah Deeb duplicated Manning's feat in the 400, placing seventh with a time of 59.73, while sophomore Jennifer Edelmann turned in her best time of the year in the 5,000 (18:52.1), qualifying for ECACs in the process. "Jennifer ran superbly," Smith-King said, "especially since she wasn't feeling well and almost didn't get on the line." Sophomore Nadia Samadani also made All-New Englands in the long jump, leaping 16'7". Another sophomore, Folake Aaron, did likewise in the 100 meter hurdles, taking sixth place with a time of 15.81. "Nadia improved again in the long jump, and was very impressive," Smith-King said, "and Folake was in second place until the seventh hurdle, where she lost her balance. When she puts it all together, she'll be pretty tough to beat." Sophomore high jumper Jessica Tonn cleared 5'1/4", a height good enough for a trip to ECAC's. Other All-New England qualifiers included the 800 freshman duo of, Lauren Esposito (2:19.53) and Colleen Burns (2:20.13); senior Missy Bargmann in both the 400 hurdles (68.51) and the 100 hurdles (16.35); and freshman Janice DeJesus, also in the 100 hurdles (16.51). In relay action, the 4x100 team of senior Melissa Harper, Samadani, sophomore Jessica Carl and Deeb crossed the line in 52.03. Bargmann, Esposito, Deeb and Murphy took care of business in the 4x400, posting a season-best time (4:03.36) and finishing fourth overall. The 4x800 crew was fifth at 9:47.21. The following weekend, the Jumbos were at Williams for the ECAC Divison III Championships. Murphy captured the 800 title, while setting a new Tufts record in the process. Her time of 2:12.66 bested her own Tufts record in the event by a full second. "Caitlin ran her usual strong, competitive race, as she cruised after being set up by a Williams girl" Smith-King said. "She was very much in control, and her performance was simply outstanding. You can never count Caitlin out." In the 10,000, it was another Jumbo, Manning, who took first place. Like Murphy, she also set a new school record in her event. Manning missed out on an automatic National bid by just six seconds, but still has a good chance of qualifying, according to Smith-King. "Despite all the stress and pressure, everyone performed their best," Shapiro said. "[Seventh overall] was the best we've done at ECACs in a long time. As for the season as a whole, it was short ut everyone accomplished their goals." Several Tufts runners competed at the All-New England Championships last weekend (May 14-15) on their home track. Murphy continued to tear up her competition in the 800, taking first place in the event with a time of 2:13.04. Murphy, along with Manning and Esposito, will also be competing at the National Division III Championships.

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