A long layoff from competition can often lead to rust and sluggishness the first time an athlete attempts to go full-speed again.
The Tufts Invitational I, held at the Gantcher Center this past Saturday, was the first time the full squad was in action, and is usually seen as an opportunity to shake off the rust. With the whole team back on campus and ready to go, the women's track and field team looked strong. The Jumbos took the team title, finishing first out of 10 teams, with 190.5 points — the next closest team was UMass-Lowell, who finished with 156 points.
The distance group showed the fitness they gained from a successful cross-country season, winning the mile, 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter races. Senior Amy Wilfert set the pace for the mile, winning with a time of 5:06.76, while sophomore Julia Hajnoczky placed second in 5:22.21.
Underclassmen dominated the two longest events, finishing first and fourth in the 3,000-meter race, and first and second in the 5,000 meter race. Freshman Lauren Creath, running her first-ever indoor race, won the 3,000 in 10:50.42. Sophomore Melanie Monroe finished in 11:05.37. Classmate Lilly Fisher, one of the breakout performers of the cross-country season, won the 5,000 in 18:18.9, while freshman Abby Barker crossed the line at 18:30.90.
Junior Dayorsha Collins improved on her high-jump score by clearing 1.68 meters, good for first place. Her jump of 1.67 meters earlier in the season had already provisionally qualified her for the NCAA meet. She added to her victory with a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash, finishing in 26.90 seconds. The other first-place finish for the Jumbos came from junior Heather Theiss, who pole-vaulted 3.20 meters.
Senior tri-captain Kanku Kabongo added three runner-up finishes for Tufts. She improved on her preliminary time by two-tenths of a second in the 60-meter dash, finishing in 8.10 seconds. Kabongo took second in the 200-meter in 26.60 and jumped 5.03 meters in the long jump.
Sophomore Kelly Allen also added a pair of second-place finishes in the weight throw and the shotput. She threw 13.90 meters and 12.51 meters, respectively.
The Jumbos had success across the board, but the squad insists that there is still work to be done.
"I think people were generally happy with their performances," Kabongo said. "I know a lot of distance runners were pleased. Some of the sprinters were a little less pleased with their performances, but there is a lot of technique work that still needs to be done. We may not see the results of that work until much later in the season. We also had two-a-days for all of last week, so we were definitely not as fresh as we will be later."
The indoor season is often a big adjustment for some of the younger athletes.
"That was my first indoor race ever," Creath said. "Going into the season, I had never even run on an indoor track before. Last week's workout was my first on an indoor track so I really wasn't sure what to expect. The track really made me feel fast though, and it helped me go into the race with a really good attitude."
With about a month until the Div. III New England Championships, the team hopes to keep improving on all fronts, looking beyond just Div. IIIs.
"We have a really young team, so we really just want to get them excited and working hard," Kabongo said. "We don't want to really think too much about postseason yet. We don't want anyone to set limits, rather just work hard every day. It's not about Div. IIIs necessarily, but about being the best we can and seeing how far we can go."
In order to go far, the Jumbos will have to rely on their camaraderie. Known throughout the conference as a vocal and supportive team, the Jumbos consider their chemistry an advantage.
"The vibe inside was really awesome," Creath said. "I really liked having people all around the track cheering. I like how you can see everyone else's events because it's all in an enclosed area. I think it definitely helps."
"We were very supportive of each other, so that was great," Kabongo said. "The team is young, so there were a lot of nerves. Getting warm-up routines down and preparing mentally is a main priority. It's still early though."
