Captains lead the way for Tufts at Cupid Challenge

Over the weekend, the women's track and field team hosted the Cupid Challenge at the Gantcher Center, an un-scored meet where overall team performance doesn't matter as much as individual competition. Hailed as one of the most competitive Div. III meets in the nation, Tufts ran, jumped and threw well against teams such as NESCAC rivals Williams and Amherst and New England rival MIT. As has been the case for the season so far, the team's senior quad-captains — Alexis Harrison, Marilyn Allen, Audrey Gould and Sydney Smith — led the charge.

Harrison once again showed why she is a national-caliber athlete, winning the 60-meter dash in 7.76 seconds, her second-fastest time ever. Currently, her time of 7.75 seconds from the Bowdoin Invitational stands at No. 6 in the nation. She has an excellent shot at heading to Iowa for the Div. III National Championship meet, as this time would have qualified her in 2015. She was also fourth in the long jump, leaping 16 ft. 10 in.

Allen also added dominant performances, winning the 60-meter hurdles at 9.13 seconds and placing seventh in the 60 meter dash at 8.35 seconds. Allen, who qualified for the national championships last year with her 8.90 second time, currently stands at No. 21 nationally. If she continues to drop time over the next few weeks, she has a definite shot at qualifying again.

Senior Mary Ellen Caruso had a solid day of her own. She was third in the 200 at 27.14 seconds, fifth in the 60 in 8.28 seconds and fifth in the triple jump in 34 feet, 9.75 inches. On the heels of her teammate, junior Rita Donohue took fifth in the 200 in 27.37 seconds.

"On the track, I focus mainly on my start and reaction time out of the blocks," Allen said. "But I need to work on my speed between the hurdles and on my start this season. My goal is to become All-American this year. I barely missed the mark last winter season and I'm determined to get it this season."

On the distance side, Gould ran the seventh-fastest time in the nation in the 5000 meters, running 17:31.81 after a quick 5:30 first mile. Sophomore Brittany Bowman, who had an outstanding cross country season and so far has put on an impressive indoor campaign, raced well again as she ran 17:40.55 for third overall in the event.

The 3000 meter runners also ran well, as sophomore Margot Rashba set an over-15 second PR, running 10:23.60 to qualify for Open New Englands. Sophomores Eliza Lawless and Olivia Nicholson were right behind her, also setting PRs while running 10:26.42 and 10:26.70 respectively, while first-year Livvy Barnett was not far off, taking seventh in 10:30.55.

In the mile, Smith ran herself to a season best, running 5:03.10 for seventh overall, just off her PR of 5:02.24. Smith, a 4:32 1500-meter runner, has the potential to break five minutes in the mile in the coming weeks, which would be a major accomplishment for the senior. Junior Sam Cox and sophomore Julia Prusaczyk — normally a 400 hurdler — also turned in top 10 finishes in the 800 meters for fast times, as Cox ran 2:22.89 for seventh and Prusaczyk 2:24.58 for eighth.

The underclassmen, who turned in strong performances collectively on the day, got after it in the 1000 meter, finishing in sequence in the event in fourth, fifth and sixth. First-year Julia Noble led the charge in 3:06.55, followed by sophomores Sara Stokesbury in 3:08.50 and Prudence Sax in 3:10.76. All three Jumbos nabbed Div. III New England Championship qualifying times.

The Jumbos were no less impressive in the field. First-year Brita Dawson was seventh in the high jump at four ft., 9.75 in. and eighth in the long jump in 16 ft. three in. In the triple jump, sophomore Toluwa Akinyemi leapt to 34 feet flat to take seventh, while first-year Kylene DeSmith was eighth with 33 ft. 9.25 in. DeSmith also ran the 60-meter hurdles in 9.65 seconds to finish 10th, though she was frustrated after the meet about not quite making the 60-meter dash finals.

"I would not say I was particularly pleased with my results yesterday," DeSmith said. "While I tried my best, I know I can perform better than I did in yesterday’s meet. It is a long season and the most progress will be seen over time as we head toward the outdoor season."

The throwing squad of sophomores Amylee Anyoha and Jennifer Sherwill also threw well, taking home a pair of third-place finishes. Anyoha heaved 42 ft., 3.25 in. in the weight throw, while Sherwill hurled the shot put 35 ft. 11.25 in for her third.

"The team's focus is to stay healthy and competitive for Div. IIIs and the rest of the post-season," Allen said.

Next week, the Jumbos will head to Boston University for the annual Valentine Invitational as a tune-up for the Div. III New England Championships the following week, held at Middlebury.

"Our team goal is to perform cohesively while excelling individually in our events," DeSmith added. "We are definitely looking to place well as a team at Div. IIIs."