MEDFORD - The Tufts University men's indoor track & field team opened the Gantcher Center for a new season, hosting seven local teams for the first Tufts Invitational of the winter on Saturday. The Jumbos placed second among the field, scoring 174 points.
Tufts recorded four first-place finishes during the day. Freshman Bobby McShane (Mansfield, MA) led a 1-2 Tufts finish in the 1,000 meter run at 2:35.82, with sophomore Adam Brosh (Agoura Hills, CA) on his tail in second at 2:36.01. Freshman Liam Cassidy's (Brunswick, ME) first in the 3,000 meters (8:47.54) was at the top as Tufts took the top five spots. Sophomore Brad Nakanishi (Scarborough, ME) claimed first in the pole vault, topping out at 14'5 1/4" (4.40m).
Also, the 4x200 relay won a two-team race. The foursome was junior Ben Crastnopol (Doylestown, MA), Clint Porte, sophomore Lawrence Xia (Acton, MA) and sophomore Gbola Ajayi (Lagos, Nigeria), combining for a 1:36.82 run. The Jumbos also had a 4x4 second, with Xia, freshman Corey Mason (Charles Town, WV), sophomore Michael Blair (Wellesley, MA) and sophomore Kayin Cherry (Salem, MA) combining on a 3:30.90.
Other top point-scorers for Tufts included Ajayi in the triple jump, where he placed second among a four-man field with 42'10 3/4" (13.07m) distance. Freshman Graham Beutler (Weston, CT) took third in the 600 meter run, crossing the finish line in 1:24.35. Sophomore Sam Haney (Essex, CT) finished the mile run in 4:25 for third. Likewise, senior Sam Hutchinson (Cumberland, ME) was third in 5,000 meters (17:16.10). In the throws, sophomore Curtis Yancy (St. Louis, MO) placed third in the shot put with a best effort of 44'10 3/4" (13.68m).
UMass Lowell won the meet with a final score of 201 points.
Coach Ethan Barron's squad travels to Springfield College for an invitational next Saturday.
Meet Results
#
