SPRINGFIELD - The Tufts University men's indoor track & field team scored 44 points at the 2011 New England Division III Championships hosted by Springfield College on Friday and Saturday. The Jumbos edged Amherst College (42 pts) for sixth place at the meet.
The top Jumbo finish at the meet was produced by sophomore Brad Nakanishi in the pole vault. His 14'11" (4.55m) effort was second overall, scoring eight points for Tufts. He and MIT's Nathan Peterson, who won at 15'5" (4.71m), were far ahead of the rest of the field, which had topped out at 14'5 1/4" (4.40m).
Coach Ethan Barron's team had four top-five finishes overall. Sophomore Sam Haney (Essex, CT) was third overall in the mile run, crossing the finish line with a 4:19.83 time. He was also part of the distance medley relay that placed third (10:28.63). That group was freshman Brian McLaughlin (Barrington, RI), sophomore Lawrence Xia (Acton, MA), sophomore Adam Brosh (Agoura Hills, CA) and Haney.
Sophomore Matt Rand (Cape Elizabeth, ME) finished the 5,000 meters in 15:19.81 for fourth place. The Jumbos scored seven points in the event, as freshman Ben Wallis (Dover, NH) placed seventh in 15:24.82. The Jumbos also got four fifth-place points in the 1,000 meters from freshman Jamie Norton (Groton, MA), who had a 2:33.81 finish.
Jumbos scored in nine events overall. On Friday night, sophomore Michael Blair (Wellesley, MA) took third place in the pentathlon with a 3,248 score. He won the multi-event high jump at 6'4" (1.93m) for 740 points, while also scoring 715 points in the 55-meter hurdles (8.49).
The Jumbos are at the All-New England Championships hosted by Boston University starting on Friday.
Championship Results
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