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NESCAC runner-up Matt Rand was half a second behind the winner
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BRUNSWICK, ME - The Tufts University men's cross country team earned its fourth NESCAC championship on Saturday, claiming the 2012 crown at the conference race hosted by Bowdoin College.
Jumbo senior co-captain Matt Rand (Cape Elizabeth, ME) just missed winning the individual title. Coby Horowitz of Bowdoin was first with a time of 24:26.78, edging Rand in the final stretch to win by a half-second. The Jumbo All-American finished with a 24:27.29 time.
In the 8K team race, Tufts finished with 66 points thanks to five finishers in the top 20. The NESCAC title is their first since winning three-straight from 2003-05. It is the team's second under head coach Ethan Barron.
The Jumbos won a close contest for first, holding off a Middlebury squad who totaled 69 points and had its top five finish in the top 22. The host Polar Bears claimed third (88), edging in-state rival Bates (89) by a single point. Williams (97) took fifth.
Junior Ben Wallis (Dover, NH) was just outside of the top 10 for Tufts, placing 11th in a 24:41.53 time. Senior Kyle Marks (Carmel, IN) ran third for the Jumbos, clocking a 24:56.92 finish. The final two scorers for Tufts - junior Jake McCauley (Darien, CT) and senior Tyler Andrews (Concord, MA) - were back-to-back in 19th and 20th place with times of 25:05.44 and 25:07.15, respectively.
Rounding out the varsity seven for the Jumbos were juniors Brian McLaughlin (Barrington, RI) and Andrew Shapero (Laguna Beach, CA). The duo clocked times of 25:17 and 25:24 to place 25th and 31st respectively.
Saturday's stellar performance is certainly encouraging as championship season heats up. In the coming weeks, the squad will look to build off the momentum from the program's first conference title in seven years.
The top seven runners will take next week off in preparation for the Division III New England Championship at Westfield State on November 10. Championship season continues next weekend for the squad's second seven runners, as they will compete in the ECAC Championship at Mt. Greylock HS in Williamstown, MA.
Six of the top seven finishers ran personal-best times for Tufts. Rand eanred his third All-NESCAC honor, while Wallis and Marks' were top 14 to earn All-Conference honors for the first time.
Race results
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