NEW GLOUCESTER, ME- The Tufts men's cross country team placed four runners in the top 10, but came up short in the season-opening duel meet at Bates on Saturday.
The top 10 runners from each team contributed to the final team score. The Jumbos accumulated 126 points, well behind the 85 totaled by Bates' top 10 finishers. Tufts used the opening meet of the season to see how the team stacked up against a conference rival, and also to gauge fitness levels after a long summer of training.
Leading the way for the Jumbos was senior co-captain Matt Rand (Cape Elizabeth, ME). He finished third in the field of 46 with a time of 25:55 over the five-mile course. Only two seconds ahead of Rand was race-winner Tully Hannan, a junior from Bates. His teammate and classmate Mike Martin took second.
Next across the line for Tufts were seniors Kyle Marks (Carmel, IN) and Tyler Andrews (Concord, MA) and junior Jake McCauley (Darien, CT). Marks and Andrews finished back-to-back in sixth and seventh with times of 26:08 and 26:23 respectively. McCauley was four seconds back of Andrews in ninth place.
Rounding out the top seven for Tufts were senior Sam Haney (Essex, CT) and juniors Andrew Shapero (Laguna Beach, CA) and Jamie Norton (Groton, MA). They finished back-to-back-to-back in 14th, 15th, and 16th place with times of 26:51, 26:54, and 26:55 respectively.
Capping off the Jumbos' scoring were sophomores Marshall Pagano (Niskayuna, NY) and Joe St. Pierre (Manchester, NH), and senior Luke Maher (Carmel, NY). Pagano and St. Pierre finished right behind Norton in 17th and 18th with times of 27:06 and 27:10 respectively. Maher was 21st in a time of 27:22.
While the Jumbos were significantly behind Bates on Saturday, many Tufts athletes got their season off to a solid start. With six weeks remaining until championship season, the squad has plenty of time to round into form.
Next Saturday, coach Ethan Barron's team will head west to Williams College to compete in the Purple Valley Classic.
Race results
#
Written by Matt Rand
