It's May, and in Jumboland that typically means a month full of championship-season excitement which includes the potential for conference, regional and national victories achieved by Tufts teams and student-athletes.
However, in May 2020, nothing is typical. With all competitions canceled due to the coronavirus, our May won't be the same. The best we can do is relive some of our May moments from the past.
Each day this month GoTuftsJumbos.com will bring you a "May Moment." It won't necessarily be THE best thing that happened on a certain date, and we'll be spreading it out among all of our teams best that we can. Whether it's remembering a highlight, or an event, or an award that was won, it's just our small way to try to brighten your May. Here we go ...
Freshman Fred Jones Wins New England Outdoor Triple Jump on May 1, 2004
During his first-ever appearance at the New England Division III Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Williams College, Tufts' Fred Jones won the triple jump on May 1, 2004. In his freshman season, the school-record leap of 47 feet, 10 1/2 inches broke a 10-year old Jumbo record of 46' 10" previously set by Pat Dinino from 1994.
> Read the original release
Jones had already won the New England indoor and NESCAC triple jump titles during this outstanding freshman season of 2003-04. They were signs of things to come over the next three years.
He would improve upon the triple jump record over the course of his career, and his 49'7" (15.11m) to win the NCAA championship in the event in 2006 still stands as Tufts' outdoor triple jump record 14 years later. He also still holds Tufts' marks for the indoor triple jump (48'8 ¼" - 4.84m) and long jump (23'11 ¾" - 7.31m), both from 2007.
By the end of Jones' outstanding career at Tufts he had achieved 10 All-American performances.
If you'd like to submit a "May Moment" for consideration, please email it to tuftsjumbosathletics@gmail.com.
