NORTHAMPTON, MA (April 13, 2024) -- The Tufts University's men's outdoor track and field squad showed that that it is starting to round into championship shape this weekend, as the Jumbos accumulated 195 points to earn the victory at the 2024 Carla Coffey Invitational, hosted by Smith College.
The Jumbos had a bevy of strong performances on Saturday afternoon, led by the outings by seniors
Carter Rosewell,
Luke Botsford and
Petey Lemmon. Botsford finished second in the decathlon this weekend for the Jumbos, as he currently sits No. 7 in the nation after posting 6132 points in the event.
Luke Botsford had another banner day on the track and in the pit for the Jumbos, as he was a winner in two events while finishing third in another. Botsford was the winner in the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.83 seconds, while also taking the gold medal in the 200 meter dash with a 21.54. In addition to helping his team earn top finishes in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays, Botsford took third in the long jump with a personal-best 6.67 meter leap.
Lemmon had a career-day for the Jumbos in the throwing area, as he won the shot put with a career-best heave of 15.12 meters. The throw put 46th on the NCAA Division III national list. Lemmon also chalked up a personal-best in the discus throw, taking third place overall with a 41.93 meter toss.
More strong showings from the Jumbos included a great showing in the high jump by one of the best jumping groups in the nation. First-year
Sami Witta continued to rack up results as he was second with a height of 1.92 meters, while
Karsten Kropp also cleared 1.92 meters for fourth place.
Edward Kiboma was sixth as well with a mark of 1.82 meters.
In addition to Lemmon, the throwers had a strong afternoon as
Louis Tuccio was third in the shot with a final mark of 13.81 meters. Gus Bickert was also fifth with a heave of 13.43 meters.
On the track, junior
Noah Turner was fifth in the 100 meter dash with a new PR time of 11.00 seconds, while
Alex Lemieux earned a point with an eighth-place finish after recording a time of 11.17 seconds. In the 200 meters,
Ethan Forde was sixth after crossing the line in 22.70 seconds, and Turner and
Casey Lambert each scored with times of 22.73 and 23.08 seconds, respectively.
Senior
Jackson O'Toole was seventh in the 800 meters after logging a 1:55.15, while junior
Alex Friedman ran a new personal-best in the 1500 meters at 3:57.77 for third place. First-year
Simon Donovan was sixth in the 1500 meters with a 4:00.18, and fellow newcomer
Jonah Reisner added a point with an eighth-place finish of 4:04.38.
First-year
Harris Gulbransen was Tufts' top runner in the 5000 meters with a 15:05.08, and sophomore
Luke Brennan also took Top 8 honors in seventh place after running a 15:11.19.
In the 110 hurdles, sophomore
Josh Wilkie was strong after taking a bronze medal after running a 15.02, barely off his personal best, and classmate Cameron McLeod was seventh in a time of 15.73. McLeod though would be the standout for Tufts in the 400 meter hurdles, taking third with a 55.04 and
Jay Sharma added a strong run for fifth place in 56.29.
Also in the decathlon,
Cole Anderson took 10th place after racking up 4542 points.
Tufts will be back at home for the next two weekends, as the Jumbos host the 2024 Tufts Sunshine Classic next weekend on Ellis Oval Saturday, April 20.
--JUMBOS--
