HOPKINTON, NH (November 15, 2025) – The Tufts University men's cross country team was second at the NCAA East Region Championship run today at Hopkinton Fairgrounds.
Senior
Amokrane Aouchiche nearly won the race individually, placing second with a 24:32.6 time across the eight-kilometer course. He was one second behind Fitchburg State University's Paulino Guevara Mateo, who had a 24:31.6 victory. Aouchiche's runner-up performance at the Regional is the best by a Jumbo since Tim Nichols won the 2016 race.
The Jumbos were edged by MIT in the team standings, as the Engineers won their fifth consecutive East title. Tufts' top five finishers compiled a score of 49, while MIT finished with a 42 total. Third-place Colby College was well back with a 104 score.
Each of the seven Tufts finishers achieved All-Region status by placing among the top 35. Senior
Quinn Hampson ran well for the Jumbos, notching a solid PR with his 24:36.8 time for fifth place overall. He improved 12 spots on his best previous Regional finish. Senior
Calvin Cummings was also among the top 10 today, running a 24:47.2 mark for 10th place.
Junior
Jonah Reisner was next for Tufts in 11th place at 24:57.7. The fifth Jumbo was junior
Avery Smart, in 21st place (25:16.7), who scored in his first Regional start for the team.
Rounding out the All-Region performers for Tufts today was junior
Sam Kurian with a 25:26.6 mark (26th) and senior
Luke Brennan at 25:35.8 for 31st place. Kurian was also running his first East Region race.
The Jumbo line-up was without a pair of regular scorers in senior
Cullen McCaleb and junior
Harris Gulbransen.
Tufts has now been the runner-up at the last three East Region Championships. The NESCAC-champion Jumbos will very likely earn an at-large berth into next Saturday's NCAA National Championship race when that announcement is made on Sunday afternoon.
--JUMBOS--
