Men's Track and Field Runs to Strong Snowflake Classic, Despite Raindrops

MEDFORD, MA (March 29, 2025) - The Tufts University Snowflake Classic was a wintery and optimistic name for a rainy men's outdoor track and field meet on the Ellis Oval as the men's track and field team defied the frigid wind chill to stay hot with a first place team finish as the outdoor season continues.

The morning began with a great finish for the Jumbos in the 10,000m run as four runners in the blue and brown occupied second through fourth place. Junior Luke Brennan took second place with the 61st best time in the NCAA Division III, a mark of 31:56.02 in his first go at the grueling event. Sophomore Aidan Max was next in third, finishing with a 31:57.24 and the 63rd best time in the NCAA Division III. Just behind was sophomore Avery Smart, who finished fourth with a 32:14.25. 

The 1500m run saw another Tufts treble in the top five, as the trio of junior Cullen McCaleb, sophomore Simon Donovan and sophomore Meba Henok took second through fourth. McCaleb finished second in the event with a 4:04.88, followed by Donovan in third with a 4:05.54 and Henok in fourth with a 4:06.23.

Remarkably, the Jumbos repeated the same result in the 400m, as three Jumbos finished second through fourth for the third event of the day. First year Tejus Verma took second with a 50.48, just eight thousandths off of his personal best and the 77th best time in the NCAA Division III. Fellow first year Miles Sandoski was next in third, taking the podium place with a 50.61 for the 83rd best time in the NCAA Division III. Sophomore Brady Kamali rounded out the Jumbos top finishers in the event, taking fourth with a 51.22.

The 800m run was the most dominant showing by Tufts the entire day. Junior Quinn Hampson took first place with the 57th best time in the NCAA Division III with a 1:56.71 in his first attempt at the event. Sophomore Ryan Regan was second with a 1:58.08 and the 83rd best time in the NCAA Division III. Fellow sophomore Jonah Reisner was next in third with a 1:59.02, followed by first year Evan Hankins in fourth with a 1:59.30 and senior Alex Friedman in sixth with a 2:00.20.

Senior Noah Turner took second place in the 200m dash with a 22.33, the 44th best time in the NCAA Division III. Turner, Sandoski, Forde and Kamali took first place in the 4x400m relay to end the day on the track, finishing in 3:31.44 for the 55th best time in the NCAA Division III.

Four Jumbos took first place in field events, beginning with senior Karsten Kropp in the high jump. Fortunate to stay dry and compete inside of Gantcher, the jumper landed the 37th best mark in the NCAA Division III with a 1.90m. Junior Tre Williams won in the shot put with a 13.66m, and senior Eric Meyer won in the hammer throw with a 47.92m. Junior Randy Hamilton rounded out the field events with a win in the javelin, finishing atop the podium with a 55.30m. 

The Jumbos finished in first place with 237 points after impressive showings all around the complex. The finish was 136 points ahead of the runners-up Bridgewater State University. 

The Jumbos will continue their outdoor season with a meet out West at the Amherst College Invitational on Saturday, April 5th.