Cumberland Snaps Two School Records at Sunshine Classic

MEDFORD, MA (April 19, 2025) - The Tufts University women's track and field dominated the competition at the Tufts Sunshine Classic with 14 event wins on the day.

Tessa Player started the day by winning the heptathlon. She took first place in all three events, the long jump, javelin and 800m run, with marks of 5.28m, 33.13m and 2:32.55. The results saw the sophomore surge into first place overall in the multis event, ahead of first years Lauren Zipoli and Arielle Chechile.

On the field, sophomore Ceci LaBarge kicked off the day with a win in the hammer throw. Leading a pack of three Jumbos at the front of the competition, LaBarge finished first with a 48.54m. Liz Graham was just behind her in second, with a personal best toss of 44.41m. First year Mia Kurtz finished behind her senior teammate in third with a personal best throw of 43.64m. 

Kurtz would win the discus throw soon after, finishing first with a 38.22m. Fellow first year Julia Saporito took second place with a 37.36m. 

Sophomore Jackie Wells made it another win for Tufts in the javelin throw, setting a new personal best with a mark of 38.98m. The personal record was the second longest javelin throwfdahead of senior Jordan Andrew. Andrew finished in second with a 5.80m to put her ahead of sophomore Nora Jean-Jacques, who landed a personal best jump of 5.38m for third. Cameron Stanton took fourth with a 5.26m.

Three Jumbos were the only competitors in the pole vault, and they made the most of the friendly competition. Senior Nyla Thompson led the pack with a 3.55, finishing in front of first year Natalie Germanov 3.40m. Junior Amelie Wickham finished third with a 3.10m to finish the podium sweep.

Elysse Cumberland earned her second win and her second school record of the day with a first place finish in the triple jump. She set a new personal best with a mark of 12.66m, 6cm ahead of her 2025 NCAA Division III Indoor Triple Jump Championship winning jump and 21cm ahead of the previous outdoor program record. Andrew jumped to a personal best 12.29m for second place, and Jean-Jacques kept the personal records rolling with an 11.23m for third.

The 4x100m relay squad of Andrew, Cumberland, Dubidad and Stanton finished first with a 49.68 to kick off the track events. Sophomore Sonia Olson followed up soon after with a win in the 1500m run. The top five spots were all occupied by Jumbos, with Olson in first with a 4:54.88. Junior Vivian Lau took second with a personal best time of 4:55.32, ahead of junior Julia Dolce with a 4:59.94. First year Eleanor Whitehouse took fourth with a 5:02.77, and fellow first year Samara McVey took fifth with a 5:06.96.

Six straight Jumbos finished at the top of the 800m run, with senior Carly Rinko leading the group in a fitting salute to her senior day celebrations. Her time of 2:17.74 was over half a second in front of second place. First year Phoebe Bryar finished second with a 2:18.49, and sophomore Eugenie Horisberger took third with a 2:20.41. Sophomore Kaya West continued the train of Tufts runners with a fourth place finish in 2:21.51. First year Logan Elie was close behind her with a time of 2:21.89, and first year Avery Kerr rounded out the Jumbos dominance with a 2:22.79.

Senior Emma Smith finished first in the 400m hurdles, taking top spot on the podium with a 1:03.52. Junior Anne-Sophie Janssen trailed just behind her celebrating teammate with a 1:08.49 for second place. 

First year Makayla Moriarty made it a win in the 200m dash with a personal best time of 25.28. Senior Harper Meek trailed in second with a 25.94, and her classmate Annika Kral took third with a 26.26.

First year Grace Doyle won the 3000m steeplechase, taking first with an 11:59.22. Senior Geri Tabbachino took second with a 13:05.76.

The day concluded with a win in the 4x400m relay, as the squad of Kerr, Bryar, Corso and Rinko finished first with a 4:11.28.

It was a fantastic day of competition for the Jumbos. They will look to carry the momentum from this weekend to the NESCAC Championships down at Wesleyan on April 26th.