"With Interterm training over, this meet was a good indicator of where everyone is at as we start to decrease the workload," senior Nate Freese said. "The relay teams are beginning to take shape and we got a lot of breakthrough races, which bodes well for next week's Valentine Classic. The meet will be very competitive and the fast track should be conducive to hitting qualifying marks as we head into the championship season."
Women
Victories in the 1,000-meter run from senior tri-captain Shauneen Garrahan and in the distance medley relay from Garrahan, sophomore Molly Priedeman, first-year Sophie Galleher and sophomore Caitlin McDermott-Murphy were the highlights of the women's day at Tufts. Garrahan not only left her contenders at Tufts behind, but, by turning in the fastest time in New England so far, made the rest of New England eat dust. Other bright spots followed over the course of the day, especially in the 400-meter run. Senior tri-captain Maria Millard came within a fingertip of the school record in the event, finishing second overall, while Carly Levenson '09, Kate Silverman '09, Mattie Baker '09 and Caroline Darmody '10 all clocked in with their fastest times of the year. Sophie Galleher sped through her first-ever 1,000, finishing third overall.
"Everyone looked much sharper, with the work from Interterm finally paying off," said Levenson. "A lot of people reached the qualifying marks needed for the championship meets. Us sprinters have been doing more speedwork lately and I wouldn't be surprised to see some times drop drastically. I'm really excited to see what happens in the next few weeks."
Men
It was raining breakthrough races and personal records over on the men's side as well. "The majority of the team ran very impressively this Saturday," said rookie runner Jimmy Swanson, who was named by Head Coach Erik Nedeau as Amherst's Athlete of the Meet. "I expect the team to carry its momentum to Boston University and hit many qualifying times on a banked track that is blazingly fast."
At Tufts, Swanson notched points for Amherst with his fourth-place finish in the 1,000, and together with Carlyle Eubank '10, Rom Cabeza '08 and Will Bell '10, they took fifth place in the distance medley relay. In the 1,000, Swanson's times qualified him for the Div. III New Englands and ECAC Championships.
Of his performance this weekend, Swanson said, "I have felt very fit the last couple of weeks and I feel very confident when I race. I am constantly being pushed by my teammates in workouts and in races and I feel I owe my fitness and my recent success to them."
Swanson was far from the only success story, however. Junior Steve Shashy had his best 200-meter run of the season. Junior Basile Beaty finished a tight 600-meter run with his best performance of two years, and Kit Callahan '10 also turned in an admirable race in the event. Senior Sam Hayman, in a return performance to the 800-meter run, clocked in well under two minutes, while the 4x400 relay team of Beaty, Steve Stewart '09, Callahan and Hayman finished seventh. In the 600, Thomas Foote '09 made a new personal record, finishing 16th (only one second separated him from seventh place), while Bell raced to a fifth-place finish in the 1,000.
"It was really good to see the mid-distance guys actually running, particularly after a sluggish start this season," said Callahan. "Across the board people ran well. As for myself, my legs are finally starting to get the hang of things and I can only hope that things go well at BU."
The long distance runners fared equally well. Peter Foote '09 came in under nine minutes in the 3,000-meter run. Robert Boley '07, Will Fairhurst '10 and Stephen Grigelevich '10 all established a personal records in the same event. The 5,000-meter run saw senior Richard Wilson add another personal record to the team tally, while Mike Harbus '08, Freese, Harrison Lakehomer '09 and John Babbot '07 all turned in strong performances.
With recent triumphs under their belts, the Jeffs turn their eyes to even sweeter victories ahead. "At BU this weekend, I can only expect that everyone will run seasonal PRs in their events," said Swanson. "I also expect that many of these times will qualify for Div. III New Englands and ECACs. It really is impossible to run slow at BU. The competition is first-class. Every runner is pushed. The track is banked and incredibly fast. No one wants to be embarrassed in front of the huge crowds. Expect total domination by Amherst."