Teams: Men's Track & Field: Press Releases

Monday, May 22, 2006

SEVEN JUMBOS EN ROUTE TO NCAA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

MEDFORD – The 2006 outdoor track & field season at Tufts University will culminate with the participation by seven Jumbos at the NCAA Championships hosted by Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois this Thursday through Saturday (May 25-27). Four members of the Tufts men's team and three runners from the women's team have qualified for the NCAA meet.

NESCAC Outdoor Coach of the Year Ethan Barron' s team will be represented by sophomore Chris Kantos (Apple Valley, MN/Eastview) in the 10,000 meter run, junior Fred Jones (Northfield, MA/Northfield Mt. Hermon) and sophomore Dan Marcy (Middletown, NY/St. Paul' s) in the triple jump and senior Jason Galvin (Norwell, MA/Norwell) in the hammer throw.

For Kristen Morwick' s women's team, sophomore Cat Beck (Brookline, NH/Hollis-Brookline) will run double-duty in the 1,500 meters and in the 5,000 meters. She will be joined in the 1,500 by classmate Katy O' Brien (North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames). Senior tri-captain Becca Ades (Shelburne, VT/Champlain Valley Union) is entered in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.

Beck is ranked fourth nationally in the 1,500 with a time of four minutes, 30.45 seconds at the Open New England Championships on May 13. She is also ranked fifth in the 5,000 meters, timing 16:51.04 at the Penn Relays on April 27. O' Brien is ranked 14th in the 1,500 meters with a 4:35.22 time at the New England Division III Championships on May 6. Ades' 10:47.8 in the steeplechase at Open New England' s is ranked seventh at Nationals. The 1,500 trials are on Thursday at 4:15 pm, with the finals taking place on Saturday at 1:20 pm. Ades will run in the steeplechase final on Friday at 6 pm. Beck will finish the team' s competition in the 5K on Saturday at 3:55 pm.

Jones leads the men's team into the NCAA meet with his seventh-place ranking in the triple, based upon his leap of 48 feet, 2 1/2 inches at the Open New England' s. Marcy is 13th in the field with a 47' 7" best at the ECAC Championships this past weekend. Galvin' s NESCAC championship hammer toss of 179' 7" has him ranked 15th in that event. Kantos was the last entrant accepted into the 10K field, thanks to a 31:02.37 at Tufts' Hillside Relays on April 8.

Kantos will run first for the men on Thursday at 7:50 pm. Galvin competes in the hammer finals on Friday at 4 pm. Jones and Marcy jump on Saturday at 2 pm.

Jones, who has not missed a track & field NCAA meet, is making his third straight appearance at the Outdoor Nationals. He was second in the triple jump last year and third as a freshman in 2004. He is the only member of the Tufts team with outdoor NCAA experience. Marcy qualified in the triple indoors this past March.

Beck and O' Brien, who have twice competed at Indoor Nationals, will make their first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Ades will run in her second 3,000 meter steeplechase national championship race, including a 13th place finish at the 2004 meet.

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