Teams: Women's Track & Field: Press Releases

Monday, May 26, 2003

DEVINE, TROMBLY LEAD TRACK & FIELD EFFORT AT 2003 NATIONALS

MEDFORD – Senior hurdler Greg Devine (Springfield, MA/Central) and junior heptathlete Jessica Trombly (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) led the Tufts University Track & Field teams at the 2003 NCAA Division III Championships hosted by Saint Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., May 22-24.

Devine posted the highest Tufts finish with his second place in the 400 Meter Hurdles. He qualified for the final with a time of 52.81 seconds in the first heat. He then ran a 51.26 in the championship race, less than half a second behind National Champion Derek Toshner of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Devine also raced in the 110 Meter Hurdles, but did not qualify for the final with his preliminary time of 14.96 seconds.

Sophomore Nate Brigham (Penacook, NH/Merrimack Valley) joined Devine at Nationals from the men's team. He competed in the 10,000 Meter Run and finished 14th with a time of 32 minutes, 40.18 seconds. Head Coach Connie Putnam's team scored eight points with Devine's runner-up effort to tie for 36th in the nation overall.

Five members of the women's team qualified for Nationals. Trombly finished third in the Heptathlon, smashing the Tufts record with 4,773 points. She was less than 100 points out of first place and will return next year as one of the favorites to win the event. Calvin College senior Annie Vanderlaan won the event with 4,852 points. Trombly also qualified for Nationals in the 100 Meter Hurdles, but did not qualify for the final with a time of 15.30 seconds in the preliminaries.

Trombly also ran the second leg with the 4x100 Meter Relay that qualified, but did not advance to the final with a time of 48.57 seconds in the heat. Senior Myriam Claudio (Woburn, MA/Open Bible Academy), sophomore Ayako Sawanobori (Arcadia, CA/Arcadia) and freshman anchor Rachel Bloom (Sharon, MA/Sharon) rounded out the foursome.

Senior Mary Nodine (Portland, ME/ Portland) raced to 17th place in the nation in the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase, clocking a time of 11 minutes, 20.34 seconds. Head Coach Kristen Morwick's team tied for 37th place overall on the strength of Trombly's six points in the Heptathlon.

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