Teams: Women's Track & Field: Press Releases

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

EIGHT TO COMPETE AT NCAA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

MEDFORD – A party of eight from the Tufts University Track & Field teams will travel to Decatur, Illinois for the 2004 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships this week. The meet begins on Thursday, May 27 and runs through Saturday, May 29.

Six members of Head Coach Kristen Morwick's women's team will be at the meet. Senior Jessica Trombly (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) is the top seed in the nation for the 400 meter hurdles with a qualifying time of 1 minute, 0.78 seconds. She will run in the trials at 2:35 pm on Thursday, with the finals scheduled for 3:35 pm on Saturday.

Trombly joins senior Emily Bersin (Orleans, MA/Nauset), sophomore Rachel Bloom (Sharon, MA/Sharon) and junior Sika Henry (Upper Montclair, NJ/Mount Saint Dominic) in the 4x400 meter relay. They are the ninth seed (3:52.17 qualifying time) and they will compete in the trials at 5:45 pm on Thursday. The final will be the second-to-last event of the championships on Saturday at 5:05 pm.

Tufts is the only team in the country to qualify two runners for the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Sophomore Becca Ades (Shelburne, VT/Champlain Valley Union) is the 12th seed with a 10:53.86 qualifying time. Senior Lauren Caputo (Belmont, MA/Belmont) is the 18th and last entrant in the event with an qualifying time of 11:03.98. No trials are run in the steeplechase, and the final goes off on Friday at 5:05 pm.

Junior Nate Brigham (Penacook, NH/Merrimack Valley) and freshman Fred Jones (Northfield, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon) will represent Head Coach Connie Putnam's men's team. Brigham's 30:17.92 qualifying time in the 10,000 meters is the eighth seed. With no trials, he will compete in Thursday's last event at 6:30 pm. Jones, with a best jump of 48 feet, 3 1/4 inches this spring, is the #2 seed in the Triple Jump. Also without a trial, the event commences at 2:00 pm on Saturday.

Trombly in the 400 hurdles and Jones in the Triple Jump are the best bets for Tufts to earn individual national championships.

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