The Tufts Invitational was not the most important meet for the Judges this season, hence the underachieving performance from some of its members.
The mens team had four athletes finish in the top eight of their events. Captain Ralph Chery 07 came in fifth in the 400 meter dash (52.21). Dan Suher's 08 time of 1:59.91 was good for sixth place in the 800-meter run. Frank Longo 08 was the only Judge who registered points in the field events, with a mark of 6 feet in the high jump.
In addition to Logan Hepner 06 finishing a second and a half off of his personal record in the 1,000 meter event, John Guilinger 08 had a nice afternoon, finishing in first place in his heat.
This week was just a good opportunity to get an extra race in to tune up for next weeks meet, Suher explained.
Next week's meet is important, as not only will Ryan Parker 06 have a chance to gain a national qualifying time, but other men will be able to gear up for the UAA championships in Chicago.
The important race is next weekend at BU, which will be a good chance for everyone to get better times against better competition on a better track, Suher added.
After the Valentine Classic meet at BU will be the Division III New England Championships at MIT on Saturday February 18th.
The womens team had a different story in Medford as they vaulted to an impressive 6th place finish out of 19 teams. The field events were the back bone to the Judges success, as they had four top-five performances.
Their greatest achievement came from phenom Jane Farrell '06 who leaped to a mark of 11 feet, 9 inches. That mark improved Farrells NCAA Division III qualifying height by about 3 inches. As of press time Farrell 06 is the third best female pole vaulter in the country.
Anat Benun 09 continued her phenomenal rookie season by finishing second in the triple jump with a mark of 34 feet 11 inches.
Four different Lady Judges registered points in individual races. Among those were Meaghan Casey, 09 who finished fourth in the 800-meter run (2:20.74). Alyssa Ross 07 finished right behind her in seventh place (2:25.74).
