Also at NCAAs, men’s basketball moves to the Elite Eight for only second time in program history
Elysse Cumberland, A28, celebrates her triple jump win. Photo: Stockton Photos
Sophomore Elysse Cumberland, A28, won her second straight indoor triple jump national title, helping lead the Tufts women’s track and field team to a tie for ninth place at the NCAA Division III championships at the Birmingham Crossplex in Alabama on March 14.
After advancing through the triple jump preliminaries with a 12.20m (40'0 ½") mark, Cumberland was dominant in the final round. All three of her attempts were better than anyone else’s best mark. She won with a 12.54m (41'1 ¾") distance on her first attempt in the finals, and then added a 12.39m (40'7 ¾") and a 12.50m (41'0 ¼"). Second-place Serena McNeilly from Centre College finished with a 12.30m (40'4 ½") mark.
Cumberland was the defending champion in the event after winning with a 12.60m (41'4 ¼") personal record last year. Just three seasons into her collegiate career (two indoor, one outdoor), she is now a two-time national champion and five-time All-American (four first team, one second team).
With Cumberland’s title, the Tufts women’s program has now won 23 total NCAA track and field individual and relay championships (15 indoors).
Men’s Basketball Moves Into Elite Eight
The Jumbos celebrate their win over Wesleyan University. Photo: Steve McLaughlin
The No. 12 Tufts men’s basketball team outscored host and No. 17 Wesleyan University 44-22 in the opening half, and withstood a furious second-half charge by the Cardinals to earn a spot in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals with a 75-61 win in action on March 14.
The win pushes the Jumbos (23-5) into only their second Elite Eight in program history, as Tufts now heads to Fort Wayne, Indiana to take on another New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) foe, Trinity College, on March 19 at 6:30 p.m.
Ricardo Nieves, A29, finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, adding six rebounds and two steals in the win. Joshua Bernstein, E26, finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks for the Jumbos, and was 7-of-13 overall.
Tufts shot 48.2 percent overall from the floor (27-56), while going 15-of-10 at the line.
The winner of the quarterfinal game will meet the winner of Mary Washington and the University of Chicago match in the NCAA semifinal round in Fort Wayne on March 21.
