Looking to run at Tufts

I also had a similar experience with the Tufts coach. Was very aloof about the whole situation. Hey I understand that you have plenty of other guys to look at but I didn't even get the common courtesy I recieved from much bigger (even DI) programs.

I had a very similar experience. He was not as clear and helpful with the whole process as he should have been. I know of other people with similar problematic processes. The assistant coach is a good guy though

I had an incredible experience at Tufts. It is literally the best school in the entire world.

I ran on the team at Tufts as an undergrad and this thread does not surprise me.

Hey man, you don't know this coach's life. He probably has a lot on his plate, like kids and stuff. Maybe he's just an aloof guy. Maybe he doesn't conserve electricity. Don't be too quick to judge. It's not about you.

kang, good to see you're still lurking. Keep those NYC guys in line.

Did you like the coach once you were on the team?

SameOldStory wrote:

I had a very similar experience. He was not as clear and helpful with the whole process as he should have been. I know of other people with similar problematic processes. The assistant coach is a good guy though

Isn't the recruiting typically the responsibility of an assistant coach?

why would anyone want to go to tufts?

Pretty clear that the first 4 posts in this thread are all from the same person. Someone got the cold shoulder from the Tufts coach (likely because he wasn't fast/smart enough), and has come here to trash the coach anonymously. Thread reported.

I ran for Tufts (with a few of the other posters in this thread) and, while not surprised by your experience, I'm disappointed both that it happened and with what you've taken away from it.

The type of people who go to Tufts can be a little aloof but are typically intelligent, passionate, and down-to-earth. Many of them could have opted to go to more prestigious schools but were lured by the school's unique focus on active citizenship or by other aspects of the school's interdisciplinary academic offerings. Sure there are outliers but I met a ton of fun and interesting people on the team, in my department, or through other activities, many of whom I'm still close friends with.

Aside from the lack of attention that seems to have been paid to some team members in the last few years I think the team has a fantastic culture, work ethic, and set of traditions. Many of my high school teammates ran at other New England area schools and had plenty of good stories (and I had good times visiting them) but I can't imagine having had more fun running for any other school.

Guys I'm not a former Tufts runner. I swear. Tufts is one of my top 3 favorite schools and I was just wondering what times, if any, people need to have to be on the team.

ben wallace wrote:

why would anyone want to go to tufts?

Because it's a highly ranked educational school, in a great area on the. Boston outskirts.

Also they have a lot of cute girls on their team...fact.

Track wise? Eh.

Hi High School Senior,

I am a former Tufts runner and Tufts coach. While it is informative to hear of both positive and negative perspectives re: any potential program you might desire to be a part of, listening to anonymous internet posters is not one I recommend. To answer your original question about what times people need to have on to be on the team, well a general guideline is that you should be able to run a 5k in around 16:30 or faster. The top 7 on the track team generally run 15:30 or better. Some years it is 15:10 or better. Fairly solid for a D3 team. For division 3 collegiate cross country the distance is 5 miles/8k with most Tufts athletes capable of breaking 30 minutes. It is a reasonable suggestion to send a recruiting questionnaire to Tufts via their team run website at:

www.gojumbos.com

It is likely to bump you over to the regular athletic website at

www.gotuftsjumbos.com

for this. You can also poke around on the gojumbos website for results to see how you might stack up.

As a general rule, anyone is welcome to join the team, regardless of how fast you are. The limitation, however, may be the opportunity to travel with the team for away races and meets. This is a function of the budgetary restraints placed upon the team by the university. For home track meets (Tufts has both a top notch indoor and outdoor track), you should be able to race.

Ethan is a great coach who surrounds himself by top notch assistants. He admits what he does not know and works his butt off to understand and improve upon these knowledge deficits. However, after 10 years at the helm he has few of these deficits left. That is my opinion as Ethan would be more self deprecating.

He is also a very laid back guy. Posters above described this as "aloof." I beg to differ. Aloof imbibes the view of someone as not caring about outcomes, people, or situations. That could not be further from the truth with Ethan. His personality as a coach is one of being laid back, but his preparation and his desire to see his athletes succeed, his investment in that outcome, and his dedication to seeing that through is anything.

I hope you found my response helpful. If you decide on Tufts as where you would like to spend 4 formative years as a runner and student, you will have chosen wisely.

Best,

Rod Hemingway, A98, G00, G05

Classy response, coach. You are a fine representative of that institution.

You certainly write like a Tufts grad (read: not well).

oldboy wrote:

Pretty clear that the first 4 posts in this thread are all from the same person. Someone got the cold shoulder from the Tufts coach (likely because he wasn't fast/smart enough), and has come here to trash the coach anonymously. Thread reported.

Dude Just so you know I have a 33 act first try with 36 perfect MATH and 35 science. 4.0 Unweighted GPA with lots of higher level courses.

I had a non-super-spectacular track season by any means but recently have been in insane shape and can def run sub 15:30 3 mi. XC as indicated by my workouts.

BTW this is at least 2 people because I only wrote one. Know you can't trust this but take it for what it's work

formerly pissed wrote:

oldboy wrote:

Pretty clear that the first 4 posts in this thread are all from the same person. Someone got the cold shoulder from the Tufts coach (likely because he wasn't fast/smart enough), and has come here to trash the coach anonymously. Thread reported.

Dude Just so you know I have a 33 act first try with 36 perfect MATH and 35 science. 4.0 Unweighted GPA with lots of higher level courses.

I had a non-super-spectacular track season by any means but recently have been in insane shape and can def run sub 15:30 3 mi. XC as indicated by my workouts.

BTW this is at least 2 people because I only wrote one. Know you can't trust this but take it for what it's work

I'll take this as proof of a troll

Is the what you told the coach: "can def run sub 15:30 3 mi. XC as indicated by my workouts"?

Probably why you didn't get a response. Maybe you should just go run a race and then get back to him with what you can actually run, not by what your workouts "indicate".