USA Track & Field names Greg Crowther '95 & Nikki Kimball '93 Ultrarunners of the Year

Colorado Springs -- The Mountain Ultra Trail  (MUT) Council of long distance running has chosen Williams graduates Greg Crowther and Nikki Kimball, the 2007 USA Track & Field (USATF) Ultrarunners of the Year. They will receive their awards at the annual USATF National Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii on Saturday, December 1 at an awards breakfast.

In order to be considered for the USATF Mountain and Ultrarunning awards an athlete must show top results in U.S. competitions for 2007 (November 1, 2006 through October 31, 2007) to include mountain races (these may be on paved/gravel surfaces as long as there is significant elevation loss or gain) and trail races of varying lengths, as well as road races for the ultra category (distances beyond the marathon). International results are also considered. The nominee must be an ambassador for the sport.  Nominee must be a USATF member for 2007.

Greg Crowthe

Greg Crowther, 34, Seattle, WA, is the male Ultrarunner of the Year. Crowther was the USA National 50km Champion setting a course record of 3:04:35. He was the USA 100km Road Champion running 7:14:31, placed second at Miwok 100km trail, finished in eleventh place to score for the bronze-medal winning USA 100km Team at the IAU World Cup in The Netherlands running 6:52:52, first place and course record at Bridle Trails 50km, and first place at SunMart 50 Miler in 5:37:36. Crowther is a research scientist in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1995 with a degree in biology and earned a Ph.D. in Physiology & Biophysics from the University of Washington.

At Williams Crowther captained the first Eph men's cross country team to win the NCAA title (1994) and earned All-NESCAC and All-New England honors.
             
Nikki Kimball, 36, Bozeman, MT, is a repeat winner of the female Ultrarunner of the Year award. Kimball finished first in course record time at the Spokane River 50km Race, finished second at Miwok 100km, first at Western States 100 Miler notching the second fastest time on the course, and finished first in course record time at the Ultra Tour Du Mont Blanc. Last July Kimball won the White River 50 Mile Trail National Championships and set a course record. She broke ultrarunning legend Ann Trason's record there in 2003 and has now broken her own record there on three subsequent occasions. She was also winner of Mount Masochist. Kimball, like Crowther, is a 1993 graduate of Williams College. She is a physical therapist in Livingston, Montana.

Both Crowther and Kimball grew up in the Rutland, VT area. Crowther captained the first Eph cross country team to win the NCAA title (1994) and earned All-NESCAC and All-New England honors.

Kimball ran one season of cross country for the Ephs and competed all four years as a member of the Eph Nordic ski team. She finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Division I Skiing Championships each year.