Springfield, MA-"It's a team thing," said Jeff Perlis '10 after four individual events had been won by Eph men, the Division III Track & Field Championship trophy had been raised, and a sixth consecutive D-III New England Championship was in the books. "This team has shown time and time again that it can respond to any challenge. We went out there today, as on Thursday and Friday, and got the job done.
Fresh off a NESCAC Championship the week before, the Ephs knew they would be the team to beat at Springfield College. But even with the competition gunning for them, Williams was victorious, scoring 136.67 points. M.I.T., also runner-up to the Ephs in the Division III Indoor Championships, was second with 108 points. Host Springfield College was a distant third with 56 points. NESCAC rivals Bates were fifth with 51 points.
The Ephs got off to a quick start. In the decathlon of Thursday/Friday, two Eph men had managed to gather a combined 10 points. Eric Jonash '09 finished third, scoring 6147 and earning six points for the Ephs. Teammate Isaac Nicholson '11 finished fifth, with a score of 5766. On Friday, the second day of competition, freshman Anthony Raduazo won the 10000m race for the Ephs in 32:30. Corey Watts '10 finished third.
One lap around the track- it continues to be a magical distance for the Ephs. In the 400 hurdles, Stew Buck produced a monstrous performance of 54.08 seconds, .8 seconds better than his seed time (athletes run slower than their seed time more often than not). Furthermore, Buck's performances bested the NCAA provisional standard of 54.30 seconds. Buck will look to continue to improve next week at the All New-Englands meet in hopes of strengthening his qualifying mark. Running 51 seconds or so in the straight 400, Buck doesn't do it with pure speed. But his impeccable form and gritty determination make him a thrill to watch and solid hurdler. Buck collected 10 points for Williams in winning the race.
Taylor Fitzgerald '11 was the other runner to set the track ablaze, winning the 400m in 48.42, a ½ second faster than his seed time and also a provisional qualifier. Partner in crime Alex Hoerman '09 was 4th fasted over 400, running 49.93.
For the second meet in a row the Ephs were minus sprint stud Deividas Seferis, but that didn't stop the Ephs from making their mark. Matt Sullivan '11 showed his speed with a 15.05 performance in the 110m hurdles, which earned him 2nd place and 8 points, and Fitzgerald doubled with a 22.40 200m race, scoring 6 more points for his 3rd place effort.
The Eph men really got behind their teammates in the 1500m, and for good reason. Macklin Chaffee '09 and Brian Cole '11 raced brilliantly, going 1-2 for a combined 18 points. Separated by only 2.15 seconds, the two Ephs raced in completely different ways. Chaffee was out like a rocket with the blast of the gun. Coming through the 300 in 45 seconds (4:00 pace), Chaffee led the entire way en route to a 3:51.21 season personal best. Cole, on the other hand, moved all the way from 8th to 2nd on the back stretch of the 3rd lap, producing the type of power move he had been searching for all season. For Cole, the performance converts to an even faster race than his 4th place finish in the California State Championships as a senior in high school.
Chaffee '09 would come back strong for the 800m, where he finished 2nd in 1:53.32, a season best and just .32 seconds of a NCAA-provo time. It was business as usual for Chaffee, who has come up big in every championship meet this season for the Ephs. Brendan Christian '09 and Jeff Perlis '10 worked together well in the 5000m, finishing 3rd and 5th, respectively.
Some schools specialize in throwing events, where one good athlete can be relied upon for many points. The Ephs did not stuff the stat sheet in the throwing events, but it wasn't for lack of effort. Freshman Rusty Cowher, who continues improve, grabbed a crucial three points in the discus with his toss of 43.35 meters. As the only freshman to score, Cowher should be an athlete to watch in future years.
Isaac Nicholson '11 seems to be a season best waiting to happen. Nicholson bettered last week's strong performance, jumping a lengthy 6.74m and stealing an unexpected two points. Then Tomas Kearney, just a freshman, soared 1.90m vertically for a second place finish in the high jump. And it wouldn't be a true summary of the jumping unit without Steve Rubin '11, who nabbed a point in the triple jump.
"Some teams just bring it," said Nicholson after the meet. "And Williams has proven this season that we're a team that brings it week after week." Indeed, with back-to-back NESCAC and Division III Championships, the Ephs have "brought it" this season. Stay tuned as the Ephs take to the track for Division I All-New Englands next week. Plus, Nationals, just three weeks away, looms on the horizon.
