SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- For the second time in three weeks the Ephs were trailing in a championship meet with one event to go. And for the second time the Ephs 4x400m squad came through with a huge race to lead the Ephs to victory. This time it was the team of Jabulani Blyden '13, Richard Fusco '12, Chris Fogler '13, and Tomas Kearney '13 who brought home the ECAC Championship for the Ephs.
With just one event to go, the Ephs trailed Bates College by eight points and Moravian College by three points. However, neither of the two teams sitting above the Ephs in the points standings had a Division III national-caliber 4x400 team; the Ephs did. After a blistering race which saw the Ephs run 3:15.01, over a second faster than their seed time and a strong NCAA provisonal mark, Williams stood alone atop the standings with 58 points. Bates was held scoreless in the 4x400 to finish 2nd with 56 points while Moravian tied Springfield College with a score of 54 for third place. Amherst was fifth with 52 points -- the top five teams separated by only six points.
Perhaps the only bad news for the Ephs on the day was that Eph alum Matt Winkler's ECAC record in the 1500m was broken, by Amherst runner Will Yochum no less. This disappointment was somewhat mitigated, however, by the fact that current Eph Connor Kamm '10 also bested Winkler's mark en route to securing a stop at the NCAA Championships in the 1500m. Kamm's 3:49.58 1500m is a lifetime best as well. Kamm's teammate, Josephat Koima '12, also set a PR in the 1500m as he ran 3:54.36, securing a cruical three points for Williams.
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| Co-capts Jeff Perlis (l.) & Cullen Roberts |
Edgar Kosgey '10 ran his fastest time of the season in the 800m, finishing third in that event in 1:52.30. Kosgey ranks 12th in the nation for that event in Division III. Corey Watts '10 also picked up important points while running 15:12 in a 5000m race whose early pace is best described as conservative. Anthony Raduazo '12 drew even closer to the NCAA automatic qualifier in the 3000m steeplechase; he ran 9:12 and finished behind only Brian Lang of Rochester.
The triple jumping combo of Tomas Kearney '12 and Steve Rubin '11 finished 2nd and 5th in their event, combining for 12 points. Matt Farley '11 just missed scoring in the hammer throw, finishing 9th with a heave of over 50m. If freshman phenom Stephen Simalchek '13 had thrown the javelin, the Ephs likely could have picked up another 10 points; instead the upstart frosh took the week off in preparation for Nationals.
Speaking of Nationals, the crown jewel for individual performances stands just one week away. Follow top Eph athletes as they look to make their mark on the national stage aat Baldwin-Wallce College near Cleveland the final weekend in May.
