Last season saw the Ephs win the NESCAC and Division III New England Championship for both the Indoor and Outdoor track seasons. It was a good start to then first year coach Fletcher Brooks' head coaching career at Williams College.
This year, Brooks and the rest of the Williams College Ephs are hoping for a similar result. It will not be easy. Graduation stole the talents of five-time Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field All-American Macklin Chaffee and two-time All-American Deividas "Lithium" Seferis, among others. Chaffee and Seferis were two of the Ephs top scorers at championship meets last year, with Seferis scooping up handfuls of points in sprint events and Chaffee dominating the middle distances.
In fact, when asked about the one thing that might prevent the Ephs from repeating as NESCAC and Division III champs Coach Brooks replied, "We've lost a couple of our ‘big guns'. With ‘Lithium' being gone, we no longer have a true short-distance sprinter. Most of our 55m and 100m guys are dropping down from their natural distances. We might have the talent to replace Chaffee and Seferis, but we don't know what the overall effect on the team will be. Will [junior Brian] Cole be able to compete for us and score in multiple events? How many races will Taylor Fitzgerald be able to run?"
Brooks added, "Still, this team just has the mental ability and strength to compete at championship meets. Every team in NESCAC's knows that to win the [NESCAC] Championship, you have to go through Williams. There's something about this team; they always manage to compete well at the big meets."
Coach Brooks also discussed his approach to recruiting over the offseason: "My focus this year for recruiting was the field events, the throwers in particular." Referencing the Williams' teams of the late 1990's and early 2000's: "In the days of old, Williams had one of the strongest throws groups in all of New England. The benefit of that is that it takes some of the pressure of the track guys. A thrower can compete at his highest level week after week whereas a track guy might have to recover for a week or two if he doubles or triples at an important meet. We're really hoping that this new group of throwers can help ease the pressure on our track guys and return that aspect of our program to its former level."
Stephen Simalchik is one of the freshman recruits who could have
an immediate impact in the throws. A Connecticut state champion in
the javelin with a state record throw of 212' 9", Simalchik of
Danbury, CT is definitely one of the young Ephs to watch. Projected
Brooks, "He's very good in the hammer, he's solid in the
shot, and he's strongest in the javelin. We see him making an
impact on the Nationals stage very early in his career in the
javelin."
The rest of the solid throws group includes freshmen Will Wright
and Ali McTar and sophomore Rusty Cowher. With the shot put in
particular, freshmen have to adapt to the heavier weight used in
college competition, so it often takes a while for throwers to
score in championship meets. Cowher '12 was one of the Eph throwers
who did score last year, and he projects to be even stronger this
year with a year of experience under his belt. Williams alum Matt
Campanelli will coach the throwing squad again for the Ephs.
Last year's jumps squad, coached by Fletcher Brooks, was very strong, highlighted by Tomas Kearney '12, Steve Rubin '11, and Isaac Nicholson '11. Kearney's marks of 1.92m in the high jump and 13.3m in the long jump were exceptional for a freshman; he figures to be even stronger this year. Nicholson is a decathlete by trade, but has the ability to score at any time in the jump events. Rubin was a breakout surprise in the triple and long jump last year. Other athletes to watch include Jon Dingee, who missed last season with a torn ACL, and Ben Atkinson.
The sprinting group coached by Joel Williams and Dick Farley, continues to be the driving force behind the Ephs success. Still just a junior, Taylor Fitzgerald proved he was among the best in the nation last year in the 400m race. He has the ability to put up points in championship meets in events ranging from the 200m to the 600m. Viktor Nagy '12 and Rich Fusco '12 are also worth keeping an eye on. Nagy has one of the fastest 600m times in school history while Fusco was a member of the NCAA 4x400 team. Freshman recruits include Jabs Blyden from Baltimore who, according to Brooks, has "a lot of range to run different sprint events." Chris Fogler is another guy to watch, particularly come outdoor season. Noted Brooks, "Fogler was 2nd in New England in high school in the 300m hurdles, but we think he also has the ability to be a good decathlete.
The mid-distance and distance teams, coached by Pete Farwell, Mitchell Baker, and Patrick Wales-Dinan should also be a force this year; many members were a part of the team that finished in 2nd place at the NCAA Championships in cross-country less than a month ago. Edgar Kosgey '10 will likely make the jump from the 800 to the 5000, but he has the ability to win any race in Division III New England from the 800 to the 10000. He's joined by Josephat Koima '12 who impressed in the 800 last year and, if cross-country was any indication, will be much better this year. Jeff Perlis '10, Anthony Raduazo '12, Corey Watts '10 and Connor Kamm '10 will all figure into the scoring in events from the 1500 to the 10000. Brian Cole is the heir apparent to Chaffee, with a deadly combination of speed and endurance in the 800 and mile, although he is coming off of a season missed due to injury and sickness.
Throw in Johnny Ray Hinojosa, the Ephs only pole-vaulter and a guy who vaulted 14' 6" in high school and you've got the makings of another championship squad. Check back with regularity as we follow the Ephs drive to conference, regional and national championships throughout the season.
