Men's Cross-Country Wins Little Three Championships for 21st Consecutive Year
Jeff Perlis leads Edgar Kosgey across the finish line
Williamstown, MA- Storm clouds threatened to open up at any minute and thirty mile-per-hour gusts ripped through the course. Amherst, who placed ahead of Williams at the New England Division I Championships, had been running strong as of late. However, the Eph men's cross-country team remained unphased, delivering a strong performance to handily win the Little Three Championships for a 21st consecutive year.
Williams tallied 21 points with its effective pack attack, while Amherst was second with 48 points, followed by Wesleyan with 71.
Run annually at alternating courses, the Little Three Championships are a competition between NESCAC rivals Williams College, Amherst College, and Wesleyan University. This year's 8K race was run at Mt. Greylock Regional High School, the home course of the Ephs. With showers in the forecast, the teams took to the line at 1:15 P.M. About half-an-hour later, the Ephs had established themselves as the top team.
The race was won by Jeff Perlis '10 in a time of 26:12. Junior Edgar Kosgey finished right behind Perlis with the same time. After harriers Will Yochum of Amherst and Jonah Blumstein of Wesleyan, Macklin Chafee '09, Anthony Raduazo '12, Brendan Christian '09, and Corey Watts '10 finished within four seconds of each other, demonstrating the type of pack running that Coach Pete Farwell has been preaching over the past weeks. And with eleven Williams runners in the top twenty, Williams demonstrated solid team depth.
After the race, Williams' runners exhibited the satisfaction that comes with setting a goal and achieving it. The seniors were especially happy to have been able to run the streak to 21 years in their final Little Three Championship. Parents of runners also shared in the excitement as many families made the trip to Williamstown for Parents Weekend. Photos were taken, "hellos" were exchanged, and runners, parents, and coaches alike partook in a team potluck.
Although this race marked the end of the season for some sub-Varisty runners, many have their sights set on big races later in the year. Next week's NESCAC Championships should be closely contested; expect Amherst to come back hungry. In the following weeks, the Ephs will compete in the Regional and National Championships, with the team focused on being one of the top Division III teams in the country.
For now, though, it's back to the trails of Williamstown. Sure, the Little Threes streak may be older than the majority of runners on the cross-country team. But as any Williams runner will tell you, this team has the ability to do great things, and the highest goals are yet to be achieved.
