Williams Athletes and Alums Race in Annual Plansky Invitational
Sam Jackson '10
Williamstown, MA--A week ago the Ephs competed against some of the top talent in the New England region in the All-New Englands meet. In just seven more days, the Ephs will seek to win the Little Three Championships title for a 22nd consecutive time. This weekend's meet was about three things: gearing up for upcoming Championships later in the season, gathering as a cross-country family with alums and current athletes racing on the same course, and honoring the late, great Williams cross-country coach Tony Plansky.
With many athletes planning to race for another month, the Eph men were split between athletes racing in either the 5K or 8K and harriers preparing for future races with a hard workout in lieu of an actual race. With only four runners competing in the 8K, the Ephs did not score. That race was won by Tufts, who amassed 26 points. RPI narrowly edged Connecticut College, with 55 points to Conn College's 56, and Assumption finished 4th with 115 points. It's worth noting that if "Williams alumni" were a registered team, they would have won the meet. Macklin Chaffee, an '09 graduate, led that unofficial team, winning the meet in 25:43. Four time cross-country All-American and former National Champion Neal Holtschulte was second in 26:02. Sam Jackson '10 was the top finishing current Williams athlete, finishing 8th in a season's best time of 26:56.
Many other alumni were present in addition to Holtsculte and Chaffee, ranging from recent '09 grads to Coach Pete Farwell '73. After the meet, Williams athletes current and former gathered to welcome all of the alumni who had made the trip to the Mt. Greylock Regional High School course. Conversations could be overheard about everything ranging about the rigors of a nine-to-five to experiences in the Peace Corps.
Quite a few Eph harriers competed in the open 5K race, which was not scored. Jeff Stenzel '10 was the top finisher, running 16:43. Dan Franck '11, followed closely behind in 16:51. The Mt. Greylock course held true to form on Saturday, with its winding trails, frequent hills, and wood-chip paths taking a heavy toll on all competing athletes.
The race also served to honor the late Anthony "Tony" Plansky. Plansky played professional football for the New York Giants, professional baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, and was a cross-country coach at Williams for 48 years. The track at Williams College bears his name. He was also National Decathlon Champion and was named the 62nd greatest athlete of the 20th century by the Boston Globe, although some people called him "the greatest athlete I ever saw."
Next week the Ephs travel to Amherst, MA to take on their close rivals which form "The Little Three", Amherst and Wesleyan.
