Boston, MA-Edgar Kosgey authored a signature performance and other Eph men contributed strong races as Williams ran to an 8th place finish on Saturday at Franklin Park. Kosgey's time of 24:41 was a personal best for the season and also earned him a third place finish against top Division I runners in the New England region.
In the varsity 8K team standings, UMass Amherst, UMass Lowell, and Providence took the top three spots with 93, 118, and 171 points respectively. The Ephs' 320 points earned them an 8th place finish as they finished just in front of Dartmouth (323 points). In the sub-Varsity standings, the Ephs finished third with 122 points. Only Brown (68 points) and New Hamsphire (120) points were better.
With 320 competitors in the men's Varsity 8K alone, the Division I New England's race is a different type of race than what the Ephs have competed in thus far. The wealth of Division I talent also distinguishes Saturday's race from others on the schedule. The Ephs looked to take advantage of these two anomalies while racing under cloudy skies in Boston's Franklin Park; two easy days on Thursday and Friday ensured that the Ephs would be well rested.
Division I New England's also marked the first time this season that the Ephs were really looking to race--to mix it up with other talented teams, run aggressively, and gain a better understanding of the team's overall abilities and weaknesses. Like the season's previous meets, gaining race experience and running well as a team were understood agendas, but Saturday's meet had an additional emphasis on producing strong individual and team performances.
In addition to Kosgey's skillful performance, Josephat Koima '12 also ran very well for the Ephs, publishing a time of 25:25. Not in the top fourteen last year, Koima made tremendous strides in the offseason through dedicated training. If his third place finish at the Purple Valley Classic two weeks ago was a demonstration of his new-found ability, Saturday's race was an opportunity to show that he has what it takes to compete with some of the best runners in the region. "The pace was definitely fast through the first mile," commented Koima, "And by the third mile I was really starting to strain. I kept working, though, and was satisfied with my performance." Also strong for the Ephs were Corey Watts'10, who ran 25:57, and Matt Wyatt'12, who covered the 8K distance in 26:20.
The Ephs also competed in a sub-Varsity 8K race, where Brandon Abosolo '12, winner of the 5K at the Purple Valley Classic, finished an impressive third place overall, running 26:23. Geoff Rodriguez '11 backed up his solid Purple Valley Classic 5K with another good race and Jason Rappaport '11 ran his best race of the season, clocking 26:56. David Carlin '12 also performed well (26:41).
To be sure, an 8th place finish against Division I talent is impressive and solidifies the Ephs position as one of the top Division III teams. What's more, the Ephs were the highest ranking Division III team. However, in retrospect perhaps the Ephs were a bit too aggressive in the early stages of the varsity 8K race. Several athletes afterword reflected the sentiment that the meet's excitement may have led to audacious first miles, which in turn caused tired legs later in the race. The season is long from over, however, and Division I New England's was definitely a great learning experience with some very positive performances as well.
