Cleveland, OH--Despite graduating two of their top four runners from last year's 3rd place Nationals team, despite being ranked 15th in the nation by the USTFCCCA two weeks prior to the race, despite Jeff Perlis '10, an All-American from last year, being forced to drop out due to an achilles injury, despite Anthony Raduazo '12 also dropping out, meaning that only the necessary five runners who score finished, despite all of this, Williams College finished 2nd in the nation at the Division III NCAA Championships.
The 2nd place team finish is the best the Ephs could have hoped for on Saturday. North Central College of Illinois dominated on their way to a 12th NCAA Championship. All seven North Central runners were All-Americans, meaning that every harrier finished in the top 35. The widely favored squad from Illinois scored just 52 points, well in front of the Ephs, who scored 181 pionts. Allegheny (195 points), NYU (224), and Cortland St. (232) finished 3rd through 5th, respectively.
To illustrate the improbability of the Ephs second place finish: Williams was the only team to have just five runners finish the race. Fortunately, one of those five was Edgar Kosgey '10. His running exploits at Williams are well documented yet it's possible that today was his best ever race in purple and gold. After defending national champ Peter Kosgei of Hamilton and eventual champion Ricky Flynn of Lynchburg surged away from the pack, Kosgey lead an extremely talented pack of about ten runners just behind the two leaders. About three miles in, as the slippery mud wreaked havoc on his tired legs and the incessant hills worked against his lungs, Kosgey dropped back to about 12th. But a late surge on an uphill section before the final 600m lead Kosgey back to the front of the chase pack. His third place finish in 25:34 (on a very challenging course) was the highest finish by an Eph since Neal Holtschulte '06 was national champ in 2005. Afterward, Kosgey could be seen with an ecstatic smile on his face as he celebrated his and team's triumphs.
Kosgey earned All-America honors for the second time in his career withhis 3rd place finish.
After Kosgey, three things stick out as instrumental in earning the Ephs their second place finish. First, Josephat Koima '12 unleashed a blistering kick with less than 400m to go; he probably passed ten runners during that final stretch. Secondly, it is difficult to hyperbolize what Connor Kamm '10 has done for the Ephs this year. Injuries can do terrible things to a runner's psyche and Kamm has been through more than his fair share. But as Kamm dealt a powerful kick of his own on the competition it was obvious that his head and heart were focused on one solitary goal: get to the finish line as quickly as possible for the team's sake. Kamm was 44th overall. He and fellow captain Corey Watts '10, a 47th place finisher in his own right, lead the team brilliantly this year.
Finally, Mark Springel '12 was an improbable 5th man for the Ephs. After a difficult summer of training and some early season setbacks, Springel made a miraculous climb and worked his way into the top seven. If you would have told anyone on the Ephs, athlete or coach, that Mark Springel would almost single-handedly lock up 2nd place for the Ephs, you would have been met with a look of pure surprise. Yet it was the bloodied Mark Springel, the Springel who had taken a spike earlier in the race, the man with the 28-second 200 speed who was flying down the finishing stretch, pouring every fiber of himself into his work. It was by far the best race of his life.
And so we close the final chapter on another successful season for the Ephs. Bear tosses, roadtrips, training runs, interval workouts, and laughs among teammates are now storage caches in the memory bank. The 2nd place trophy goes beside a collection of others. Yet it is impossible to reflect on the 2009 cross-country season without a smile emerging across your face.
