BEREA, OH -- Less than half an hour remains in Williams' 2009 cross-country season. Twelve months of training and preparation have passed since last year's NCAA Championships, where the Ephs captured a podium spot with their 3rd place finish. Three hundred times shoelaces have been tied as hungry athletes took to the trails and roads for the arduous process of training. Eight times this season the gun has gone off and the Ephs have poured their hearts out into their work in hopes of reaping the benefits of their training in races. The gun will sound for one final time this 2009 season. Seven men will have the opportunity to make the most of it this Saturday.
Baldwin-Wallace College will play host to the 2009 NCAA Division
III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 21 at
Highland Park Golf Course in Highland Hills. The women's
six-kilometer event will begin at 11:00 a.m. and the men’s 8k
event will begin at 12:00 p.m. (EST). Thirty-two teams will be
present; sixteen who earned automatic bids by placing 1st or 2nd in
one of the eight regions and another sixteen who earned at-large
bids because of their overall body of work.
The Ephs punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships by winning
the New England Regional handily, scoring just 53 points. Second
place Amherst will be accompanying the Ephs; the Lord Jeffs scored
104 points at the Regional. Also representing the New England
region are Keene State and Brandeis, who finished 3rd and 4th
respectively at Regionals and garnered at-large bids.
Last year's Eph squad finished 3rd at the NCAA Championships and a second consecutive podium finish (top four) would be commendable and satisfy just about any team. But ask any Eph runner: to finish worse than 3rd would be a disappointment. These are lofty expectations for a team ranked 10th in the nation by the USTFCCCA. But as the inscription reads below the famed gate on the Williams College campus, "Climb high, climb far, your goal the sky, your aim the star." The inscription is featured on the home page of the athletics website.
As usual, Edgar Kosgey '10 will be leading the charge for the Ephs. Kosgey finished 10th at last year's Championships, but there were seven graduating seniors in front of him. Peter Kosgei of Hamilton, last year's champion, is the clear favorite. But Kosgey of Williams has a very legitimate shot to finish second in the nation. Jeff Perlis '10 finished 26th a year ago but is the 12th returning runner. We'll have to wait to see if Perlis can put all the pieces together on this grand stage. Connor Kamm, also a senior, was absent from last year's Nationals roster as he battled injuries. However, a late season resurgence which saw Kamm finish second on the Ephs squad at Regionals points to tremendous possibilites at Nationals. Kamm just may be the guy to watch for Williams.
Corey Watts '10 once described himself as "an old warhorse."
True, he has some tricks up his sleeve from racing many times at
important meets. Watts looks to be on the rise as he finished 14th
at Regionals last week. A consistent big-meet racer, Watts could
provide the special race the Ephs will need to meet their
Nationals' goals.
Josephat Koima '12 was not even a part of the ECAC picture last
year, meaning he was not one of the team's top fourteen runners.
But a summer of solid training has lead to some tremendous gains
for Koima, whose best race might have been the NESCAC Invitational
on the Ephs home course where Koima finished third overall and just
behind teammate Edgar Kosgey.
Anthony Raduazo '12 was the phenom freshman a year ago, but illness
weakened Raduazo at last year's NCAA Championships. Raduazo hopes
to rebound this year and reassert himself as a rising star. Mark
Springel, also a sophomore, came on strong late in the season to
earn the final spot. After struggling mightily early in the year,
Springel he fashioned a solid performance at NESCAC's and
rightfully earned his ticket to Nationals.
Four seniors and three sophomores will toe the line on Saturday for the Ephs, hoping to cap off what has already been a successful season. For better or for worse, Saturday's race will be the barometer by which the season is judged.
