Portland, ME -- The Ephmen ran their best race of the year to beat a very talented field at the Division III New England Regional Cross-Country Championships. As the top finishing team with only 53 points, the Ephs earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. The Championships are set to be hosted next weekend by Baldwin-Wallace College, at Highland Park Golf Course in eastern Cleveland off Chagrin Boulevard. Second place Amherst College (104 points), archrival of Williams, also earned an automatic berth. Keene State (3rd place, 132 points), Brandeis (4th, 145 points), and Bowdoin (5th, 153) all have a chance to earn at-large bids to the Championships.
Edgar Kosgey '10 continued his magnificent season by winning Regionals for the third consecutive year. Kosgey led from the start but faced significant pressure from Amherst's Daniel Murner througout the race. It was a battle to behold as Kosgey opened a lead with one mile to go before Murner fought back with a blistering kick. He ended up finishing just behind the Williams harrier, running 25:16.7 to Kosgey's 25:16.2. Paul Norton of Brandeis snuck in just behind Murner to run 25:17 and finish third. Jesse Faller (Tufts), Will Yochum (Amherst), and Thomson Oglivie (Bowdoin) formed another pack behind the front three, finishing 4th through 6th, respectively, and running between 25:26 and 25:31.
The top 35 runners in the race earn All-Region honors; Williams had six runners finish above that threshold. Edgar Kosgey (1st), Connor Kamm (11th), Jeff Perlis (12th), Corey Watts (14th), Josephat Koima (15th), and Anthony Raduazo (34th) were recognized for the victorious Ephs. It was the pack of four, from Kamm to Koima, that ensured the Ephs victory on Saturday. The first mile was rather pedestrian in pace, so was the second. When the pace started to quicken in the third mile, the Ephs were able to work together to move up throughout the second half of the race.
Connor Kamm, a senior and a captain, had the race of the day for the Ephs. Kamm showed tremendous promise as a freshman when he finished secnd in the Little Three Championships and represented Williams at both the Regional and NCAA Championships. Nagging injuries slowed him during his sophomore and junior years, however. But health, consistent training, and a big heart allowed Kamm to work his way back into the Varsity mix. On Saturday, Kamm spent a chunk of the race as the 5th man for Williams. It would have represented his best finish for the team this year. But Kamm kept fighting and used a blistering downhill kick to move to second for Williams, a truly awesome performance.
To be sure, this Williams team has struggled at times this year. Inconsistent performaces led to precipitous drops in the USTFCCCA rankings. The team, however, has remained confident. "We know we have the talent and the training to be one of the top teams in the nation," remarked David Carlin '12. "We just have to put it all together -- seven guys, running their best race on the same day."
The Ephs don't have long to wait to find out where they stand among the nation's best Division III teams. Just seven days separate then from the 2009 NCAA Division III Cross-Country Championships. The foundations for success have been laid. "The hay is in the barn"-- to use a popular cross-country adage. The field has been narrowed; only the best teams in Division III remain. There's only one thing left to do: race.
