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| Edgar Kosgey '10, 2008 All-American |
Williams has achieved cross country success since the team's
inception in 1912. Early triumphs under Coach Charles 'Doc' Seeley
(1912-1934) included New England titles in 1916 and 1924.
Hal Brown '20 was New England Champion and went on to capture the
Gold Medal in the 3,000 meter team race at the 1920 Olympics in
Antwerp, Belgium.
Tony Plansky, two-time national decathlon champion, coached 44
years at Williams (1935-78). His last nine teams of the '70s
compiled an 87-19-1 dual meet record including undefeated seasons
in 1970, 1975, and 1977.
Pete Farwell '73 took the helm in 1979, and the Ephs compiled a
34-meet win streak with undefeated years 1979 and 1980. Since 1970
Williams has won the traditional Little Three rivalry with Amherst
and Wesleyan 35 of 37 years, including the last 21 in a row
(2008).
Williams cross country came into its own in 1992 with convincing
victories in the 11-team NESCAC conference and the New England
Division III Championship. Seth McClennen '93, freshman Marzuki
Stevens '96, and Chad Kurtz '94 qualified for the NCAAs. 1993-1998
saw repeats of those victories, which secured a team berth for the
NCAAs.
The 1993 Ephs placed fourth to capture a coveted team trophy at
the NCAA Championships. Jeremie Perry '96 led the charge in a 9th
place All-American finish. Perry returned in 1994 to conquer the
field, emerging as individual national champion with a speedy 24:41
clocking on a challenging 8k course. The Ephs packed in three more
All-Americans (Stevens 7th, Tim Billo '97 22nd, and Creaghan
Trainor '96 29th) with Greg Crowther '95 wrapping up the team score
of 98 to edge perennial champ North Central (Illinois) 110. That
top five won NESCAC and the 32-team Albany Invitational (Yale in
2nd). Perry was named 1994 Runner of the Year by the U.S. Track
Coaches Association.
1995 found the Ephs 3rd in the All New Englands (behind only
Providence and Dartmouth), winning the Dartmouth Invite, and
repeating as NCAA Champs! At the Nationals Stevens (4th), Perry
(7th), Billo (13th) and Long (26th) kicked in for All American
finishes, and freshman Paul Alsdorf's 52nd clinched the 83-91
margin over North Central once again. 1996's three All Americans
led the team to the conference title and 5th at NCAA's: Alsdorf
10th, Billo 18th, and Matt Buck 23rd. 1997 and 1998 squads ran the
streak of conference titles to 5 and regional crowns to 7. In 1998
Alsdorf challenged for the national win, finishing runner-up, while
Dan McCue '99 out-kicked 9 runners to place 7th for the best 1-2
punch in Williams harrier history as the team again gained the
podium with its 3rd place finish. The 2000 squad featured three
All-Americans - Dusty Lopez '01 24th, Tim Campbell '01 31st, and
Andy Golden '03 33rd - who led the team to a NESCAC Championship
and a 5th place team finish at Nationals.
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| Jeff Perlis, 2008 All-American |
In 2001, despite losing three of All-Americans, Williams managed
to qualify for NCAAs for a ninth consecutive year, thanks in part
to standouts Wes Reutimann '02 and Karl Remsen ‘03.
The 2002s rose to the occasion in the championship season, copping
2nd in the NESCAC conference, 3rd in the New England III region,
and finally exceeding all expectations with a remarkable 7th place
finish (top New England team) at the NCAA championship. Remsen led
the squad all year, ran 24:41, and earned All-American honors (14th
place). So did Neal Holtschulte in 22nd place, top first year
finisher in the nation! Holtschulte went on to be the top class
finisher in the nation each year, taking consecutively 6th, 2nd,
and finally National Champion in 2005, to become the first Williams
male 4-time cross country All-American. He led the team to another
7th and a 6th place at nationals, backed up by Stephen Wills
’07 (30th place All-American in 2005).
The 2005 squad showcased the team's incredible depth by winning
the ECAC Championship with the ‘Second Seven’, and the
2006 group repeated, with the top 7 winning the NESCAC title for
the first time since 2000, and the New England III region for the
first time since 1998. Another great team race garnered a national
7th place finish despite no All-American placers, as Wills, Brendan
Christian ’09, Mike Davitian ’07, and Corey Levin
’08 packed in tightly.
The 2007 Ephs won the Little Three Championship (20th straight),
NESCAC Championship (2nd straight) and the ECAC Championship (3rd
straight) before closing out the seasonw ith a 10th place finish at
the NCAA Championships.
Sophomore Edgar Kosgey won NCAA New England qualifier and finished 36th at NCAAs, missing All-American honors by one spot.
The 2008 Ephs won the Little Three (21st consecutive), NESCAC (3rd straight), a fourth straight ECAC Championship and the NCAA New England Qualifer on their way to a third place finish at the NCAA Championships. Williams was paced by All-American efforts by juniors Edgar Kosgey and Jeff Perlis.
The USTFCCCA named Edgar Kosgey the New England Region Runner of the Year for wiinning the NESCAC title and earning All-America honors. Head coach Pete Farwell was tabbed the USTFCCCA tNew England Regional Coach of the Year.
