Williams women run to third place at Purple Valley Classic
On Saturday, September 22, Williams College hosted the annual Purple Valley Classic meet, held at their Mount Greylock High School home course. The meet featured a 6-kilometer (6k) race, in addition to a shorter 5-kilometer (5k) race.
Most varsity runners in attendance raced the 6k course, while the 5k race was dominated by Williams runners easing into the cross country season with a shorter race distance.
The individual winner of the 6k race was Plattsburgh
University’s Toni Wiszowaty in a time of 21:52. Wiszowaty led
an impressive Plattsburgh team, which finished second with 50
points, only two points behind team champion Amherst College (48
points). Williams finished third with 67 points.
Williams’ first current runner to finish the 6k race was
junior Rachel Asher in a time of 22:35. Asher was impressed by the
results turned in by her teammates, despite hot weather conditions
and a difficult week of training.
“I thought our team looked really strong considering the
hard week of workouts,” Asher said.
In the 5k race, former Williams coach Karina Johnson ran away with
the title in a time of 19:29, followed by current Eph Gillian
Tedeschi ’09 (19:41). Tedeschi led a string of 12 Williams
runners through the top 13 places, which secured Williams’
victory with a score of 20 points.
The performance in the 5k race, combined with the results from the 6k event, led Asher to praise the team’s ability to race together. Throughout both races, the harriers maintained tight groups on the challenging course.
“We had some good pack running going on,” Asher said.
In addition to the solid results turned in by Williams runners, the afternoon also was marked by the presence of Eph runners from years past. The presence, according to Asher, created exciting feelings throughout the meet.
“The energy and atmosphere today were awesome,” Asher said.
The Ephs hope to carry their momentum further through the season as they prepare for the Division I New England Championships, held at Franklin Park in Boston on October 6.
Women’s 6k
1) Wiszowaty – 21:52 - Plattsburgh
2) Tropiano – 22:04 - Amherst
3) Krieg – 22:14 - Middlebury
4) Campbell – 22:22 - Alumni
5) Wilson – 22:29 - Amherst
6) Recny – 22:32 - Plattsburgh
7) Asher – 22:35 - Williams
8) Busby – 22:53 - Plattsburgh
9) Galleher – 22:54 - Amherst
10) Bezjian – 22:56 - Plattsburgh
11) Dunklee – 23:00 - Dartmouth
12) Philbrook – 23:03 - Williams
13) Yoe – 23:09 - Williams
14) Meier – 23:27 - Middlebury
15) McDermott-Murphy – 23:31 - Amherst
16) Robie – 23:36 - Williams
17) Partez – 23:39 - Amherst
18) Spar – 23:40 - Middlebury
19) Teitsworth – 23:41 - Williams
20) Meade – 23:44 - Williams
21) Anderson – 23:46 - Amherst
22) Clarke – 23:50 - Williams
23) Moser – 23:52 - Dartmouth
24) Moravec – 23:53 - Amherst
25) Schaffhower – 23:53 - Plattsburgh
Team Scores:
1) Amherst - 48
2) Plattsburgh - 50
3) Williams - 67
4) Middlebury - 94
5) Dartmouth - 169
6) Dowling - 305
7) Springfield - 306
8) Susquehanna - 339
