Philbrook All-American & All-Region; Scofield, Asher, Shea, Kuntz, Teitsworth & Clarke All-Region

The United States Track & Field and Cross Cou ntry Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) bestows All-Region honors on the top 35 finishers at the NCAA Regional Championship race and All-American honors on the top 35 finishers at the NCAA Championship race.

ALL-AMERICAN:
Lauren Philbrook '09, 19th Place 2008 NCAA XC Championships & All-Region:

Senior Lauren Philbrook had a solid running career for three years at Williams, but it may have been being voted captain that brought her to the front of the pack. "After a junior track season that saw Lauren make dramatic training breakthroughs that led to several PR’s (personal records) including her first NCAA provisional qualifying time for the 10,000-meter run, the x-country team knew Philbrook would be a performance leader," assistant coach Mitchell Baker stated.

And then, as one of four captains for the fall, she would also be counted upon to serve as a vocal leader, coach liaison, and team builder. Throughout the ups and downs that come to every team in any season, she led the women's harriers in every meet at which she competed, racking up a series of finishes that rival the best runners in the program's storied history, and balanced that racing as a ‘team-first’ captain of great impact.

Philbrook is one of the most improved racers on the team, and her progression can easily be tracked in her four years of competing in the NESCAC Championship. This year she led the team to it's first title since 2005 with a 5th place individual finish on the heels of past NESCAC finishes of 19th ('07), 32nd ('06), and 27th ('05). She also took second, to eventual NCAA runner-up Elise Tropiano of Amherst, in the Little Three. 

"After being slightly disappointed at her own performance at the conference level, she stormed to an impressive second place finish in the rain at the NCAA New England Regional Championship on the team's home course. Philbrook bested a number of rivals sending her confidence to a new high and far surpassing past performances of 30th ('07), 47th ('06), and 69th ('05)," observed Baker.

"A model of consistency since her career began, Lauren drove herself to a high peak at the NCAA meet where she ran to her first All-American certificate and a 19th place finish, leading the team back to the podium (top-4) for the first time since her inaugural campaign as a first year," said Baker. "Her role on the team, however, had gone from first-year backup to senior headliner as clearly evidenced by her previous national finishes of 97th ('07) and 177th as a first year ('05).” Head Coach Pete Farwell summed it up:  “Her hard work and results will inspire the next three classes of Eph harriers to emulate her desire, dedication, teamwork, and racing success.”

MORE EPH ALL-REGION HONOREES:

Bret Scofield ’10, 15th Place 2008 NCAA Regional Championships:

Bret Scofield

Junior Bret Scofield’s successful 2008 track season and summer training put her in prime position to make an impact this fall.  She spent the entire cross country season in the varsity top seven, pushing herself and her teammates in practices and races.  The hard work paid off at the NCAA Division III Regional, where Scofield placed 15th overall (2nd for the team) in a time of 23:21.6, then went over a minute faster at the NCAA National Championship with a 79th place finish (4th for the team) in 22:16.86, helping the team secure a third place finish. 

Rachel Asher ’09, 17th Place 2008 NCAA Regional Championships:

After spending the spring and summer abroad in Argentina, Rachel Asher returned to campus with one goal: lead her team to the NCAA National Championships.  Although she had been an All-American in 2006 and Williams’ number one runner for most of the 2007 season, Asher had not been able to train as much during the summer months.  Therefore, the senior and team captain spent much of the season building up her base and refining her speed, making a major breakthrough at the perfect time at the NCAA Regional (17th place, 3rd for the team) and coming in 140th at the NCAA Championship meet in her fastest race of the season, 22:49.33. 

Meghan Shea ’11, 18th Place 2008 NCAA Regional Championships:

Meghan Shea

Meghan Shea (18th) is a novice cross country runner, having played soccer in high school and missing last fall’s harrier season with illness. Head Coach Pete Farwell praises her “quick mastery of the sport after last spring’s excellent track season debuting in the steeplechase, dedicated summer training, and throwing her self into the top echelon of Williams racers this fall.” Her season included a 2nd team All NESCAC recognition for her 13th place at the conference championships, 18th place to gain All-Region status, and finally a super-fast PR race of 22:12 at nationals to garner 73rd place as 3rd team finisher, helping the Ephs to a third place finish and an NCAA trophy. 

Robin Kuntz ’09, 30th Place 2008 NCAA Regional Championships:

Robin Kuntz

Some athletes come in and perform at a high level from the beginning. Others build into that role year-by-year. Kuntz represents a third but equally successful model: after a cross country career beset by injury and disappointment, she focused on speed events on the track (400-hurdles and 800-meters) only to return to the trails her senior year with renewed vigor and an excellent summer of training.

With her ceiling unknown, she listened to her body throughout the early parts of the season and found herself as high as second on the team at the All New England Championships. Despite a mid-season lull, she regrouped when the team lost two runners to injury, she nabbed 30th place at the NCAA Regional Championship (5th for the team) closing the door on scoring and securing the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. At the NCAA level, she came up big for the team again, leading a tight pack of 2-3-4 runners with a 68th place finish, dropping her time from 23:49 at the Regional to 22:10 at the NCAA Championship Race.

Elly Teitsworth ’10, 31st Place 2008 NCAA Regional Championships:

Elly Teitsworth

Elly Teitsworth (31st) ran her signature come-from-behind race to pass some 100 runners and gain All-Region honors for the third time in her career. Teitsworth annually improves immensely during the season, moving up through the ranks of her teammates to claim a top-seven spot for the Ephs, and she contributed again this year as fifth scorer at the nationals, securing the team a third place NCAA trophy and podium position. Head Coach Pete Farwell observed: “Elly is continually shifting gears in a race, starting in first gear and accelerating throughout, finishing in ‘over-drive’ for the final mile”

Jessica Clarke ’10, 32nd Place 2008 NCAA Regional Championships:

Jessica Clarke

Jessica Clarke (32nd) moved into the top five Ephs for the first time this season, and completed her campaign as All-Region runner. “Jess trained hard this summer to be ready to fill the shoes of two graduated seniors and our top returning runner who chose to study a semester abroad this fall,” noted Head Coach Pete Farwell. "And she came through with flying colors, and feet! She was a crucial cog in the signature Eph ‘pack attack’ of Williams’ 2nd through 8th runners who trained and raced step-for-step together this year.