September 10, 2012

CENTERVILLE, MA -- Williams College became the first college in the history of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) to be awarded the ECAC Jostens Institution of the Year Award and the ECAC Rowing Trophy in the same year.  Both awards will be presented at the 2012 ECAC Honors Dinner held in conjunction with the 24th Annual ECAC Convention and Trade Show September 29-October 2 at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton, Conn.  The Honors Dinner is slated for Sunday evening, September 30.

The ECAC is the nation's largest athletic conference and only multi-divisional conference, with approximately 300 member institutions ranging across 16 states from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Illinois.  Established in 1938 with 58 charter members, the ECAC has since emerged as the nationwide leader in service.

The ECAC Jostens Institution of the Year Award is presented annually to the ECAC institution that best exemplifies the highest standards of collegiate academic and athletic performance. Williams earned the ECAC Jostens Institution of the Year Award for the third time in the past four years and a record seventh time overall. 

Princeton University is the only other multiple winner of the award capturing the title three times, including in 2010-2011. 

"I couldn’t be more pleased to receive both the ECAC Jostens Institution Award and the ECAC Rowing Trophy," said Eph Athletic Director Lisa Melendy. "These awards are both so special because they reflect the strength of combined programs. The ECAC Jostens Award is a shared award among all of our teams and all of our students. It is the goal of our department to combine athletic and academic excellence. Williams has a strong commitment to both, supported by an outstanding faculty and coaching staff."

"The ECAC Rowing Trophy underscores our commitment to supporting all of our teams to reach their full potential. Our crews put in an unbelievable amount of work and deserve all of the awards that come their way. In particular I would like to extend my congratulations to our rowing coaches, Peter Wells and Kate Maloney for their unwavering commitment and work ethic. I thank the ECAC for these honors and for the opportunity to express my pride in Williams, and in our combined academic and athletic strength."

2012 Women's Varsity 1	Women's Varsity 2

In addition to the three rowing titles (Men’s NIRC, Women’s NIRC, Overall NIRC), the Ephs won the ECAC Division III championship in Men’s Cross Country.  Williams defeated a field of 43 other institutions to take the crown for the seventh consecutive year. Williams competed in nine different ECAC Championships during 2011-2012. 

Additionally, the Ephs compiled 964.5 Learfield Directors’ Cup points to rank third nationally in NCAA Division III after having won the Directors’ Cup the past 13 years in a row. 

Using the point system developed by the ECAC to determine the ECAC Jostens Institution of the Year, Williams compiled 22.65 points to win the title over runner-up Middlebury College by over two full points.  MIT placed third.  Middlebury competed in eight ECAC Championships winning one (Women’s Division III cross country) while MIT also won one title (Women’s Division III Indoor Track & Field), while competing in 11 events.

Williams’ four ECAC titles in 2011-2012 were the most by any institution.  SUNY Cortland with three ECAC Championships was the only other institution to win more than two.

2012 marked the second consecutive year Williams College has earned the ECAC Rowing Trophy.  The Ephs are only the second Division III institution to capture the award, which was established in 2002.  Trinity College is the only other Division III institution to row to the hardware.

The Eph women rowers captured te ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships in both the first and second varsity races, while the novice rowers grabbed silver medals for their efforts on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. The Eph point total of 77 far outdistanced runner-up Ithaca College by 14 points.

Men's Varsity 1	Men's Cross Country

Not to be out done, the men’s varsity rowers also won the ECAC NIRC.  The Eph men’s second varsity placed fourth, while the men’s novice boat stroked to a second place finish.  Williams edged New England Small College Athletic Conference rival Trinity College by a single point in the final standings with 73 points.

The Ephs ran away with the overall points total, finishing ahead of runner-up Trinity, 149 to 125.

View the complete list of ECAC Jostens Institution of the Year Award winners HERE.

Persons interested in attending the Honors Dinner should contact Roger Crosley, ECAC Director of Communications, at 508-771-5060, ext. 230, or via email at rcrosley@ecac.org.