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| Edgar Kosgey '10 |
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 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!
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. 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)'s 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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| Connor Kamm '10 |
In 2001, despite losing all three of those 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 2002 rose to the occasion in the championship
season, copping 2nd in the NESCAC conference, 3rd in the New
England III region, and finally succeeding 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! Neal went on to be
the top class finisher in the nation each year, taking
consecutively 6th, 2nd, and finally National Champ finishes in
2003-2004-2005, 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 team 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), NECAC
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.
