COMPLETE RESULTS
VIDEO COVERAGE
WILLIAMSTOWN,MA-Williams hosted the Little Three track & Field Championships to kick off the 2013 outdoor championship season. Current team members came together to face Amherst College and Wesleyan University for the last time on the Plansky track, before the track is rebuilt and relocated. The Little Three championships is a time honored tradition for the Williams track team and Alumni came to support and commemorate the final track meet on Plansky track. Tony Plansky was a legendary coach at Williams for 43 years. To celebrate his memory and his contribution to Williams athletics, in 1987 the new track was named in his honor. This year, in memorializing the last track meet on Plansky track, the Ephs won their 28th Little Three title with 187 points, Wesleyan placed second and Amherst came in third.
The Ephs' field team had a strong presence in all the field events, which helped gain Williams valuable points.
Junior Amina Avril was a tri-champion in the discus, hammer throw, and shot put. Avril bettered the field in the discus with a throw of 124' 05" to place first. Avril also set a new Little Three record in the hammer throw. On her final attempt she threw a distance of 176' 05". Williams gained more points in the event with freshmen Bethany Berry (131'08") placing second and Zatio Kone in third (78' 07"). Finally, Avril went on to place first in the shot put with a throw of 37' 09.50". Freshman Elise Pitmon threw a distance of 31' 04.50" to place second.
Pitmon also went on to win the javelin (83'06"). Junior Rachel Maclean placed third behind Wesleyan's Geneva Jonathan, with a mark of 72'10".
The jumps team had a spectacular day with many athletes achieving seasonal personal bests.
Pole vault specialist, junior Jenna Adams, broke the Little Three record by clearing a height of 12' 06". Co-interim head coach Pete Farwell was dazzled by Adam's performance, "It was great to see Jenna hit her marks consistently, and I am very excited to have her hold the new Little Three record."
The Williams seniors swept the long jump, Tanasia Hoffler (18-02.25) took first, Brooke Johnson(17' 9.00")second, and Julie Paschal (17' 04.75") third.
Williams also dominated the triple jump with Johnson (38' 04.00" ) in first, followed by freshmen Elena Zifkin (33' 10.25") in second, and Bethany Berry (33' 02.50") in third .
Furthermore, Paschal and Pitmon placed first and second in the high jump with a height of 5' 01".
The competitive atmosphere of the meet was heightened as Williams battled Amherst and Wesleyan on the track.
The women's 4x100 relay team (Diana Mejia, Amanda Murashige, Annie Lynch, and Bethany Berry) passed Wesleyan in the last leg of the race to win with a time of 50.10.
The 100m was a close race. Freshman Alexis Walter of Wesleyan edged out her teammate Idara Foster to cross the finish line with a time of 12.69. Nevertheless, Eph juniors Amanda Murashige (12.84) and Annie Lynch (12.85) were close on their heels and placed third and fourth.
Murashige demonstrated her strength in the sprints when she ran a 25.70 in the 200m to place first. Teammate Annie Lynch finished closely behind her with a time of 26.13 followed by Idara Foster from Wesleyan (26.31).
Sophomore Ashley Graves left the competition well behind in the 400m and crossed the finish line with an impressive time of 58.64. Senior Desiree Daring placed second with time of 59.74, and Sydney Cogswell of Wesleyan placed third (1:00.51).
In the 800 captains Brianne Mirecki (2:19.84) and Rebecca Fine (2:22.98) placed first and third. Senior Lauren Almeida (Amherst) placed second (2:20.31)
In the 1500m juniors Kaleigh Kenny and Brianne Mirecki challenged each other for first place. In the last stretch of the race Kenny out kicked Mirecki to place first with a time of 4:40.80, and Mirecki with a time of 4:42.06 for a close second.
Senior Keri Lambert and freshman Caroline Rose of Amherst claimed first and second in the 5000m. Senior Chloe Lalonde from Wesleyan placed third. Junior Leslie Blackshear, after returning from a long injury, scored points for Williams in the event running a time of 18:58.06.
Freshman Lacey Serlettie made her debut in the 3000m Steeplechase running a time of 11:38.17. Coach Farwell was very impressed with Serlettie's performance: " Lacey ran a good time considering this was her first time running the event, and being the only competitor in the race".
Grace Weatherall placed first for Williams in the 100H with a time of 15.33. Geneva Jonathan of Wesleyan placed second (16.17), with sophomore Diana Mejia in third (16.81).
Mejia came back to run the 400m hurdles. She placed second (1:09.49) behind Geneva Jonathan (Wesleyan) who placed first with a time of 1:07.63.
The 4x400m relay was the last event on the track. Williams A team (Murashige, Lynch, Daring, Fine) led the way with a time of 4:03.89. Amherst was second (4:09.14) with Williams B team closely behind to finish third ( 4:10.03).
Overall it was a great day for the Williams track team. After the meet ended there was a brief closing ceremony for the Plansky Track, which was attended by President Adam Falk, Athletic Director Lisa Medley, and VP for Strategic Planning & Institutional Diversity Office Michael Reed, who was an Ephe runner during his time at Williams. Alumnus Sean Hyland '07,who ran in the Boston Marathon on Monday, and competed in the exhibition Alumni Mile at todays meet commented, " it was great being able to run on Plansky Track again. It was great seeing new faces on the track team, but knowing that we all share the bond of being Williams runners and having the same experience of being coached under Coach Farley and Farwell". It was a great tribute to the Plansky track to close with a home victory, and with the support of Williams administrators, Alumni, fellow Ephs, and family.
Co-interim head coach Dick Farley final remark on the meet was, "the team competed very well. They are peaking at the right time and it was a good final meet at the Plansky track".
Next week Williams will compete at the NESCAC Championship meet at Tufts University.
