COMPLETE RESULTS
Northampton, MA––The Williams Track and Field team continued their season today at the Pioneer Invitational, hosted by Smith College. Although a sizeable portion of the team did not compete today, the Ephs who did make the trip held their own against several other schools, including NESCAC teams Amherst, Wesleyan, and Connecticut College, finishing 4th with 88 points.
"Today was an opportunity to make some strong steps forward and race guys," said head coach Ethan Barron. "For some it was their first race of the year, but I feel as though everyone who suited up this weekend showed progress from their last competition"
The day started with the field events. In the throws, Ephs Mykel Miller '20 and Julian Smedley '19 each had good performances. Miller finished 10th in the shot put with a throw of 10.96m. Smedley finished just behind him, with a new personal best mark of 10.03m, breaking 10 for the first time. In the weight throw, Smedley finished 9th with a throw of 10.57m. Miller, throwing the weight in competition for the first time ever, had a solid mark of 9.27m, finishing in 14th place.
In the jumps, the Ephs met with considerable success. Connor Harris '18 won the long jump with a mark of 6.62m. Amhyr Barber '20 followed closely behind, finishing 3rd in 6.38m, a new personal best. Both athletes also competed in the 60-meter dash, with similar success. Harris set a personal best by over a tenth of a second, finishing 2nd in 7.17. His time qualifies him for Divison III New Englands. Barber finished in 4th with his own personal best of 7.26.
The Ephs also competed well in the mid-distance events. In the 400, Eliot Fong '19 finished 2nd in a time of 52.89. In the 600, captain Steven Yannacone '17 ran 1:24.62, also finishing 2nd overall on the strength of a fierce finishing kick. He has qualified for Division III New Englands. Also competing in the 600 were Jacob Nadelman '19 and Eugene Cho '20. They finished 1-2 in their heat in times of 1:28.33 and 1:28.70, finishing in 5th and 6th overall. In the 1000, Alex Cowen '18 ran a well-paced race, finishing 4th in a time of 2:35.46, also qualifying for Division III New Englands. First-year Kevin LaFleche '20 crossed the finish line before any other athlete, but was later disqualified for cutting in too early.
Williams most shone on the track today in the 3000 meter run. In this event, the duo of Liam Simpson '18 and Griffin Colaizzi '18 set a furious pace from the start, pulling away from the rest of the field. Simpson ultimately prevailed, finishing in 8:28.65. Colaizzi closely followed in 8:33.99. Simpson's time is the best in the nation so far this year. Colaizzi ranks 6th. Each athlete easily qualified for All New Englands. Behind them, the rest of the Ephs competing also acquitted themselves very well. First-year Sam Wischnewsky '20 ran with the chase pack for much of the race before kicking ahead at the finish, finishing in 4th with a time of 8:52.59. Wischnewsky qualified for Division III New Englands for his effort. Behind him, Walker Knauss '19 won his heat by 20 seconds with a time of 9:05.33, a new personal best and 9th overall. And first-year Kenneth Marshall ran a convincing debut of 9:13.94, finishing 11th.
Barron was pleased with the team's improvements at this meet, saying that "a huge key for this year's team is consistent growth. We're working to break through barriers for the first time. And it's always hardest the first time. It requires more focus and grit. This team seems excited to take up that challenge."
The Ephs return to competition again next Saturday, January 28, at the Middlebury Invitational, hosted by Middlebury College.
