Complete Results
Springfield, MA – In the final weekend before championship season begins, the Williams men's track and field team sent a handful of athletes to the Springfield Invitational. For some it was an opportunity to tune-up, while others used the meet to shoot for personal bests in what could be their last meet of the season. All in all, the Ephs walked away with many strong efforts under their belts.
The men's hammer throw kicked things off. Mykel Miller '20 got things going from the very first throw, setting a new personal best of 35.15m. Miller would come back later to set a new outdoor personal best in the shot put (11.52m).
First on the track for the Ephs was Walker Knauss '19. Knauss ran competitively against a pair of Keene State runners up front, and took 3rd in 9:25.34.
Not long after, the Ephs stacked the field in the 1500m. A good team effort in the first heat led to a 2nd-5th place sweep, plus an 8th place finish. Leading the close finish were Nick Gannon '20 (4:01.37) and Benjamin Hearon '20 (4:01.74). Both gentlemen cracked the Division III New England standard with their marks. Jacob Kahrs '19 was next through the line, coming through in 4:03.09. Rounding out the team's efforts were Jackson Ennis '20 (4:07.92) and Isaac Goodman '20 (4:11.24).
Justin LeAndre was next up on the track. The junior sprinter standout continued storming his way back to top shape, setting a season best in the 400m (52.99 seconds). Not long after, a trio of Eph first-years ran a string of personal bests in the 800m. Robert Delfeld battled hard for the win in the second heat and came through the line in 1:58.54. Ben Hearon was next, running an impressive second race of the day and finishing in 2:01.65. Last for the Ephs was Eugene Cho, who continues to creep closer to the 2 minute barrier (2:02.42).
Ian Kagame '19 returned to the field this week to continue to build on his high jump progress. He cleared his last week's mark of 1.83m on his first attempt, and continues to chase the next mark (1.88m). Also building on their progress from earlier in the season was the trio of throwers Nikolai Christopherson '19, Mykel Miller '20, and Julian Smedley '20. Christopherson bounced back from two early fouls to throw a big personal best in the discus, finishing at 34.64m. Right there with him was Miller, who narrowly missed setting a personal best and finished out at 34.33m. Smedley threw his season best, leading off with a 26.06m throw.
Kenneth Marshall '20 and Jenks Hehmeyer '20 were the final two Ephs to run. They went out in a crowded 5000m field, and worked off the energy of the field to chase some of their fastest times this season. Marshall ended up setting a new personal best in 15:41.68; Hehmeyer was just a little more than a second over his own personal best, coming through the line in 15:51.45.
With the Springfield meet wrapped up, the Ephs now turn their attention towards fighting for another NESCAC title. They will travel to Bowdoin next weekend to compete at the NESCAC Championships.
