Lansing, Michigan– Teeth gritted with exertion, the Williams men surged across the finish line of their 8k race, marking the end of their splendid 2022 season with their efforts at the NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships. Competing against the best 32 teams in the Nation, MIT finished first overall with 82, Wartburg in second with 129 points, and Geneseo in third with 168. Although the Ephs narrowly missed out on the podium with their 6th place finish (199 points), they boasted a number of laudable individual performances, with the two top finishers for Williams earning All-American honors.
Finishing first for the Ephs with a spectacular race was John Lucey '24, placing 18th overall in a time of 25:22. Lucey's standout race, culminating in an All-American finish, was given a number of shout-outs, including one from Head Coach Pete Farwell. Farwell called Lucey's race "just stupendous," adding that "he went out pretty hard… but boy, he looked good the whole way! When I thought he might fade out, he actually moved up in the last 400 meters and caught several guys, which was tremendous. It's great there will be another All American coming back next year to lead our group."
Elias Lindgren '23 crossed the finish line close behind in 25:26, capturing 23d which also ensured him an All-American title. Despite this honor, Lindgren called his race "kind of a heartbreaker," referencing his hope of medaling at this meet. Coach Farwell noted that "he's tough, but of course he is still disappointed. This is his senior year and he ran great in the front 5-man pack, as he was focused on that high position, but faded in the final 600 meters." However, Farwell echoed the sentiments of the rest of WXC when he claimed that "it all comes down to what you can do on that day, and we coaches are really proud of everyone."
Charging up the chute next for the Ephs was Nikhil DeNatale '26 in a time of 25:43, awarding him 50th place. "Steeplers do well in tough conditions," Farwell cheekily noted, alluding to both the frigid temperatures as well as DeNatale's favorite track event. Indeed, in a field of 292 individuals, DeNatale was the second freshman to cross the finish line. His teammate Grahm Tuohy Gaydos '25 followed close behind, finishing 63d in a time of 25:52.
Simon Kissam '23 and Will Spollen '23 worked together through the line, respectively finishing 87th in 26:00, and 104th in 26:07. Eyes locked on the characteristic spotted uniforms of his teammates, Nate Lentz '25 finished soon thereafter, capturing 153 place in 26:20.
A huge challenge faced by the Ephs were the conditions on the course. Frigid temperatures, as well as high winds, were both at play during the men's 8k race. "It was a little choppy out there. There was plenty of snow all over the course which made it fun, but there were parts that were better plowed than others," DeNatale shared. Thus, there was "a lot of trying to fight for position" as racers jockeyed for space on rare slivers of exposed grass. The snow and the crowd also proved to be a nuisance as they obscured important distance markers on the course. Thus, racers were unsure of how far they were into the race– and how much they had to go. "If you're at where you think you're going to see a mile marker, and you don't see anything… it's hard to know how far you have to go until the finish," Farwell validated. However, despite these tricky conditions, the men persevered and, after reflecting on the race as a whole, Tuohy Gaydos echoed the sentiments of his team when he concluded that although "our efforts didn't get us where we wanted team-points-wise… I think we all walked away knowing we were happy with how the race went in terms of the effort we all put in."
Results linked here.
