Lansing, Michigan – Clouds of sharply expelled breaths erupted into the freezing Michigan air this morning as the Ephs Braved frigid temperatures to compete in the NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships. Racing against 292 women from the 32 fastest DIII teams in the nation, as well as some talented individual qualifiers, the Williams Women beat their predicted placing of 10th coming into the 6k race, capturing 9th overall and crowning two individual All-Americans in the process.
Molly Fitzgibbons '24, crossed the line first for Williams in a time of 22:27. Fitzgibbons' blistering kick secured her 18th place and an All-American title. Ella Ball '25, crossing the line close behind in 22:33, also earned All-American honors with her 26th place finish. Head Coach Farwell praised both women for their incredible races, adding that "[Ball's race] was a significant improvement for her as a cross country runner in just her sophomore year."
Captain Alex Bettez '23 finished next for Williams, surging up the chute to solidify 62nd place in a time of 23:02. Genna Girard '24 followed her teammate's lead, crossing the line in 23:10 to finish 76th. "Genna got well as usual and gave it her all, despite feeling some illness," said Farwell.
"Our 5-6-7 crew moved up as they always do, with a real mind-set to get that vital 5th finisher in as high as possible," Farwell noted. True to form, Fiona Picone '26 and Lucy Gagnon '24 showed enormous teamwork throughout the race, culminating in them finishing within two seconds of each other: Picone in 23:48, and Gagnon in 23:50. "The start was a bit of a nightmare, and for the rest of the race we were playing catchup," Picone admitted when asked about her performance, "but everything considered I ended up having a good race that I'm happy with." Rounding out the Eph's spectacular varsity squad was Grace Kaercher, who, in Farwell's words, "dug deep and made every effort to speed up a gear and have the sprint that tops off a race," crossing the line in 24:32.
Both Picone and Kaercher said that the race "felt longer than 6k today. It felt tough." This may have been due to the fact that the Ephs battled more than just their competition this morning. With an ambient temperature of 20 degrees fahrenheit (windchill dropped this to below 10 degrees), racers were uncharacteristically bundled up– headbands, leggings, long sleeves, gloves– in order to protect themselves from the harsh environment. "By the time I passed through the finish, my quads were frozen blocks," Kaercher joked candidly, "I've never run a colder race in my life!" Moreover, significant snowfall in Lansing meant that the course had to be plowed before the races began; however, Picone laughingly revealed that although officials "said they plowed the course… it was only a half-truth." Indeed, racers frequently found themselves running on– or through– the snow in order to move up during the race.
Despite this significant hurdle, the Williams Women competed with heart. "We did the best we could– it was a real testament to our perseverance," Kaercher lauded. This grit and determination was particularly attributed to the team's captains, like Bettez, who has been "such a great leader and example for the team to emulate," Farwell praised. Maddy Lawler '23 was also lauded for her leadership, and her support as an alternate inspired the team to perform to their best abilities. "We coaches are so proud of and pleased with this team, which has created a sensational season, putting in the commitment and training and simultaneously doing wonderfully in their classes," Farwell commented with evident pride. "No one could ask more."
Results linked here.
