Westfield, Mass.-- The Williams College Men's Cross Country team raced with tenacity over the rocky trails of Stanley Park, securing a podium finish at today's James Earley Invitational. The Ephs' top five scoring runners scored a cumulative 97 points to earn third place overall. Roger Williams University took second with a score of 51 points, and Wesleyan University placed first (32 points).
With a fast start,
Bradley St. Laurent '26 put himself in contention for the lead from the beginning of the race. As he looped the fields and entered the woods, St. Laurent remained composed and engaged, matching stride with Dylan Beggins of Roger Williams until the last kilometer of the race. Beggins crossed the line in first place with a time of 25:33, but St. Laurent was close behind, sprinting to second overall in a time of 25:55. Today's podium finish was the highest of St. Laurent's collegiate career. He reflected, lauding his teammates' efforts as well, that "this [race] was a unique chance for people who aren't normally up at the front to compete and get the varsity collegiate experience. We've all raced a lot, but haven't gotten the chance to compete in a field where we could contend and score; it was great to have a chance to show what we could do at the front."
Not far behind St. Laurent,
Blake Biever '26 was next to cross the line. Biever competed well, staying engaged with the front pack even as the race began to string out. Showing grit, Biever surged around the final turns, racing to a 15th place finish and a time of 27:06. Senior
Victor Cazabal '25 was the next Eph to finish. In the final cross country race of his collegiate career, Cazabal showed off his strength and experience, remaining composed as he navigated the woods loop and attacking the final straightaway. Cazabal crossed the line in a time of 27:54, taking 31st place overall.
Henry Reinke '28 was close behind, working to stay connected with his teammates amidst the traffic of other competitors on the narrow trails of the course. Reinke's time of 28:02 earned him 31st place. Charles Dybala '28 was the next Eph to cross the line. Working with Cazabal and Reinke over the course of the race, Dybala pushed himself to stay competitive, sprinting to the line in a time of 28:07. Finishing next for the Ephs was
Rex Bedwick '28. Bedwick remained tough over the course of the 8k distance, working with teammates and competing well to earn 44th place overall (28:20). Wrapping up the Ephs' top seven was
Jackson McFerron '28. McFerron, after remaining composed through a difficult race, left it all on the course as he sprinted through the line in a time of 28:53 to take 59th place.
Eph head coach
Dusty Lopez '01 was enthusiastic about the team's performance. "We wanted to build on what we did last week. This was a flat, fast course– our goal was to get near the front of the pack and run from there, and we executed that plan well. It was nice to see Bradley competing to try to win the race, and some others were in scoring roles they hadn't been in before. Even in races that weren't the best, people put themselves in good positions. We want to be trusting in our training and taking some chances here and there, especially at this point in the season," Lopez emphasized.
The Ephs will have another chance to showcase their training at the Connecticut College Invitational next Saturday, October 19th at Harkness Park. This will be their last regular season meet before the New England Small College Athletic Conference Championships on November 2nd.
Official Results Linked Here.
