New London, CT– The Williams College Men's Cross Country team returned to the coastal course of Harkness Park for today's Division III Mid-East Regional Championship. Finishing five runners in the top 25 individual places, the Ephs scored just 76 points to clinch second overall.
Captain
Chuckie Namiot '25 established himself at the front of the field early in the race. As the race progressed, Namiot and Nathan Tassey of Roger Williams distanced themselves from the pack, exchanging the lead as they surged around the course's grassy fields. In a final push to the finish, Tassey took first in a time of 24:03, with Namiot finishing close behind in a time of 24:11. This podium finish marked Namiot's best performance at a regional championship during his Williams cross-country career.
First-time regional competitors
Malcolm Oakes '28 and
Rick Yanashita '26 were the next two Ephs to cross the line. Working together the whole way, both Oakes and Yanashita consistently moved up over the course of the 8K distance, taking 14th and 15th overall in times of 24:58 and 24:59, respectively. Another pair of Williams racers,
Luke Zanuck '26 and
Keiyu Mamiya '28 finished soon after, both blazing through the line in a time of 25:09 (22nd and 23rd, respectively). Just ten seconds later,
Alex Kemp '28 surged through the finish, crossing the line in 26th place (25:19).
Ryan Hardiman '26 was close behind, finishing in a time of 25:28 to clinch 30th place overall. Just 77 seconds separated Hardiman's finish from Namiot's, showcasing the team's characteristic focus on compression and interchangeability.
Unlike other championship races of the cross country season, the regional meet acts exclusively as a qualifier for the National Championships. As such, the Ephs' goals for the race extended beyond today and into next weekend. As Captain
Chuckie Namiot '25 summarized, the team objective was to "survive and advance." He elaborated, "The team strategy was to try and repeat what we did at NESCACs and move up over the course of the race, which we executed to varying levels of success. As a team, we've definitely had better days, but it seems like we did enough to get through to nationals, which is what counts."
Head Coach
Dusty Lopez '01 added, "we knew it would be tough to beat RPI and get the automatic bid– they ran very well, so credit to them. Fortunately, we've had some success beating good teams from outside our region earlier in the season. That should be enough to earn a bid to nationals." As NESCAC Champions and Regional runner-ups, the Ephs are poised to secure an at-large qualifying bid for next weekend's Division III National Championships in Terre Haute, IN.
Official Results Linked Here.
