Brunswick, Maine– After a season of ups and downs, the Williams College Men's Cross Country team brought home a significant victory at today's NESCAC Championship. Contending against a deep field of fast competitors, key pack running late in the race brought the Ephs to victory on a tiebreaker, scoring 76 points to Amherst's 77.
Though they weren't intending to cut it so close, moving up in place throughout the race was always the plan for the Ephs today. At the first mile, the team was in fifth overall, and they had only moved into third place by the penultimate time they crossed the timing mat. It was only in the last mile of the race, by passing key scorers from other teams, that the Ephs were able to emerge victorious. "We were thinking a lot about moving up during the race. Winning at the halfway mark doesn't always mean winning," explained team captain
Chuckie Namiot '25. "Our goal for today was to be working on the offensive rather than the defensive during the second half of the race, and we executed this strategy well." Namiot was excited to report that "there were lots of green triangles" in the team's results, signifying individual improvements in placement over the course of the race. Rather than being motivated entirely by strategy, Namiot enthused, "we were excited to race. NESCACs are always a fun day, and most people were able to maintain a positive mindset both leading up to the race and as it was going, which made a big difference. We're hoping to keep this momentum going forward into the rest of the season."
Namiot was the Ephs' first finisher, leading the team to victory at today's championship meet. Along with
Ryan Hardiman '26, both established themselves at the front of the field early on, holding their own against fast competitors from other schools as they finished the first of the many loops the course entailed. As the race continued, Namiot remained consistent, distancing himself from the competition to work through the final few kilometers alone. Crossing the line in a time of 24:40, Namiot earned the title of NESCAC individual champion and First Team All-NESCAC honors. Not far behind, Hardiman surged around the last few turns to finish in a time of 25:01. Hardiman's 9th place individual finish earned him All-NESCAC Second Team honors.
Juniors
Rick Yanashita '26 and
Luke Zanuck '26 formed another strong pair, competing together to pick off the competition around them. The two Ephs traded positions frequently, pushing each other as they progressed over the 8K distance. Yanashita crossed the line first in a time of 25:17 (20th), with Zanuck finishing close behind in 25:20 (22nd).
The pack running of
Keiyu Mamiya '28,
Malcolm Oakes '28, and
Alex Kemp '28 helped to secure the Ephs their tie breaking victory. Though beginning in very different places, the three first-years found each other in the midst of the back trails and worked together for the remainder of the race. The compression between their finishes was just under two seconds– the three crossed the line in 25:21.79, 25:22.30, and 25:23.36, respectively. Not far behind,
Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos '25 stayed connected to the pack, also critically displacing top-seven runners from other squads and safeguarding the Ephs' team score. Tuohy-Gaydos finished in a time of 25:32, taking 31st overall.
Leading the next group of Ephs was
Avery Allen '27. Allen showed grit and determination, racing hard with a rotating crew of team members over the course of the 8K distance. Crossing the line in a time of 25:44, Allen finished in 42nd place overall. Juniors
Nikhil DeNatale '26 and
Bradley St. Laurent '26 were next to finish for the team. Starting off toward the back of the field, both DeNatale and St. Laurent moved up significantly over the course of the race, working together to improve their place. The two Ephs finished in 25:52 and 25:53, respectively, taking 45th and 46th overall.
Battling sickness,
Eli Welch '28 fought hard in his first NESCAC championship. Welch remained competitive as the race progressed, crossing the finish line in a time of 26:15. Also showing strength in the face of illness was
Henry Alexander '27, finishing in a time of 26:36.
Sophomore
Duncan DeProfio '27 and junior
Blake Biever '26 also made their NESCAC debuts today. DeProfio remained composed over the course of the race, fending off competitors from other schools as he crossed the line in a time of 26:39. Biever showed strength as well, remaining competitive as the race progressed and finishing in a time of 27:03.
"It takes guts and discipline to run a race like this," head coach
Dusty Lopez '01 emphasized. "This was a true team effort. Everybody can be proud of their race and their season. We had strong improvements from a lot of people over the course of the year, and certainly from last year for returners." Coach Lopez enthused, "It's a very exciting day, when you squeak something out like that– almost like a buzzer beater in basketball, a great feeling."
The Ephs hope to keep this momentum going into the Division III Mid-East Regional Championship, where they will attempt to qualify for the NCAA Division III National Cross Country Championships. The Regional will be hosted by Connecticut College in New London, CT, on Saturday, November 16th.
Official Results Linked Here.
