WILLIAMSTOWN, MA — The Williams Men's Track & Field team competed on two fronts this past week, hosting the AARTFC Championships at home on Wednesday, May 15th and Thursday, May 16th, while also sending athletes to the MIT Final Qualifier on Thursday, May 16th. With top regional competition converging on the Lee Track and final national marks on the line, the Ephs rose to the occasion, delivering clutch performances, season bests, and NCAA-qualifying results as they looked to punch their tickets to Nationals.
Joseph Kouame-Waldman '26 represented Williams in the decathlon and turned in a gritty two-day performance filled with personal records. On Wednesday, he opened the competition with a personal best of 11.51 in the 100m dash, followed by another PR in the long jump with a leap of 6.18 meters (20' 3.5"). He continued the streak with a strong throw of 11.22 meters (36' 9.75") in the shot put, which stood as the best mark among all decathletes. He closed out Day 1 with a solid 400m time of 54.25 seconds.
On Thursday, Kouame-Waldman returned for the final five events. He ran 19.21 in the 110m hurdles, threw 29.05 meters (95' 3") in the discus, and cleared 3.15 meters (10' 4") in the pole vault. He followed that with a javelin throw of 37.20 meters (122' 0"), and closed out the competition with a 1500m time of 4:57.03. His efforts earned him a final score of 5245 points, a new personal best and a strong finish on his home track.
On Wednesday,
Sheehan Pierre-Louis '28 ran a personal best of 10.87 in the 100m dash. In the 3000m steeplechase,
Nikhil DeNatale '26 finished in 9:39.82.
Malcolm Oakes '28 placed 5th in the 5000m with a time of 14:50.08.
Eli Welch '28 capped off the day on the track with a personal best of 31:09.39 in the 10,000m, earning 4th place.
Williams also made noise in the field events on Wednesday, with big performances and postseason breakthroughs. In the javelin,
Brady Stahelski '27 delivered a strong series, landing a best throw of 53.98 meters (177' 1").
Vincent VanMaaren '27 cleared 4.70 meters (15' 5") in the pole vault to secure 3rd place in a competitive field. The highlight of the day came in the long jump, where
Will Murray '25 leapt 7.36 meters (24' 1.75") to place 2nd. The mark was a personal best and secured him a spot at Nationals.
Chris Xue '28 also competed, jumping 6.80 meters in an impressive showing.
On Thursday,
Keiyu Mamiya '28 ran a personal best of 3:51.54 in the 1500m to place 2nd overall.
Emil Nelson '28 also set a new PR, finishing in 3:55.13. In the 800m,
Henry Reinke '28 clocked a personal best of 1:54.48, and Charles Dybala '28 ran 1:58.87.
Meanwhile at the MIT Final Qualifier,
Tom Emery '27 ran a personal best of 3:50.19 in the 1500m. In the 800m,
Zachary Liu-Walter '26 ran a personal best of 1:50.29, improving on his season and putting himself in national qualifying range.
The AARTFC meet concluded with the 200m, which marked the final collegiate race for seniors
Oscar Newman '25 and
Jackson Davis '25. Newman finished 2nd in 21.67, while Davis crossed in 22.18. Both capped off their Williams careers with strong efforts in their last ever race, closing the day with pride and emotion on their home track.
The Ephs wrapped up their final week of competition before Nationals with a series of standout performances, including personal bests, podium finishes, and national-qualifying marks. With momentum building and the postseason heating up, a select group of Williams athletes will now look to leave their mark on the national stage.
