AMHERST, Mass. - The Williams College men's cross country team opened its 2025 season with a win on Saturday morning at the Little Three Championships hosted by Amherst.
The Ephs placed their five scoring runners in the top 10 of the race, and finished with a team score of 29, well ahead of Wesleyan (47) and Amherst (50).
Sophomore Eli Welch was the first Williams' runner across the line, finishing the 6-kilometer race with a time of 18:43, just ahead of senior Nikhil DeNatale (18:49) in third.
Senior Luke Zanuck (19:08, 6th) and sophomore Malcolm Oakes (19:13, 8th) were next for the Ephs, followed by TJ Zwall (19:21, 10th), who rounded out the top five in his collegiate debut. Fellow first-year Liam O'Connor also finished in the scoring places (19:46, 17th), just behind teammate Rick Yanashita (19:38, 13th). A total of 20 Ephs finished on Saturday, as the team recaptured the Little Three title from Amherst, who topped Williams by three points a year ago.
The Ephs will visit Vassar next weekend in the Ron Stonitsch Invitational before the team's only home race of 2025 on Sept. 20, hosting the Purple Valley Classic at Mount Greylock Regional School in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
