CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Williams College interim head coach Tom Foote was named Rookie Coach of the Year at the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championship after leading the Ephs to their best-ever finish and helping Peter Kane earn the first-ever individual national championship for a Williams wrestler.
The Ephs finished 9th out of the 71 participating teams at the NCAA Championship, with Kane winning the 157-pound weight class, Jamie Evarts finishing third at 184, and Caleb Seyfried also earning All-American honors with an eighth-place finish at 149. Six Ephs advanced to NCAAs after the team earned second place at Regionals two weeks earlier, also the best finish in that competition since the format was established in 2012-13.
In addition to the team's historic performances at both Regionals and the NCAA Championship, the Ephs finished the season with a number of impressive dual-meet wins, including a 19-18 win over #13 Castleton on February 13 and a 42-11 win over #22 Oneonta on February 7, as well as a third-place finish at the Budd Whitehall Duals on January 9-10.Â
Foote became the Ephs' interim head coach in December after having served as the team's assistant coach for ten years, starting in the 2015-16 season, and also having been a volunteer assistant coach in 2013-14 following his graduation from Williams. He was an assistant coach at Episcopal High School in 2014-15 prior to returning to Williamstown.
A graduate in the class of 2013, Foote is the most accomplished heavyweight wrestler in Williams wrestling history, appearing in the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) finals all four seasons and earning all-NEWA honors. He was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier.
