WILLIAMSTOWN, MA—On November 17, 2018, the Williams College Ephs' raced on the spectacular 6k NCAA DIII Championship course on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's campus. The nation's top 32 teams, including those who the Ephs faced off against at both NESCACs and NCAA DIII New Englands, were present at the meet. Overall, runners selected from 8 regions came together in Oshkosh for one last fast dash for the championship title.
In the end, Washington University won the meet with 98 points. They were followed extremely closely by Johns Hopkins who took 2nd with 99 points. The Williams College Ephs, finished in 7th, with 283 points to their name. What is especially notable about this finish is that the Ephs beat rival and NESCAC champion Middlebury, who placed 8th with 301 points.
Paige Lawler, a junior from Washington University, won the 6k race in a time of 20:55. Junior Emma Herrmann was the first Eph to finish, taking 46th with a time of 22:06. Hermann was 6 spots away from being an All-American, as the top 40 runners earn that title. Senior captain Emily Harris placed 58th with a time of 22:15, and junior Audrey Rustad followed just behind in 61st with a time of 22:16.
Sophomore Sarah Tully was the next Ephs to meet her teammates at the finish line, running a time of 22:37 for 108th place. First-year Grace Dailey followed behind soon after and ran 22:39 for 114th place. Head Coach Pete Farwell particularly noted Dailey's performance, noting that she "truly dug deep to kick it in down the stretch." Sophomore Jaylan Fraser-Mines finished about one minute after Tully and Dailey, running 23:34 for 226th place. Senior Captain Lindsay Klickstein finished right behind Fraser-Mines for 240th, running a time of 23:40.
The Ephs again showed their depth, as the difference between runners 1 and 5 time was a mere 30 seconds, a small spread which indicates how close the pack was. Head Coach Pete Farwell noted especially "great racing in a dense field, everyone moving up, and super finishing over final kilometer, picking up several team places." He was also quite excited about the Ephs finish: "this completed an excellent Team season, beyond expectations."
The NCAA DIII National Championship marks the end of the Women's XC season. The team continues is excited for the upcoming indoor track season and looks to continue making gains next year and beyond.
