Williams Invitational Preps Track Team for Meets
WILLIAMSTOWN - The Williams men's track and field team competed the second meet of the year – the Williams Invitational – at home in the zoolike atmosphere of the Towne Field House on Saturday.The Ephs went head-to-head against the College of St. Rose and Union College. The meet was not scored.
The only home indoor meet of the season saw the field house packed to capacity as competitors, coaches and fans lined the track throughout the afternoon. Head coach Pete Farwell was pleased with the atmosphere at the home meet, citing the high level of "spirit" among everyone in attendance.
The Eph tracksters didn't disappoint as they carried home victories left and right. The highlights of the day were the two field house records set by Williams' own Andrew Arons in both the 200- and 300-meter dashes. Arons' times of 35.78 in the 300, and 22.61 in the 200 took down the old records, ones that he had his sights on heading into the meet.
"The records were what I was going for," Arons said. "We ran the races as a workout, but I was still gunning for the times."
Setting the records after a hard week of training, and in a workout setting bodes well for Arons' future races, but the speedy senior's focus is on the team's future.
"I just want to win New Englands [the Division III New England Championship], and to beat Tufts," Arons said.
Arons' grudge against Tufts is understandable after the NESCAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships last season when the Jumbos made the jumbo mistake of what some might consider foul play on their way to tying Williams for the conference crown. With his sights now set on Tufts, the Jumbos had better watch out if Arons goes after them with the same intensity that he showed in today's meet.
Arons' victories in the sprints were followed by other solid performances from his squad. Senior Deividas Seferis finished second in the 200 behind Arons, and in the 600-meter dash, freshmen Taylor Fitzgerald and Geoffrey Rodriguez went first
and third in quick times of 1:25.23 and 1:27.40, respectively. Matt Sullivan, another freshman, continued the strong start to his collegiate career with second place in the 55-meter hurdles in a time of 8.13 seconds.
Senior Mack Brickley stepped up in distance, racing the 1-mile run and out-gutting junior Connor Kamm. The two battled through the final two laps, teammates cheering at what many consider an upset by Brickley, who usually
races the sprint events. The two raced neck-and-neck until Brickley pulled away around the last turn, kicking home to beat Kamm 4:29.71 to 4:31.24.
The 3,000-meter run was a similar showdown between titans Mack Chaffee (8:46.76) and Edgar Kosgey, a sophomore, (8:48.39). The two ran together up until the final laps, when Chaffee, a junior, pulled away for a narrow victory as they both qualified for the Division III New England and ECAC championships.
In the jumps, sophomore John Dingee performed well for the second week in a row, winning the triple jump with a leap of 13.19 meters, and placing third in the long jump with 6.23 meters.
The throwers rounded out the team score with victories in both the weight throw and the shot put. Freshman Matt Farley threw 13.66 meters to win the weight throw by nearly two meters as the second place finisher only threw 11.88 meters. Senior Andrew Desalvo led all shot putters with 14.35 meters.
The performances show that the Ephs are in top shape as they head to Boston next week to compete at the Reebok Invitational. The meet will have decidedly stiffer competition, but Farwell thinks the team is mentally prepared for the challenges.
"There's a lot of division I competition on Friday that everyone’s looking forward to," Farwell said.
