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Williams Cross Country: Ephs take 2nd at NESCAC ChampionshipsWilliams Sports Info
12:08PM / Monday, November 02, 2009
MANCHESTER, Ct. - First-year Jennifer Gossels led the Williams women to a 2nd-place finish at the 2009 NESCAC Championships, hosted by Trinity College at Wickham Park. Middlebury claimed their 10th NESCAC title with 49 points, followed by Williams (59), Amherst (71) and Wesleyan (87).
The Panthers went off the line quickly, packing up early to solidify a dominant place in the field. Despite the Ephs’ determination to steal the title after last year’s tie with Middlebury, the Middlebury pack held on for the win. Their victory brings yet another tie with the Williams women—both teams now boast 10 NESCAC titles, the most wins in the league. Amherst also ran a tactical race, but Williams edged them out for the second consecutive week with a 12-point lead.
Williams placed 4 women in the top 14, starting conservatively and moving steadily through the pack. Gossels took 6th place overall in a blazing time of 22:19 over the challenging course, running a strategic race to outpace a pack of Middlebury’s second, third and fourth runners.
Ahead of Gossels, Sophia Galleher of Amherst out-kicked Wesleyan’s Ravenna Neville in a tight race to take first place in an impressive 21:39. Neville finished in 21:40, with Amy Wilfert of Tufts on her heels in 21:41. The next two spots had more distance between them, with Middlebury’s Claire McIlvennie finishing in 21:57 and Julia Mark of Wesleyan in 22:15.
The Ephs’ next three runners worked flawlessly together, pacing each other to 11th, 12th and 14th place finishes. Despite getting a spike to the ankle coming off the starting line, senior co-captain Bret Scofield pushed through the gruesome injury to finish 2nd for the Ephs in 22:36. Annie Dear ’13 finished next in 22:37, followed by Lauren Goldstein-Kral ’12 (22:39). Olga Kondratjeva ’10 worked her way through the field to finish right behind Goldstein-Kral, in 22:41.
Elly Teitsworth ’10 and Natalie Davis ’12 rounded out the top 7, finishing 24th and 27th in 22:59 and 23:14, respectively.
Another runner having especially successful race was KK Durante ’11, who finished 10th for Williams and 43rd overall in a personal best of 23:33 on the especially muddy and hilly course.
Runners outside the top 12 competed Friday afternoon at the first annual Doc Seeley meet, hosted by Williams at their home course. The low-key meet provided a chance for the harriers to run a final, quick 6k on their home course to finish out the season.
The women were also vying for a spot on the ECAC team next weekend, when the second 7 race at home. Elleree Erdos ’12 led the race and finished first to claim her place at ECACs, followed by Grace Babula ’12, who ran a smart race and moved up to finish strong in second. Babula will also continue to train through next weekend and serve as an alternate for ECACs.
The top 7 will rest next weekend to prepare for the Div. III New England Regional Championship in two weeks, while the second 7 will compete next Saturday in ECACS at Mt. Greylock High School on their home course. |
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