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Williamstown's Kuster Qualifies for Olympic Trials

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The Harvard men's swimming and diving duo of Cole Kuster and Raphael Marcoux qualified for the 2020 Olympic Trials for the United States and Canada, respectively, this month.
 
An incoming freshman, Williamstown resident and Purple Valley Aquatics swimmer Kuster competed at the USA Swimming Junior Nationals at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center and qualified for Trials in three events. Kuster opened his time in Northern California with a seventh-place effort (15 minutes, 39.04 seconds) in the 1,500-meter freestyle last Tuesday before coming in third two days later in the 400 free (3:55.94). Kuster saved his best performance for last when he was the runner-up in the 800 free (8:07.61) on Saturday.
 
Marcoux, meanwhile, qualified for the Canadian Swimming Trials in both the 50 free and 100 fly at the 2019 Canadian Swimming Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The three-time 2019 NCAA All-American posted the field's fastest time in the 50 free, completing the sprint in 22.66 on Thursday. Forty-eight hours later, Marcoux posted a time of 54.38 in the 100 fly to come in third place.
 
Kuster and Marcoux joined Harvard's list of Olympic hopefuls, which already included Dean Farris (50 free, 100 back) and incoming freshmen Will Grant (100 back) and Noah Brune (800 free). The trio accomplished their Trials cuts at the Phillips 66 National Championships.
 
The Crimson tandem who competed last week are part of a Harvard program that will look to defend its Ivy title for a fourth straight season in 2019-20 and finished in eighth place at the '19 NCAA Championships.
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Williams Seeking Town Approval for New Indoor Practice Facility

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board last week gave Williams College the first approval it needs to build a 55,000-square foot indoor athletic facility on the north side of its campus.
 
Over the strenuous objection of a Southworth Street resident, the board found that the college's plan for a "multipurpose recreation center" or MRC off Stetson Road has adequate on-site parking to accommodate its use as an indoor practice facility to replace Towne Field House, which has been out of commission since last spring and was demolished this winter.
 
The college plans a pre-engineered metal that includes a 200-meter track ringing several tennis courts, storage for teams, restrooms, showers and a training room. The athletic surface also would be used as winter practice space for the school's softball and baseball teams, who, like tennis and indoor track, used to use the field house off Latham Street.
 
Since the planned structure is in the watershed of Eph's Pond, the college will be before the Conservation Commission with the project.
 
It also will be before the Zoning Board of Appeals, on Thursday, for a Development Plan Review and relief from the town bylaw limiting buildings to 35 feet in height. The new structure is designed to have a maximum height of 53 1/2 feet and an average roof height of 47 feet.
 
The additional height is needed for two reasons: to meet the NCAA requirement for clearance above center court on a competitive tennis surface (35 feet) and to include, on one side, a climbing wall, an element also lost when Towne Field House was razed.
 
The Planning Board had a few issues to resolve at its March 12 meeting. The most heavily discussed involved the parking determination for a use not listed in the town's zoning bylaws and a decision on whether access from town roads to the building site in the middle of Williams' campus was "functionally equivalent" to the access that would be required under the town's subdivision rules and regulations.
 
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