Williams Claims 2002 Men's & Women's Track & Field Championships
Courtesy Bates Sports Information
LEWISTON, Maine — The Williams College men's and women's track and field teams successfully defended their crowns today at the 2002 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) outdoor track and field championships held at the Russell Street Track at Bates College.
For both Williams teams it was their second consecutive championship. The women won their seventh crown in the past nine years by outscoring second-place Tufts, 208.5 to 101. Colby placed third with 98 points. Williams women Colleen Doody and Jenna Rearick shared the Frank Sebastianski Award for the meet's most outstanding performer. Doody won the 200- and 400-meter dashes, while Rearick won the 800-meter run. Both were part of the Ephs's victorious 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams.
On the men's side, the Ephs won for the 10th time in 11 years. Williams scored 216 points to Bowdoin's 137.5 and 117 points for Tufts. The men's Sebastianski Award winner was Greg Devine of Tufts, who won both the 110- and 400-meter hurdles.
There were two other multiple champions on the day: Valentin von Armin of the Williams men won the 100- and 200-meter dashes, while Tufts' Jessica Trombley won the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump.
| Women Final Standings | Men Final Standings | |||
| 1. Williams | 208.5 | 1. Williams | 216 |
|
| 2. Tufts | 101 |
2. Bowdoin |
137.5 |
|
| 3. Colby | 98 | 3. Tufts |
117 | |
| 4. Bowdoin | 92.5 | 4. Bates | 88 | |
| 5. Middlebury | 78 | 5. Colby |
61 | |
| Wesleyan | 78 | 6. Wesleyan |
57.5 | |
| 7. Amherst | 56 | 7. Middlebury | 52 | |
| 8. Hamilton | 45 | 8. Trinity |
43 | |
| 9. Connecticut College |
41 | 9. Amherst |
20 | |
| 10. Trinity |
30 | 10. Hamilton |
14 | |
| Bates |
30 |
11. Connecticut College |
13 |
Kamm posted a GPA of 3.76 majoring in Spanish and that performance combined with his win in the at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earned him the honor of US Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. Kamm is the first NESCAC Athlete to be so honored by the USTFCCCA.
No one would have predicted that Kamm would win this year’s NCAA 5K at the end of the 2009 season, considering a year ago he could not even break 15:30 in the event. He won this year in 14:28, just two seconds off his personal best and almost 62 seconds faster than he ran in 2009.
|
| Connor Kamm '10 winning 2010 NCAA 5K |
It is unusual in a national championship final to come close to a personal best, as most often the race is more tactics than speed. Kamm was not only able to deliver one of his fastest times ever, but also out kicked two talented runners to take the title in 14:28.06. Kamm's strength in the 5000m and what proved to be his advantage over the rest of the competition, is his ability to sustain a quick pace and then still unleash a blistering kick, which is exactly the strategy he employed en route to his 5K victory.
Kamm was one of seven Ephs to qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, compiling a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and having met either the NCAA Division III Indoor or Outdoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard. The Eph total of seven academic honorees was the tops among NESCAC teams.
Joining Kamm in receiving academic recognition are Chris Fogler, Richard Fusco, Josephat Koima, Isaac Nicholson, Anthony Raduazo and Corey Watts. Additionally Watts won a prestigious and nationally competitive Watson Fellowship for graduate study.
