Williams Men, Women Take 2010 Track & Field Championships

Courtesy Tufts Sports Information

Men's Results  |  Women's Results

SOMERVILLE, Mass. – The Williams College men's and women's teams came away with the 2010 NESCAC Track & Field Championships on Saturday at Tufts University’s Dussault Track. The Eph men won for the 20th time in the 25-year history of the event, while the women took their 18th conference crown.

The Williams women, who have won the conference title outright for 10 straight years, scored 188 points to win the meet. Host Tufts placed second with 144.50 points, and Middlebury College scored 140.5 points for third place. On the men's side, the Ephs scored 167.50 points, while the Jumbos placed second with 155.50 points. Bates came in third with 129 points.

Williams won four events on its way to the men's crown . Most impressive was freshman Stephen Simalchik in the javelin throw, with a 65.86 meter launch that shattered a 25-year old conference record previously held by Trinity’s Richard Hayber (63.73 in 1985). Junior Brian Cole won an exciting 800 meter run by 0.02 with a 1:54.63 finish. Senior Connor Kamm earned another close win for the Ephs in the 1,500, timing 3:54.63 to win by 0.22 of a second. Eph sophomore Thomas Kearney took the triple jump with a best distance of 14.34 meters.

Bates College’s Richard McNeil was the only competitor to win two events at the meet. He was first in the shot put with a best heave of 15.12 meters, and he also won the hammer throw at 54.45 meters.

In the women's events, Williams senior Elise Johnson and first year Tanasia Hoffler both won two events. Johnson won the 100 hurdles for the third year in a row with a time of 14.70 seconds. She was also first in the 100 meter dash (12.56 seconds). Hoffler was the best at the meet in both the long jump, where she went 5.68 meters, and in the triple jump, where she reached 12.16 meters. Also winning for the Ephs was sophomore Hillary Higgs in the 200 (25.05 seconds), first year Julie Paschal in the high jump (1.65) and the 4x100 meter relay team (48.42 seconds), which just missed a conference record.

The throwing events were dominated by Bates College senior Vantiel Elizabeth Duncan and Tufts first year Kelly Allen. Duncon won the shot put for the third straight year, tossing the ball 13.88 meters. She added a win in the hammer throw with a 52.07 meter heave. Allen placed first in the discus throw at 43.71 meters and in the javelin at 36.74 meters.