NCAA Regionals

NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship

Williams' Kosgey Claims Individual Title for Second Straight Year

Williams and Amherst Qualify for NCAA Division III Championship 

Men's cross country finish 32nd at NCAA Regionals

CUMBERLAND, Maine  – For the second consecutive year, senior William Kosgey (Eldoret River Valley, Kenya) of the Williams College Ephs men's cross country team crossed the finish line first at the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship, leading the Ephs to their second straight automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Championship race. 

Repeating his 2008 performance, Kosgey covered the 8000-meter race in a time of 25 minutes, 16.2 seconds to place first overall out of 323 finishers at the 2009 NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country New England Regional Championship hosted by the University of Southern Maine at the Twin Brook Recreational Center in Cumberland, Maine.  With Kosgey leading the charge, Williams totaled 53 points earning the team championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA National Championship race on Saturday, November 21 hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio.

The Amherst College Lord Jeffs finished second to the Ephs with a team score of 104 points, earning the New England Regions' second qualifier.  Lord Jeff senior Daniel Murner (Crestwood, Ky./Mt. Mansfield Union) finished less than a second behind Kosgey in an exciting sprint to the finish.  Murner completed the race in a time of 25 minutes, 16.7 seconds to pace one of two Amherst finishers in the top five of the race as junior Will Yochum (Goleta, Calif./Dos Pueblos) placed fifth in a time of 25 minutes, 29.0 seconds.

Brandeis University junior Paul Norton (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) finished third in 25 minutes, 17.5 seconds, followed by Tufts University senior Jesse Faller (Burlington, Vermont) in fourth place with a time of 25 minutes, 26.8 seconds.

Matthew Methot was the top MMA finisher in 150th place with a time of 28:15. Lucas Miller came in 186th (28:52), Greg Baribault finished in 192nd (28:57), Evan Vashon came in 241st (30:13), Matt Francis was 260th (30:46), Travis Chenevert placed 274th (31:18), and Zach Ulman was 311th with a time of 35:14.

The Keene State College Owls finished third in the team scoring with 132 points.  Senior Jared Samuel (Londonderry, N.H.) placed seventh with a time of 25 minutes, 32.4 seconds to pace the Owls.  Brandeis finished fourth with 145 points, followed by the Bowdoin College Polar Bears in fifth place with 153 points.  Bowdoin senior Thompson Ogilvie (Hopedale, Mass.) placed sixth to lead the Polar Bears in a time of 25 minutes, 31.8 seconds. 

Williams College and Amherst College automatically qualify to represent the New England Region at the 2009 NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship on Saturday, November 21.  Twenty-four teams total will be selected to participate in the national championship race with 16 teams qualifying automatically.  The remaining eight teams will be selected at-large.  The NCAA will announce individuals and at-large teams on Tuesday.