CENTERVILLE, Mass. - The 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Cross Country Championships will be held this weekend at Colt State Park in Bristol, Rhode Island, with 62 Division III men's and women's programs set to compete on Saturday, Nov. 9th. The 6,000 meter Women's Championship race will begin at 11 a.m., followed by the 8,000 meter Men's Championship race at noon.
In the Women's Championship, Middlebury College aims to defend its 2012 title against this year's 58-team field, which includes last year's runner-up Tufts University and third place finisher Williams College. Middlebury College teammates sophomore Olivia Artaiz (Banks, Ore.) and junior Summer Spillane (Shelburne, Vt.) return in 2013 after they each finished in the top-ten a year ago (sixth and seventh place, respectively). Williams College sophomore Meg Richardson (Iowa City, Iowa) looks to build off a fourth-place finish as a freshman in 2012, completing the championship with a time of 23:23.54.
On the men's side, reigning champion Amherst College is one of 57 teams looking to capture the 2013 ECAC Cross Country crown. Senior Gus Greenstein (Santa Rosa, Calif.) was the Lord Jeffs' individual leader last year, finishing fourth overall with a time of 26:42.07. Finishing right behind Greenstein was junior Romey Sklar (Brookline, Mass.) with a time of 26:51.90, landing him in fifth place. Bates College and Williams College finished second and third, respectively. Bates placed two runners in the top-ten in 2012, with juniors Camden Black-Ingersoll (Concord, N.H./seventh) and Christian Sampson (Brookline, Mass./ninth) leading the Bobcats with times of 26:55.55 and 26:59.48. Williams sophomore Todd Ford (Glenview, Ill.) finished in second place in his first ECAC Championship, pacing the Ephs with a time of 26:25.78.
The 2013 ECAC Division III Men's Cross Country Championship will also mark the final race for Elms College senior John Southworth (Springfield, Mass.). Southworth, a student-athlete with Down's Syndrome, recently completed his first collegiate 8,000 meter race at the New England Collegiate Conference Cross Country Championships, helping the Blazers to a fifth-place finish. He will begin his final collegiate race at 11:30 a.m.
The top 15 individual finishers in each race will medal in the event, and the top three scoring teams will also be recognized with ECAC trophies.
For more information regarding the 2013 ECAC Division III Cross Country Championships, including race results, please visit www.ecacsports.com. For live race updates, photos and video, follow us on Twitter @ECACChamps and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ecacsports.
