Williams is a special college as it combines one of the top undergraduate educations available anywhere with the top overall athletics program in all of Division III. Not only has Williams been ranked #1 for liberal arts education in the US, but also it has won the Director’s Cup (best Division III athletics department in US) in 16 of the past 18 years.

Supremely situated in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, Williams offers the ideal place to train and compete in cross-country. With miles of trails, exceptional air quality, and beautiful scenic runs, Williams is the perfect place to train well and stay uninjured while garnering inspiration with every step. Williams accepts runners of a wide range of experience and abilities to our program with a co-ed roster of roughly 90 athletes. Thus there are training and racing partners for everyone as they build for individual improvement and team success.

Williams is a place steeped in tradition. With 2 team and 2 individual national titles each for  the men’s and women’s cross country programs Williams has excelled on the highest stage. In the past 5 years the men’s team finished 3rd at NCAA’s in 2008, 2nd in 2009 and 6th in 2011, while the women have placed top 8 in each of the last 4 years, grabbing 8th in ’09, 5th in 2010, 3rd in 2011 and 4th place last fall. Individually, Edgar Kosgey led the Ephmen with a 3rd place finish in 2009, and in 2011 Chiara Del Piccolo vanquished all challengers to earn the individual National Championship. As a college that fully supports the student-athlete and has most loyal alumni association in the US, Williams is an established success.

Williams, however, is much more than awards and honors. It is a place to develop oneself as a runner and as a person. The team fosters an atmosphere of inclusiveness and is truly a cohesive unit. The upperclass men and women are great role models on and off the trails and the team dynamics between the men’s and women’s program are such that it is hard to differentiate where one team ends and the other begins. The coaching staff helps athletes focus on long-term improvement while providing the opportunity to compete at a high level against all types of competition from Division I, II, and III. At Williams the facilities are top notch and the department of sports medicine does a tremendous job teaming with coaches to keep athletes healthy and strong. With all this, and a team modus operandi of ‘enjoying the process’ and having fun within a dedicated and competitive unit, it is no wonder that Eph runners are loyal throughout their college careers and long beyond.