Williams Sets School Record at NCAA Championships

Courtesy of Edgewood College

WINNECONNE, Wis. -- To say Josh Williams ran a fast race at the NCAA Division III National Championships would be selling him short. Williams ran a faster 8,000 meters than any Edgewood College runner in history has ever run. The junior from Madison placed 40th out of approximately 280 of the country's best runners in a time of 24:52.6 at the Lake Breeze Golf Course.

Williams, running in his second national championship race, settled into the lead group early into the race. At the 3.5-mile mark, Williams was in a large group of runners about 30 to 40 places back from the leader. With about a kilometer to go it became clear that Williams was on pace for a new Edgewood College record. He maintained his position in that group all the way through the finish line, topping his previous school record by 13 seconds.

Head men's cross country coach Bethany Brewster was more than impressed with Williams's performance. "Josh represented Edgewood College and the Northern Athletics Conference extremely well," Brewster said. "To come back from his injury in the spring and not running for four months says a lot about Josh's dedication and work ethic this fall. If he can stay healthy he definitely has the chance to be Edgewood College's first All-American in cross country or track."

Ben Sathre of the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) pulled out to an early lead and held on for a wire-to-wire national championship victory in a time of 23:44.3. North Central College (Ill.) added to their record national title total by winning their second team title in three years and 14th overall.