Middlebury Sweeps, Wins Men's & Women's Cross Country Titles

CLINTON, N.Y. – Middlebury College swept the field at the 2010 NESCAC Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Hamilton College. The Panthers' men's squad captured their first-ever NESCAC title, scoring 78 points to overcome four-time defending champ Williams. On the women's side, Middlebury won for a third-staight time, as the Panthers scored a championship-record 26 points with five runners in the top 10.

Hamilton senior Peter Kosgei (Kapsabet, Kenya) made some history of his own on Saturday. Kosgei won the men's individual title in a time of 26:06, 16 seconds ahead of second place Michael Schmidt (Wilmette, Ill.) from Middlebury. Kosgei becomes the first individual in the 28-year history of the event to win the NESCAC meet four times, doing so from 2007 through 2010.

Schmidt edged Josephat Koima (Eldoret Rift Valley, Kenya) of Williams for second by eight-tenths of a second. Amherst senior Will Yochum (Goleta, Calif.) took fourth, just two-tenths behind Koima, and Connecticut College rookie Michael LeDuc  (Canton, Conn.) placed fifth, two-tenths behind Yochum.

Middlebury ran to its first men's title with three runners in the top 10. Williams came in second with 94 points, while Tufts was third with 103.

On the women's side, Williams sophomore Jennifer Gossels (Sudbury, Mass.) won the individual title in a time of 22:13.8. Middlebury first year Colette Whitney (High Bridge, N.J.) came in roughly 10 seconds behind, as she led a parade of Panthers across the finish line, all within 33 seconds of one another. Classmate Maddie Hubbell (Des Moines, Iowa) was third, junior Claire McIlvennie was sixth (Ithaca, N.Y.), first year Katie Rominger (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was seventh, and junior Hannah Meier  (Charlotte, Vt.) took eigth.

Middlebury won its second consecutive conference title outright and 11th overall - tying the Panthers with Williams for the most NESCAC Women's Cross Country titles. Williams was second with 49 points, while Amherst claimed third (88).

It was also a special sendoff for Middlebury head coach Terry Aldrich, as this was his final NESCAC meet at the helm of the Panthers after 36 years leading both the men and the women.

Complete Individual Men's Results   ---   Complete Individual Women's Results