Junior John Stanton-Geddes led the Jeffs once again as he finished 20th overall in a time of 25:21 on the five mile course. Sophomore Matthew Katz turned in a time of 25:52, which was good enough for 36th place and second best among the Amherst squad.
James Johndrow '03, who missed most of the year because of nagging injuries, finished with a time of 26:49, placing him 81st in a highly competitive field. This was an impressive result from Johndrow since he competed in only one meet prior to regionals.
Sophomores Jack Morgan and Zeke Phillips rounded out the top five for the men. Morgan completed the course with a time of 27:02, good enough for 95th place, and Phillips followed seven seconds behind his teammate to finish in 102nd place. Carson Taylor '03 and Michael Page '05 also ran well for the Jeffs.
The top four teams at regionals, Bowdoin, Williams and Connecticut Colleges and Keene State University all advanced to the Division III national championships, which will be held next weekend at St. Olaf University in Minnesota. Although the Jeffs did not qualify for nationals, they were still able to place higher than many of their NESCAC rivals. Amherst finished better than both Colby and Middlebury Colleges and was only one spot behind Little III rival Wesleyan University.
Injuries throughout the course of the season undoubtedly detracted from a team with tremendous talent. With their full lineup present early in the season, Amherst defeated Williams and Tufts University and beat many Division I schools at the New England Championships. The absence of several runners due to injuries kept the Jeffs from forming a solid rhythm as the season progressed.
With many top runners returning next season, the Jeffs should improve on their late season results and return to the top of the NESCAC.