| 2008
Runner of the Week
Williams
named KCAC “Cross Country Runner of the Week”
After being named the KCAC
“Co-Runner of the Week” a week earlier, McPherson College freshman
Oliver Williams was named the sole KCAC cross country “Runner of
the Week” after his finish at the Butler Community College Ollie
Isom Invitational on October 17, 2008.
 The
5'8”, 130-pound Williams was the top non-junior college finisher
at the Isom Invitational held south of ElDorado, Kan., as he crossed
the line in 10th place behind only runners from NJCAA powers Butler
Community and Garden City Community Colleges. The third American
finisher, his time of 16:21 for the 5,000-meter run led all KCAC
competitors in the event.
“Oliver ran well for the
second week in a row,” said Dave Smith, McPherson College head coach.
“We feel he is still improving and has his best races are to come.
The fact that Ollie ran well on our tough, hilly 8,000-meter layout
last week and then ran very well on the level, fast 5,000-meter
Butler Community College course shows his versatility.”
The Isom Invitational is
the only meet all season in which the Bulldogs will run the five-kilometer
distance, 3,000 meters shorter than normal 8k NAIA distance.
“It will very interesting
next week when most of the KCAC cross country teams get together
at the Southwestern Mid-States Classic. That will be our last meet
before the KCAC conference meet which will be November 8 th at Bethany
.”
Last week Williams was named
the KCAC Co-Runner of the Week after coming home first over the
hilly, McPherson Country Club course in the McPherson Invitational.
*****
Williams
named KCAC “Co-Cross Country Runner of the Week”
McPherson College freshman
Oliver Williams was named the KCAC cross country “Co- Runner of
the Week” after his first place finish at the McPherson Invitational
on October 11, 2008.
 In
just his fourth collegiate race, Williams (5'8”, 130-lb.) built
a 50-meter lead in the opening 2,000 meters, then gradually pulled
away to a 500-meter, one minute 26 second win over the hilly McPherson
Country Club course.
“We were very pleased to
see that Oliver was selected as the KCAC ‘Men's Co-Runner of the
Week',” said Dave Smith, McPherson College head coach. “Oliver has
worked hard to earn this honor. He is a great representative for
McPherson College cross country.”
“We were concerned about
the fact our course is very tough and might be under valued, but
the selection meant that his performance and time was recognized
even on a slower, more difficult course.”
“It is an honor for Oliver
to be selected with one of the top cross country runners in the
conference as a freshman.
We know that Ollie will take
this as positive motivation and I believe we will see his best times
and efforts are yet to come.”
Williams' time over the difficult
MCC course was 28:10.7. The MCC layout is a course that generally
yields times approximately one minute 20 seconds to one minute 30
seconds slower than most courses in the region.
Williams opened his season
with a second place finish at the rain-delayed Friends Invitational.
The next week, Oliver finished 11 th at the Tabor Invitational,
where he was the fourth KCAC finisher. At the Oklahoma State University
Cowboy Jamboree on October 4 th , Williams finished 30 th out of
242 runners with a season best 27:15, and was the third KCAC runner
to cross the finish. His finish at Oklahoma State , the oldest continuous
collegiate cross country meet west of the Mississippi, was the second
best individual finish by a Bulldog in McPherson harrier history.
Oliver is a 2008 graduate
of Brighton High School in Salt Lake City , Utah . He finished eighth
at the Utah class 5A state meet, the state's largest classification,
in 2007.
Williams shared the KCAC
award with Justin Garrard, Ottawa University senior, who won the
Haskell Indian Nations Invitational in Lawrence .
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