Williams College senior Wade Davis is already scouring the job market for potential employment upon his graduation in the spring.
But the Hall-Dale High School graduate has many miles to run before then. One of three captains for the Ephs, Davis is coming off a banner season in which he posted a personal best time in the NCAA Division III cross country nationals last season, finishing 57th. He’s followed that with a strong season this year.
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“I got in a good base of training (over the summer),” said Davis, who averaged 80-90 miles a week with a high of 100.
If anything, Davis may train a little too much, especially later in the season.
“I usually have to rein him back a little bit,” Williams coach Peter Farwell said. “We’ve worked more on relaxation more in his stride. I think he’s picked up on it quite a bit.”
Davis placed 23rd in last Saturday’s New England Small College Athletic Conference championships at Bowdoin College and his Ephs finished fifth. Last year, Williams placed sixth in the country and despite Saturday’s finish, equaling or bettering that mark remains a realistic goal.
“We’re trying to be in the mix and we should be,” Farwell said. “NESCAC ended up being the strongest conference in the country (last year).”
Davis believes the Ephs can finish sixth or better at the nationals and as an individual goal would like to finish among the top 35 which would make him an All-American.
Davis is a strong track athlete as well. He finished second in the NESCAC 10K last spring, posting a career-best time of 31 minutes, 38 seconds which he later broke. At Hall-Dale he won the Class C state title at 3,200 meters his senior year as well as a pair of individual cross country championships as a junior and senior.
“Cross country is definitely my favorite season,” Davis said. “I’ve been running cross country since I was in sixth grade.”
Former middle school coach Brad Brown hooked Davis on cross country and later became his coach for four years in high school. He enjoys the team aspect of the sport and competing on a variety of courses. He’s improved his closing speed and stamina throughout his time at Williams, but feels most comfortable on courses that feature hills and muddy conditions.
“He doesn’t have great speed, but he’s gotten faster,” Farwell said. “It’s all relative.”
Hard work has been Davis’ calling card at Williams. And he conveyed that to his teammates as one of their captains.
“He’s a leader by example, how he pushes himself, how he trains,” Farwell said. “It’s not about talk, it’s about getting it done.”
An economic and environmental science major, Davis hopes to land a job by graduation. Although cross country races are rare, he plans to continue competitive road racing and would like to tackle a marathon soon.
“I can see it as early as next year,” he said. “I like racing, I like the strategy of racing. I like to see the results of the training.”
Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com
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