May 27, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Redshirt sophomore William Griffin (Columbia, Conn.) placed 33rd in the 10,000-meter at the NCAA East Regional Championship at Indiana University late Thursday night. The first Red Fox in program history to compete at a NCAA regional level meet, Griffin finished the race with a time 30:25.55.

The race began at 9:15 p.m. under the lights at Indiana's E.C. Billy Hayes Track at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex. Facing off against the NCAA's best distance runners from the eastern United States, Griffin went out hard and posted early mile splits of 4:43, 4:47 and 4:46. These times placed him amongst the runners battling for mid-pack positions in the mid to late 20's.

"The early pace was very challenging, and Will put himself in a good position and hung tough for a long time there" Marist Director of Track and Field Pete Colaizzo said of Griffin's early effort.

Still running strong amidst a constant and steady drizzle, the pace of the field quickened slightly before the halfway point of the race. This new pace pushed Griffin, but he hung tough during this stretch of the race, though losing a few spots in the field.

Unwilling to back down, he finished the final two miles of the race amongst a small pack of runners and raced hard and tough. Griffin closed the final 800 meters on a strong kick, covering it in 2:23.55.

With this strong closing effort, Griffin finished in 33rd place, less than 10 seconds out of 30th. He placed ahead of 15 other runners competing in the race.

"Will put in a fantastic effort in his first NCAA Championship appearance." Colaizzo said "The 10k is a really difficult race physically and mentally, and he never backed down despite the challenges over the second half of the race."

"This was a great experience for him, one that he can learn from. Now that he's been here, he knows what it will take to get back here and how to improve. We are all proud of his effort out there and his strong season from start to finish."