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It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Fall (2020) All across the Williams College Campus, student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers and administrators are striving to stay safe yet participate in meaningful activities within their programs.

“As captains of the women's rowing team, Brynn Moynihan '21 and I are determined to replicate the strong team environment that we have had in years past. As a large team, it is impossible for all of us to gather in one space, so Brynn and I have spent a lot of time brainstorming ways to create a unified team, regardless of the current gathering limitations. Tentative plans include socially distanced scenic runs, tennis, and lunches.”

— Women's Crew Senior Captain Sam Lazar

Head coach of Women's Crew Kate Wachala, 5th from left, leads her squad in a social distant team team cheer outside Williamson Field last week.
“Despite a lack of competition and the ability to row on the water, our goals for this fall are very intentional. First and foremost, we want to provide a varied structure for our athletes to train together, supporting their mental and physical health."

—Men's Crew Coach Marc Mandel

"We are incredibly excited for the opportunity to be back together on campus," stated Eph Head Volleyball Coach Christi Kelsey. "Our faculty, administration, and support staff have done an absolutely amazing job preparing our community in a way that we could safely return to campus for the semester. It was no small undertaking and all of us are so grateful for their efforts." "This fall is so different in so many ways as we kick off the season for our fall sports with no prospect of competitions again until 2021.," continued Kelsey. "For us, we are going to be an outdoor sport here for the first time so it will be a new adventure navigating that too in many ways. Our team though enters this opportunity with an awesome mindset right from the start…setting the long term vision of what we want for the future, then enjoy the process of being together and working hard to get better each day. We are excited to jump in and get started and will make the most of our time together here on campus for sure."

Even for programs such as men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf and men's and women's tennis, the feeling is a bit different although the structure similar to what those student-athletes are used to, minus the competitions of course.

"I am so happy to be back in Williamstown and able to spend time with my teammates on the golf course. Golf is one of the only activities that hasn't changed much and I am thankful for that. Although we won't be competing this fall, we plan on getting lots of holes in during fun yet effective practice sessions. I look forward to starting up again."

— Junior Olivia White, Women's Golf

"We are approaching our fall practices as if we are going to be competing in the spring. It's going to be a new experience not having any competition against other teams this fall, but our main goals of the fall season are still the same as previous years. We strive to control the things that are within our control. We're all aware that if we spend the fall cultivating a strong team character, then this fall will have been incredibly productive – regardless of whether or not there is a spring season."

— Senior Austin Barr, Men's Tennis

Athletic Trainer Yasmin Wilkinson administers a helping hand to an Eph volleyball student-athlete at a recent practice.
"I think our No. 1 goal is to try and get our guys stronger in the weight room and train hard that way. And then we'll try and work on the fundamentals where we can. Our coaching staff and has done a great job preparing and our student-athletes have done a great job adhering to the new rules on campus and coming to practice focused and ready to work hard."

— Ephs Head Football Coach Mark Raymond

Assistant Football Coach Tom Foote works on tackling drills with two first years at a recent practice
"We are making the most of our time together on Williamson Field. Our goal this fall is to sharpen our skills. In seasons past we did not have the time to fine tune our passing, shooting, dribbling to the extent we can now…which is exciting. Players are each getting over 300 touches on the ball every practice. Due to the restrictions we are limited in what we can do so we try to design practices that are high intensity and competitive with a touch of fun."

— Head Field Hockey Coach Alix Barrale

"Despite the obvious differences between this coming semester and the previous ones I have had, I still feel so lucky and excited to be able to attend Williams and practice with the team this fall. Even with the lack of game competition I am sure that our team will rise to the occasion and take advantage of the new opportunities that this season provides."

— Senior Ilana Albert, Women's Soccer