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Williams Ephs
UniversityWilliams College
ConferenceNew England Small College Athletic Conference
NCAADivision III
Athletic directorLisa Melendy
LocationWilliamstown, MA
Varsity teams16 men's, 16 women's
Football stadiumWeston Field
Basketball arenaChandler Gymnasium
Baseball stadiumBobby Coombs Field
Softball stadiumWilliams Softball Complex
Soccer stadiumCole Field
Lacrosse stadiumRenzie Lamb Field
Other venuesLasell Gymnasium
NicknameEphs
ColorsPurple and Gold
   
Websitewilliams.prestosports.com

The Williams Ephs are the varsity intercollegiate athletic programs of Williams College, based in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school sponsors 32 varsity sports (16 men's, 16 women's), most of which compete in the Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). The school's men's and women's ski teams and men's and women's squash team compete at the Division I level. The Ephs' nickname (which rhymes with "chiefs") is a shortening of the name of Ephraim Williams, the college's founder. The Ephs' mascot is a purple cow, and their colors are purple and gold.[1] The school's athletic director is Lisa Melendy.[2]

Williams, along with fellow NESCAC members Amherst and Wesleyan, is part of the Little Three rivalry, one of the oldest continually contested rivalries in college athletics.[3][4] The rivalry dates to 1899, when the three schools formed the Triangular League of athletic competition. Today, the three schools contest in each sport the Little Three championship, in which the program with the best head-to-head record of the three is awarded the Little Three title for its respective sport.[5] Williams' rivalry with Amherst is particularly fierce, dating back to 1821, when then-Williams president Zephaniah Swift Moore abandoned Williams to found Amherst College.[6] The football game played between the two is known as the "Biggest Little Game in America" and hosted College GameDay in 2007.[7]

Williams has had success in winning the NACDA Director's Cup, an award presented annually to the most successful athletic program in each division of the NCAA. Since 1996, the year of the award's inception, Williams has won the Directors' Cup 15 out of 16 years, as of the end of the 2010-11 season (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011).[8][9] For eight consecutive year from 2004-2011, the college held a dual #1 ranking in both athletics and academics, winning the Directors' Cup and placing first in the U.S. News and World Report liberal arts college rankings each year.[10]

History[edit]

Williams was one of the 39 institutions that founded the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1905.[11]

Prior to the 1993-1994 school year, the NESCAC did not allow its member schools to compete for NCAA-sponsored team championships. Despite this ban, the women's swimming & diving team won the 1982 and 1983 national championships by qualifying enough individuals to outscore any other team.[12] The ban on NCAA postseason play remains in place for NESCAC football teams, which play only a conference schedule.[13]

On May 3, 2009, Williams' baseball team played Amherst in a vintage baseball game at Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Williams won the game 8-5. The game commemorated the 150th anniversary of the first-ever college baseball game, played between Amherst and Williams on July 1, 1859. In 1859, Amherst defeated Williams 73-32 in a game that lasted 25 innings.[14]

Teams[edit]

Men's Women's
Sport Facility Sport Facility
Baseball Bobby Coombs Field Basketball Chandler Gymnasium
Basketball Chandler Gymnasium Crew Onota Lake
Crew Onota Lake Cross Country Mount Greylock High School Course
Cross Country Mount Greylock High School Course Field Hockey Renzie Lamb Field
Football Weston Field Golf Taconic Golf Club
Golf Taconic Golf Club Ice Hockey Lansing Chapman Rink
Ice Hockey Lansing Chapman Rink Indoor Track & Field Towne Field House
Indoor Track & Field Towne Field House Lacrosse Renzie Lamb Field
Lacrosse Renzie Lamb Field Outdoor Track & Field Weston Field
Outdoor Track & Field Weston Field Skiing Jiminy Peak (alpine)
Prospect Mountain (nordic)
Skiing Jiminy Peak (alpine)
Prospect Mountain (nordic) 		Soccer Cole Field
Soccer Cole Field Softball Williams Softball Complex
Squash Simon Squash Center Squash Simon Squash Center
Swimming & Diving Samuelson-Muir Pool Swimming & Diving Samuelson-Muir Pool
Tennis Torrence M. Hunt Tennis Center Tennis Torrence M. Hunt Tennis Center
Wrestling Lasell Gymnasium Volleyball Chandler Gymnasium

[15]

Traditions[edit]

"Yard by Yard"[edit]

The following traditional song was once often sung at Williams sporting events, but its current use is limited.[16]

Yard by yard we'll fight our way
Thro' Amherst's line,
Every man on every play,
Striving all the time.
Cheer on cheer will rend the air,
All behind our men.
And we'll fight for dear old Williams
And we'll win and win again.

Notable alumni[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Athletics". Admission.Williams.edu. Williams College Office of Admission. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  2. ^ "Lisa Melendy". Athletics.Williams.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-04-28. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  3. ^ "Little Three". CollegeSquashAssociation.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-28. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  4. ^ "Little Three". Amherst.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  5. ^ "The Little Three". Williams.PrestoSports.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  6. ^ Reynolds, Lauren. "Sibling rivalry: Williams-Amherst Remains Heated". ESPN.com. Retrieved 29 April 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  7. ^ Fowler, Chris. "'GameDay' Goes Off the Beaten Path to Find the Biggest Little Rivalry". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  8. ^ "Directors' Cup". Williams.PrestoSports.com. Retrieved 29 April 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  9. ^ "Williams (Mass.) Takes 13th Straight Div III Cup". TheDirectorsCup.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Eph Athletic Firsts". Athletics.Williams.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  11. ^ McKindra, Leilana (7 December 2005). "Founding Members Hold True to NCAA Educational Mission". NCAA.org. The NCAA News. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  12. ^ "NCAA Info". Williams.PrestoSports.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  13. ^ Chimelis, Ron (19 November 2009). "Unbeaten Amherst College Football Team Deserves a Playoff". Masslive.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  14. ^ Edes, Gordon (2009-05-04). "Amherst and Williams Re-enact First College Game". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
  15. ^ "Directions to Athletic Facilities". Williams.PrestoSports.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  16. ^ Griffin, Dustin (10 February 2007). ""Yard by Yard": Line by Line and Through the Years". Archives.Williams.edu. pp. 10–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  17. ^ Allard, Marc (11 September 2009). "Camping Out: Former NFL Lineman Helping Guide Pomfret Read more: Camping Out: Former NFL lineman helping guide Pomfret - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/hs_football/x837462148/Camping-Out-Former-NFL-lineman-helping-guide-Pomfret#ixzz1tX34ReH3". NorwichBulletin.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 30 April 2012. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  18. ^ "Athletic Facilities". Web.Williams.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  19. ^ Flynn, Bryan (13 July 2010). "George Steinbrenner Passes Away at 80 but Leaves a Lasting Legacy in MLB". BleacherReport.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  20. ^ Hammond, Perry (8 April 2011). "Q&A: Getting to Know Khari Stephenson". SJEarthquakes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-30. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
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