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Williams Miler Breaks DIII Record

By William KinghamWilliams College Sports Information
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BOSTON, Mass. – On Sunday, three athletes from the men’s track & field team – Aidan Ryan, Nate Lentz and Jinwoo Kang – competed at the 2022 Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic, in a meet that brought together collegiate and professional athletes from across the globe. 
 
In the men’s mile, the meet’s marquee event, team captain Ryan finished in 3 minutes, 56.88 seconds, shattering the previous Division III record by three seconds, and becoming only second Division III runner, and first New England Small College Athletic Conference athlete, to break the coveted four-minute barrier. Ryan placed fourth overall, beating nearly 150 Division I and professional milers. Ryan’s mile record came mere weeks after he broke the 3000-meter Division III record, at a meet on the West Coast in early January. Ryan’s race was the 10th-fastest mile run in 2022 thus far.
 
“I felt that I would hang on, and would try to make it deep enough into the race that when it came time to start competing, I’d set myself up for success,” Ryan said of Sunday's mile record. “I went in knowing that, if I was going to run sub-four yesterday, I was a sub-four guy before the race started. Believing that I belonged on that start line, that was a big part of it.”
 
Ryan’s teammate and training partner, Lentz, also set a  new personal best in the mile, finishing in 4:10.66 and besting his previous best by nearly four seconds, good for fourth in his heat and 32nd overall in the event.
 
The third Williams athlete to compete at the meet, fellow sophomore Jinwoo Kang, also had an excellent day. Kang set a new PR, running 1:52.76 in his first indoor 800 meters since high school. Kang’s time saw him place 24th overall.
 
“We’ll run a DMR (distance medley relay) at BU Valentine Invitational [in two weeks’ time]," Ryan said of his future plans. "Last time we tried, we came just short of the national record. We have a good shot of doing it in two weeks, and after that, we’ll have to do some thinking and come up with a season plan for the rest of the races.”
 
Williams coach Dusty Lopez said his athletes accomplished what they set out to do in Boston.
 
"We wanted to make the most of a great, competitive opportunity on a fast track," Lopez said. "In Aidan’s case, we’d been talking about breaking four for the mile…but for everyone, the main idea was to compete hard and use that to run fast times.
 
"Our BU group, and everyone who competed at Nazareth, has really embraced the idea of big swings and not being intimidated. The growth we’re seeing has been on two fronts: investment in training and good decisions, which then leads to confidence that comes from being prepared and experiencing success.”
 
Williams' mid-distance contingent, combined with the team’s quality and depth across all event groups, positions the team well to continue its momentum as championship season approaches. 
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Williams College Gets $105M in Bonding for WCMA, Capital Projects

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College has received more than $105 million bonding toward construction of the new art museum and other campus capital projects. 
 
The college announced on Monday that MassDevelopment has issued a $105,820,000 tax-exempt bond on behalf of the president and Trustees of Williams College. 
 
The organization will use bond proceeds to finance several projects on the college's campus, including (1) building and equipping a new art museum and multipurpose recreation center, (2) implementing the college's energy and carbon master plan, (3) renovating and equipping dormitories and dining facilities, (4) reimbursing the college for costs incurred to build and equip the Davis Center, and (5) completing other miscellaneous capital projects. The bonds were sold through a public offering with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC serving as lead underwriter and B of A Securities, Inc. and Samuel A. Ramirez & Co., Inc. serving as co-managers.
 
The new Williams College Museum of Art off Field Park is expected to cost $175 million with the college planning to raise $100 million through donations; another $25 million toward the project was gifted in April 2024 by an anonymous donor.
 
"From our new art museum and multipurpose recreation building, to commencing campus decarbonization efforts, the new bond issue will fund work that supports our educational mission, fuels employment and benefits the culture, economy and people of western Massachusetts," college President Maud S. Mandel said. "MassDevelopment's program is helping us manage costs while investing in academic excellence, so that Williams can remain affordable to talented students from all backgrounds."
 
The Davis Center will include new construction between Jeness House and Rice House off Walden Street; the new build will be located where Hardy House was, behind the Purple Pub. It replaces the Multicultural Center and will provide a home to more than 20 student affinity groups along with academic support programs.
 
"The college is an important part of the town and a valuable asset for our community," said Town Manager Robert Menicocci. "We are pleased to see the college's continued investment in these past and future projects which will benefit both the college and the community as a whole."
 
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