Dec. 30, 1997

Williams Eyes Return Trip To NCAA's

As soon as Notre Dame hurdler Errol Williams signed his letter of intent to attend Notre Dame, he knew that he had made the right decision.

"After a while, it just seemed like Notre Dame started to fit the program I was looking for," says Williams. "Once I signed, I knew this was the place for me; since I've been here, it's been the perfect decision. It's been the right balance of academics and athletics where I wouldn't have to give up one dream or another."

It certainly has been a perfect decision for Williams. A Florida state high school champion in the 110-meter hurdles and second-place finisher in the 300-meter hurdles, he made an impact his freshman year at Notre Dame.

Williams burst onto the scene and quickly established himself as Notre Dame's best hurdler. He had seven first place finishes in the 55-meter and the 110-meter hurdles during his inaugural season, including a first place finish at the Midwest Collegiate Conference indoor championships in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.43 and at the Illinois Track Festival where Williams ran a career best 13.60 in the 110-meter hurdles. At the end of his freshman year, Williams qualified for the NCAA outdoor track and field championships and advanced to the semifinals of the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.04.

For a freshman just starting his collegiate track career, making it to the NCAA championships was an overwhelming experience.

"It was incredibly exciting," says Williams. "I think I was overwhelmed by the whole thing. I really didn't understand what the meet was about. It's very exciting to just get there."

A religious person, Williams attributes his success as an athlete and in his life to his deep faith.

"I think God and my faith are the things which keep me motivated and focused," says Williams. "One reason for my sophomore debacle was the fact that my faith was wavering."

Although most track athletes would be happy, Williams was disappointed with his sophomore season. That year, Williams ran the 200 meters along with his normal hurdles routine. He finished fifth in the 55-meter hurdles at the BIG EAST indoor championships and captured an eighth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the conference outdoor championships. The most disappointing part of Williams' season was his failure to qualify for the NCAA championships.

"It was awful," says Williams. "It was a wake-up call. My sophomore year was a weird year. Physically, I was fine, but I think it was a very mental and spiritual thing. My faith was shaken and having a bad track season challenged me to lean back on my faith. I consider myself to be a fairly religious person, and my sophomore year I wasn't leaning on my faith as I had done in the past."

Williams came back with something to prove his junior year and showed that he could quickly rebound from his disappointing sophomore season. During the indoor season, he placed fifth in the 55-meter hurdles and fourth in the 200 meters at the BIG EAST indoor championships and finished second in the 200 meters at Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational. During the outdoor season, Williams continued to be impressive. He won the 110-meter hurdles and the 200 meters at the Miami Classic and captured fourth in the 110-meter hurdles and third in the 200 meters at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. Williams' finish in the 200 meters earned him all-BIG EAST honors.

Williams also returned to the NCAA outdoor championships for the second time in his career and advanced to the semifinals of the 110-meter hurdles as he finished with a time of 13.82. Williams' trip to the NCAA's his junior year was far different than his freshman year experience.

"Getting there my junior year was a lot different because I didn't make it my sophomore year," says Williams. "It just made me look back and see how God had blessed me my freshman year. Last year I really appreciated it so much more. I just couldn't wait to get back there again."

As he points towards his final season, Williams hopes to win an individual BIG EAST title and return to the NCAA championships. In addition he has other goals as well.

"I want to make it to the NCAA's, but the main goal this year is the team titles at the BIG EAST championships," says Williams. "If we could win that title and not run another meet, I would be elated. I'm surrounded by a really good team this year and if we could just win the conference title, nothing else would matter. I consider it a measuring stick. To say that we're BIG EAST champions is to say that we're the best team in our region of the country and that's saying a lot."

Williams also takes care of business in the classroom as well. A Dean's List student with a 3.70 in the College of Business Administration with a major in accounting, Williams takes pride in his academics.

"I'm proud of my academics," says Williams. "What I do athletically is definitely a gift. After this year, as far as my participating in athletics, it's over. You see that academics goes so much farther Ð it's the rest of my life. Academics takes precedence over athletics."