Williams transfers to CSU-Pueblo program

Columbia Falls’ All-American runner Derrick Williams has left the Carroll College running program after one year to follow his coach. Williams is now planning to run for Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Coach Matt Morris left Carroll College for CSU-Pueblo this summer.

“I left the Carroll to follow coach Morris,” Williams said last week.

CSU-Pueblo is a Division II school and part of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, one of the most competitive running conferences in the nation, Williams said.

There’s just one hitch, Williams noted — CSU-Pueblo doesn’t have a men’s cross country program this year. Morris is starting it from the ground up, and it won’t compete until the next school year. But under Division II rules, Williams won’t lose a year of eligibility.

In the interim, Williams is running meets “unattached,” which means he can race but his time and score don’t actually count.

Count or not, Williams said he won one race recently and took seventh in another. He’s also an assistant coach with the women’s program at the school.

Last March, Williams took third in the mile at the NAIA National Indoor Track Championships.

The top eight placers at nationals receive all-American status. Williams was one of the best runners in Columbia Falls High School history. He holds the school record in cross country with a time of 15:15 and the 1,600 meters in track with a time of 4:19.6.