HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford Men's Indoor Track and Field team will kick off the 2017-18 campaign looking to improve upon another campaign a season ago. The Fords finished second at the Centennial Conference Indoor Championships in Collegeville, Pa. last season and hope to unseat Johns Hopkins at the Indoor championships in late Februrary. The Fords were predicted to place second in the conference (57 points, one first-place vote) after recording a second-place finish at last year's Centennial Conference Championship for the fifth straight season. Haverford has finished first or second in the Centennial Championships in each season dating back to 1999.
Haverford returns All-Mideast Region selections Graham Peet, Liam Lynch, Peter Kurtz, Greg Morgan, and Henry Woods while Dylan Gearinger, Zach Oji, Scott Pollara and Chris Goings all return from All-Centennial Conference campaigns.
With an exceptional cross country season in the rear view mirror, the distance runners will hope to keep the eye on the conference crowns in the indoor season. Last season, the team won four events at the conference meet including a strong showing from the distance contingent as the Fords received a 3,000 meter title from Dylan Gearinger and a 5,000 meter title from Graham Peet.
Lynch, who joined the cross country team this season, will look to continue an impressive career as he transitions to longer distance events. Lynch captured the 400 meter race while the 4x200 meter relay team of Lynch, Alex Frost, Zach Oji and Scott Pollara also took home a conference event title.
First year runners will dot the landscape as Sam Ditkovsky, Matt Katz and Jack Hunter are all first years who figure to factor into the middle distance scoring for Haverford. Gene Perry and Rudy Hernandez are both talented additions to the sprinter contingent.
In field events, Silvan Sooksatan and Keiran Marrett-Hitch are both newcomers to the jumping events. Alex Rittler and Antwain Golson are first year throwers who will make an immediate impact.
After the Haverford Holiday Invitational kicks off all the actin on Satuday, December 9, the squad breaks for the holidays, resuming action at the Franklin & Marshall Coach I Invitational (January 13) while select runners will travel to Staten Island, N.Y. for the Albany Great Dane Classic. The team then heads to Ursinus for the Ursinus Invitational (January 20) before hosting the Seamus McElligott '91 Invitational (January 27).
Februrary sees a split as select runners head to Tufts and Ursinus (Feb. 3). The Armory Invitational in New York City is the penultimate test (Feb. 9) before the final regular season contest, the Keogh Invitational (Feb. 17).
Ursinus once again hosts the Conference Championships (February 24-25). The Division III Indoor Track and Field Champiopnship is on Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10 in Birmingham, Ala.