LA CROSSE, Wis. - A pair of All-America performances buoyed the Haverford College men's outdoor track & field team on the final day of competition at the NCAA Division III Track & Field championships on Saturday. With Graham Peet and Greg Morgan each crossing in the top eight, the Fords finished tied for 38th overall with eight points. Haverford had multiple All-Americans in the outdoor meet for the first time since the 2014 season.
The day started with a flourish as Peet finished third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, the first event to hit the track on the afternoon. Peet crossed the finish line in a time of 9:14.11. The third place finish was the best for a Haverford runner in the event since Grant Scott was the national runner-up in the 2006 season. Peet, who came into the prelims on Thursday as the 18th-seeded runner, was towards the back of the main pack before making a charge on the final lap to get himself onto the podium. Peet takes home his first All-America honor with the performance. He is also a three-time All-Region selection in the steeplechase and was the conference champion in the event this season.
The Fords wasted no time in picking up another All-America certificate as Morgan notched a seventh-place finish in the 1,500 meter final that followed less than an hour after Peet's steeplechase plaudit. The junior finished in a time of 3:55.45, returning to the podium after also earning All-America designation in the indoor mile earlier this year.
Morgan got out to a brief lead in the event and was in strong contention for the national title until a late push from Isaac Garcia-Cassani of SUNY Geneseo and Jeremy Hernandez of Ramapo separated the pair from the pack. Morgan, who entered with the fourth-fastest seed time, became Haverford's first All-American in the distance since Charlie Marquardt took home back-to-back top-eight finishes in the 2015 and 2016 national meet.
In the 5,000-meter run, Henry Woods finished in ninth with a time of 15:01.90, narrowly missing the podium in his final collegiate race. Woods was running towards the top of the pack in the early goings of the race and was able to hover around seventh place, but was eventually edged by Greg Arabagian of Stevens for the final All-America designation.
Haverford's Varsity Cup winner, Woods leaves the program with back-to-back national championship appearances in the outdoor 5,000 meters in addition to a myriad of honors including two All-America certificates in Cross Country and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.