NEW ORLEANS – With his team prepping for the national race, Haverord College head men's cross country coach Tom Donnelly has been tabbed for his third consecutive Division III Mideast Region Coach of the Year award as announced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Wednesday morning.

Donnelly's 2012 men's squad has swept through the Centennial Conference and Mideast region meets with first-place finishes over the past three weekends and heads into the NCAA 2012 D-III championship meet Saturday morning in Terre Haute, Ind., as the top-ranked team in the USTFCCCA's most recent poll.

His third straight region honor adds to recent accolades which include the 2012 Centennial coach of the year and the 2010 national coach of the year.

The Fords head into the 2012 NCAA meet having earned an automatic berth into the championship by capturing one of the nation's eight regional titles. All seven of Haverford's runners placed within the top-35 at the Mideast meet to earn all-region honors. Only third-ranked Calvin (Mich.) College of the Great Lakes Region matched this seven-for-seven feat.

USTFCCCA 2012 D-III region award winners (athletes and coaches)