HAVERFORD, Pa. – Junior Charlie Marquardt was named the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) Mideast Region Runner of the Year. He is the first Fords' runner to win the honor since Anders Hulleberg '11 during the 2010 season.
Marquardt picked up the individual crown in the Mideast Regional last Saturday and set a new course record at the Big Spring High School (24:57.4). He was one of only two runners in the 343 person field to finish the race in less than 25 minutes. The junior also won the Centennial Conference Championship (25:30.2), giving him individual titles in back to back meets. The last Ford to accomplish that feat was Hullenberg during the 2010 season.
After finishing fourth in the Mideast Regional, the Fords were awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship for the 22nd consecutive season. Carnegie Mellon, who won the team title and Widener were the automatic qualifiers. Centennial Conference rival Johns Hopkins, the third place finisher in the regional, was the other team to make it.
The 2014 NCAA Championship meet will take place Saturday in Mason, Ohio. The Fords will look for their sixth consecutive top ten finish and 10th in the last 11 years.