HAVERFORD, Pa. - Haverford Men's Cross Country junior Graham Peet has been named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Mideast Region Athlete of the Year, the organization announced on Tuesday.
In addition, head coach Tom Donnelly was also named the Mideast Region Coach of the Year for the fifth time in the last eight seasons. The award is the 13th overall for Donnelly, who last captured the honor in 2015.
The Fords also leapfrogged UW-La Crosse to take over sole possession of the No. 2 national ranking. The ranking is the highest for Haverford since the squad was ranked second in the nation during the first three weeks of the 2013 campaign. The ranking is the highest pre-nationals mark for the Fords since the 2012 team was ranked first entering the championship meet. North Central (Ill.) remains the No. 1 squad, with all eight first place votes. No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse, No. 4 SUNY Geneseo and No. 5 Pomona-Pitzer round out the top five in the nationa poll.
Peet takes home the award after becoming the 13th individual regional champion in program history, pacing the Mideast Regional field with a time of 25:22.9. Peet, in just his junior season, remains firmly on-track to become Haverford's 12th four-time NCAA national qualifier.
Haverford won the Mideast Regional, claiming an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Haverford scored a miniscule 25, the third best regional meet team score in the illustrious history of the program.
The Fords placed five finishers in the top 10 for just the second time in program history. The only other time the feat has been achieved was during the 2010 Mideast Regional, as the Fords took the regional in Slippery Rock, Pa. en route to a national championship.
The regional crown is the 23rd overall regional championship for Haverford, as the Fords captured the championship for the first time since 2015. Peet, Henry Woods and Ryan Herlihy finished 1-2-3 in the race, the first time the Fords have ever achieved the feat at a regional.
By virtue of top-35 finishes, each of Haverford's regional participants will be awarded All-Mideast Region honors. Woods and Peet have now earned the honor in three straight seasons while Herlihy and Greg Morgan picked up their second straight all-region designation.
The Fords will compete at the NCAA Division III National Championship race on Saturday, November 18 in Elsah, Ill. The meet, hosted by Principia College, begins at 12 p.m. eastern time (11 a.m. local).