ELSAH, Ill. – In the midst of windy and rainy conditions at Principia College, the Haverford College men's cross country team raced to an eighth place finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships on Saturday morning, as a crowded field of national contenders were faced with the prospect of navigating a hilly, winding course on a less than ideal day for racing. The eighth place finish was the best performance for the Fords since the 2012 team finished in a tie for second place. The Fords have now placed within the top 20 at the national meet for the 25th straight season, a mark that dates back to the 1993 campaign.
Senior Henry Woods paced the Fords with an 18th place finish in a time of 24:42.90, picking up his second All-America finish in as many seasons. Woods' honor represents the third straight year that the Fords have had an All-American finisher. Woods is the 35th cross country All-American in the illustrious history of the Haverford program.
Last season, Woods, from New York City, finished 22nd at the National Championships in Louisville, Ky. Charlie Marquardt was an All-American with an 18th place overall finish in the 2015 championship in Winneconne, Wisconsin.
Woods adds the honor to a bevy of cross country career honors, including this season's Centennial Conference invididual championship and three straight all-region designations.
Junior Graham Peet was the 50th place finisher with a time of 25:05.15, while junior Ryan Herlihy was close behind in 56th place with a time of 25:09.60. Sophomore Sam McCalpin crossed in 117th place overall (25:35.72) in his NCAA Championship debut while junior Greg Morgan rounded out the Haverford scorers with a 172nd place finish in 25:52.06. Senior Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe was the other Haverford finisher, with a time of 26:27.96.
Peet, the Mideast Region Athlete of the Year, remains on track to be the 12th four-time NCAA Qualifier in program history, with three appearances at the national meet through his first three years on the Haverford campus already under his belt.
North Central (Ill.) took the National Championship for the 18th time in its history, with all-five scorers taking All-America honors for the second straight season. Wisconsin-La Crosse, Christopher Newport, Amherst, and Washington (Mo.) rounded out the top five. Darin Lau of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was the individual winner, finishing more than eight seconds clear of Jared Borowksy of North Central.
Haverford was the top finisher in the Mideast Regional, as Johns Hopkins finished 17th and Carnegie Mellon crossed in 21st. York (Pa.) finished in 30th place. Haverford was making its 25th straight appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championships.
The Fords now turn their attention to the fast approaching Indoor Track & Field season, which will begin on December 9 with the Haverford Holiday Meet at the Alumni Field House. The action is slated to begin at noon.