Full Centennial Conference Release
HAVERFORD, Pa. – Haverford men's cross country had three runners named to the All Centennial Conference first team, another runner named to the Centennial Conference second team, and the Haverford College Men's Cross Country coaching staff named Men's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year, the Centennial Conference office announced on Thursday morning.
Peter LaRochelle was named to First-Team All-Centennial Conference honors, after securing second place in the Centennial Conference championship meet. The Great Barrington, Mass. native has earned his second first team honor in a row, joining Emmanuel Leblond and Gavin McElhennon of Johns Hopkins as the only other repeat first-team members.
Nathaniel Leighninger was the second Ford to be named to the first team, after finishing in fourth place in last Saturday's Centennial Conference Championship. The senior had quite the season, following up an impressive 2022 season where he was named an NCAA qualifier and an All-Metro region member.
Seamus Fraser was the third member of the Scarlet and Black to be given the All-Centennial First-Team nod. The Port Townsend, Wash. product achieved the honor following a seventh place finish at the Centennial Conference Championship, with a time of 26:25.9. The accomplishment marks Fraser's first of his career for Haverford.
Luca Ponticello finished 12th in a hard-fought race at the Centennial Conference Championship, earning an All-Centennial Conference second team honor. Hailing from Bloomfield, N.J., Ponticello collected his first accolade of his career.
The Haverford College Men's Cross Country coaching staff earned the 2023 Centennial Conference Coaching Staff of the year award. Assisted by JB Haglund '02, Matt Cohen '12, and Bob Hasson '83, this distinction will be the 10th and final Centennial Conference award for Head Coach Tom Donnelly.
The legendary coach for the Fords announced his retirement in September, and has captured 77 Middle Atlantic and Centennial Conference championships total in his tenure, including 65 titles since the 1993 season. His runners have earned 176 cross country and track & field All-American awards since 1980, including 29 individual NCAA championships and an NCAA championship relay team.
The USTFCCCA Hall of Famer most notably the 2010 NCAA Division III Championship, marking the first team national champion in school history.
Senior captain Sammy Schindel was additionally named to the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team. The team features one student-athlete from each institution as selected by their head coaches.
The No. 27 Men's Cross Country team will return to action on Saturday, November 11 at DREAM Park in Logan Township, N.J. for the NCAA Division III Metro Regional. The race will begin at 11 a.m.
The number one ranked team in the Metro, Haverford is the two-time defending champion of the Metro Region, and has tallied 26 NCAA regional titles overall. If the Fords lock up their third Metro Championship in a row, they will earn an astonishing 30th consecutive trip to the NCAA National Championship.