Full Centennial Conference release
HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's indoor track & field team has been picked for a second place finish in the 2019-20 Centennial Conference preseason poll. Haverford took home 55 total voting points. As is customary, head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own programs. The Fords have never finished below second at a Centennial Conference indoor championship meet.
Defending conference champion Johns Hopkins was picked first, as the Blue Jays took 64 overall voting points and a unanimous eight first place tallies. Haverford was well clear of rival Swarthmore, as the Garnet were predicted third with 44 total points. Ursinus was picked to finish fourth, and received one first-place tally for 43 total voting points. Dickinson was slotted right behind the Bears, tabbed for a fifth place finish and 42 total tallies to round out the top five predicted finishers.
Haverford had a standout season in 2018-19, as Greg Morgan was named the Centennial Conference Track Performer of the Year and later captured the indoor national championship in the 3,000 meters, becoming the second straight winner from Haverford. Haverford is the first program in Division III history to capture two consecutive individual titles in the indoor 3,000 meter competition. Despite losing a national champion in Morgan to graduation, the indoor squad returns all-conference performers Hiro Kawakatsu (4x800 meter relay, DMR), James Barker (4x800 meter relay), and Ethan Gadra (pole vault). Co-captain Kawakatsu was part of Haverford's gold medal distance medley relay a season ago, garnering first-team All-Centennial honors while joining co-captain Barker in garnering silver medals in the 4x800 race.
Track & field fans will have four chances to catch the men's squad at home during the indoor season. Both the men's and women's teams began their campaigns with one meet prior to the College's winter break, as the Haverford Holiday Meet is scheduled for Saturday, December 7. Haverford also hosts the midweek Haverford Quad Meet (Jan. 30), along with the McElligott Invitational (Feb. 15) and Keogh Invitational (Feb. 22) on consecutive Saturdays. Franklin & Marshall is slated to host the Centennial Championships on February 29 and March 1, while the national championship will be held at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C., hosted by Guilford College, on March 13 and 14.