BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 22nd-ranked Haverford College men's cross country team took a third-place finish at the NCAA Mideast Regional on Saturday afternoon on the campus of Lehigh University. Haverford finished with 120 total points, nine ahead of fourth place Elizabethtown and 93 clear of fifth-place Dickinson. Although the Fords did not earn automatic qualification to next weekend's NCAA Division III Championships, the squad figures to be on solid footing for an at-large berth. The at-large announcements for the NCAA Championships will be made on Sunday at 1 p.m. via an NCAA.com press release. Haverford is looking to reach the national meet for the 27th consecutive season. The NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships will be hosted in Louisville, Kentucky next Saturday, November 23.
Senior Conor Madden was the 17th place finisher overall, pacing Haverford in a time of 25:25.4. Senior co-captain Sam McCalpin was the second Haverford runner to cross the finish in 25:28.3 for a 20th place overall showing. Sophomore Peter Buckley was just behind McCalpin in a time of 25:30.8, recording a 22nd place finish. Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year Ryan Kredell continued his impressive debut season, crossing just behind Buckley in 23rd place (25:31.7). By virtue of finishes within the top 35, Madden, McCalpin, Buckley, and Kredell will all be named All-Mideast region by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). McCalpin repeats that honor for the third time in his Haverford career.
Sophomore Max Brelig was the fifth Haverford scorer with a 38th place overall showing (25:52.2). First year Aaron Bratt then crossed in 49th place (26:06.7), while senior co-captain Hiro Kawakatsu rounded out the Haverford contingent with a 53rd place finish (26:12.8). The Fords have not finished outside of the top five in the Mideast Region since 1988, further extending an unprecedented run of success in the postseason under Head Coach Tom Donnelly.
No. 4 Carnegie Mellon was the Mideast Regional champion for the second straight season; with No. 6 Johns Hopkins also earning an automatic qualification by virtue of its second place finish. Patrick Watson of Stevenson was the Mideast Regional individual champion in a time of 24:24.4.