LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Battling against a muddy course on a chilly late November morning, the Haverford College men's cross country team placed 27th in the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park.
First year Ryan Kredell had an outstanding showing in his first trip to nationals, finishing 45th overall in a personal-best time of 25:01.1 and scoring 37th to pace the Fords on Saturday. His performance marked the highest finish for a Haverford rookie at the national championship since USTFCCCA Hall of Famer Karl Paranya '97 finished 39th in 1993. The Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year climbed 16 slots between the 3K and 4K splits, before eventually sprinting four more places to finish just outside of an All-America performance.
Kredell's finish is also the third highest by a Haverford rookie all-time, as Mike Sheely '83 was 10th in his first year during the 1978 season. Sheely remains the only rookie All-American in program history.
Sophomore Peter Buckley was the second to toe the line for the Fords, taking a 169th place overall in a time of 25:53. Buckley improved 69 positions over his debut nationals run a season ago in Wisconsin, and pushed steadily over the length of the race, improving 77 places from the initial split. Senior Conor Madden was not far behind in the crowded field, crossing in 193rd in his first trip to the national championship. First year Aaron Bratt also made his debut on the national stage, taking a 201st overall showing (26:07). Senior co-captain Sam McCalpin rounded out the Haverford scorers with a 215th place overall finish (26:11.6).
Sophomore Max Brelig crossed in 254th overall in his nationals debut (26:38.2), while senior co-captain Hiro Kawakatsu capped his first appearance at nationals with a 276th place showing (27:47.5) to round out the Haverford seven.
Pomona-Pitzer won the team title, ascending to the top of the podium for the first time in program history. It was also the Sagehens' first time placing within the top five team finishers at a national meet. Mideast Regional individual champion Patrick Watson of Stevenson reprised that role in Louisville, grabbing the individual national title by more than five seconds over second-place finisher Matthew Wilkinson of Carleton.
Haverford will now turn its full attention to the indoor season. The men's indoor track & field team gets its campaign underway with the Haverford Holiday Meet on Saturday, December 7. Events are slated to get underway at 10:30 a.m. inside the Alumni Field House.