LANSING, Mich. - Battling the cold and snowy conditions at Michigan State's Forest Akers Golf Course, the Haverford College men's cross country team raced to a 13th place finish in the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday afternoon, marking its 29th consecutive appearance at the national meet with another top-15 finish. Historically one of the most storied programs in the nation, Haverford is second in history with 39 total appearances at the NCAA Championships. The 13th place showing was the best for the Fords since the 2018 team reached the national podium with a fourth-place finish. Haverford has now placed in the top 20 at the national meet in 27 of the last 29 seasons.
Senior Ryan Kredell continued his outstanding season into its final day, pacing Haverford with a 17th-place overall finish in a time of 25:21.7, picking up All-America honors for the first time in his cross country career. Kredell, already the Metro Region and Centennial Conference Runner of the Year, is Haverford's first All-American since 2018 and the 39th in program history. The 17th place showing is also a marked improvement from his 139th place showing a season ago, and his 45th place performance as a rookie in 2019.
Senior Aaron Bratt was the next to cross in 91st, scoring 74 for the Fords in 26:02. Classmate Jamie Moreland then took a 122nd place finish, scoring 91 in 26:12.3, while sophomore Peter LaRochelle (26:16), crossed 137th, scoring 102. Junior Nathaniel Leighninger made his nationals debut with a 26:21.5 performance, good for 154th overall, scoring 115 for Haverford to round out the scoring five.
Miles Colescott finished in 26:43.7 for 205th overall, while Peter Buckley was 253rd to cross in 27:10.1. Buckley earns the distinction of becoming the first four-time NCAA qualifier for the Fords since Graham Peet finished his fourth national championship race iin 2018. In total, only 13 runners in program history have participated in four national championships. Bratt and Kredell have participated in three, and were on pace for that designation before the cancellation of the 2020 race due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hovering around the upper teens in the team standings for most of the initial splits, a late charge from the Fords put the squad above stalwart sides such as Claremont-Mudd Scripps, St. Olaf, and Calvin. In a repeat of the Centennial meet, Haverford was narrowly edged by Johns Hopkins, who finished 12th.
MIT won the national championship, posting a team score of 82 points to edge out a late challenge from runner-up Wartburg (129 points), who was the only program to earn a podium finish in both the men's and women's races. SUNY Geneseo (168 points) and John Carroll (186 points) rounded out the podium while the number one team in the USTFCCCA rankings coming into the meet, Pomona-Pitzer, settled for fifth. Alex Phillip of John Carroll took home the individual title for the second consecutive season.
Haverford will now turn its attention to the Indoor Track & Field campaign, which will begin on Friday, December 9 at Ursinus Bow Tie Meet in Collegeville, Pa.