Season Highlights: Running with a veteran lineup entering the 2014 season, the Haverford College women's cross country team was ranked as high as No. 11 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Poll during this past season. The Fords looked poised to qualify for the NCAA Championship before a series of injuries derailed what looked to be a potentially historic season for the Fords. Despite those setbacks, several runners stayed strong and finished with decorated seasons. Also promising for the future of the women's cross country program was the emergence of several freshmen that were counted on early in their collegiate careers and will have that experience to pull from for the remainder of their athletic careers at Haverford.
Highlighting the individual awards for the Fords during the 2014 season were a trio of All-Mideast Region honorees as the Fords placed sixth as a team in their regional. Senior Kelley Riffenburgh was the Fords' top finisher at the regional championship as she placed 15th overall and missed an at-large spot in the NCAA Championship by a single placement. Senior Charlotte Lellman (30th in region) and junior Maggie Heffernan (33rd in region) also earned All-Mideast Region honors. Junior Nora Weathers also earned second-team All-Centennial Conference honors after leading the team to a third place finish at the conference meet.
Awards
- NCAA Division III Mideast Regional: 6th place
- Centennial Conference Championship: 3rd place
- All-Mideast Region: Kelley Riffenburgh, Charlotte Lellman, Maggie Heffernan
- All-Centennial Conference: Nora Weathers (second team)
- Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team: Charlotte Lellman
- USTFCCA All-Academic Team
- USTFCCA All-Academic Individuals: Nicole Giannetti, Maggie Heffernan, Charlotte Lellman, Kelley Riffenburgh
- Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll: Molly Allen, Margaret Duffy, Rebecca Fisher, Katherine Greifeld, Allison Hacker, Charlotte Lellman, Kelley Riffenburgh
- Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team: Kelley Riffenburgh
- Centennial Conference Runner of the Week: Nora Weathers (9/22), Maggie Heffernan (10/22)
- Ambler Scholar-Athlete: Kelley Riffenburgh
Season Notes: Charlotte Lellman won the individual title at the Haverford Open … Nora Weathers won the Alumnae Race … Weathers earned co-Centennial Conference Runner of the Week honors after a third place finish at the Dickinson Long/Short Invitational … The Fords vaulted to No. 11 in the USTFCCCA Rankings after a second place finish in the long race at Dickinson to only Division I Bucknell (the team's highest ranking since they were No. 8 during 2012) … Maggie Heffernan was named the Centennial Conference Runner of the Week after a 10th place individual finish at the Haverford Invitational … Haverford has placed in the top three in each season since joining the Centennial Conference with the exception of a fourth place finish in 1999.
Looking ahead: Juniors Nora Weather and Maggie Heffernan return after each finished with decorated junior campaigns and will look to lead Haverford back to the NCAA Championship in 2015. Freshman Nicole Giannetti and Amelia Keyser-Gibson will have an added year of collegiate experience under their belts. The freshman duo were the Fords' fifth and sixth finishers in both the Centennial Conference and Mideast Regional Championship races. Junior Molly Allen, along with freshmen MaryKate Cavanaugh, Sarah Wade, and Alison Love are also back after running in the varsity field at the Centennial Conference Championship. Up first however, the cross country Fords will join the rest of their teammates for the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons.