HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford Women's Cross Country team climbed to second in the latest release of the Division III Women's Cross Country Metro Region rankings, moving up from the fourth position in the first regular season release of the rankings, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Tuesday. New for the 2021 season, Haverford has switched from the Mideast to the Metro Region as the NCAA has expanded to 10 regions across the nation for cross country.
Tri-co rival Swarthmore remained at the top spot in the Metro, but the entire rest of the top five shifted places. Haverford now slots second, ahead of Moravian, Ursinus, and Stockton. Rowan, Widener, TCNJ, Eastern, and Muhlenberg round out the remainder of the top 10 teams in the region, which comprises schools in both the New York and Philadelphia Metro regions along with portions of the Lehigh Valley in Eastern Pennsylvania.
The Fords opened the season at the Bryn Mawr Invitational on September 2, with all of the Haverford runners in the event making their collegiate cross country debuts. First year Katie Hirsche paced the field to pick up the event title at Rose Tree Park in Media. Haverford is now set to compete at its signature home meet, the Main Line Invitational, on Friday (5 p.m.). The event will be an early benchmark in the Metro Region, with Swarthmore making the jaunt to Haverford for a battle between the top two teams in the region.