Full USTFCCA National Poll Release
NEW ORLEANS - After a strong showing at the Main Line Invitational last Friday, the Haverford College women's cross country team has moved up in both the national and regional rankings. The Fords are now the No. 27 ranked team in the nation, climbing five spots from last week's No. 32 ranking in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Coaches Poll.
Haverford is also the top-ranked squad in the Metro Region rankings, pulling ahead of rival Swarthmore after beating the Garnet head-to-head at the Alumni Cross Country Course. The Fords crossed as the top Division III team in the seven-team event. Haverford finished fourth overall behind Division I teams Villanova, Penn, and La Salle while placing ahead of squads from Elizabethtown, Muhlenberg and Widener.
Haverford's top finisher was senior Izzy Miller, who crossed in 11th overall with the fastest time from a Division III athlete. Miller established a new personal best in the three-mile distance, with a final mark of 17:26.6. The second Haverford runner to toe the line was first year Katie Hirsche, who posted a sub-18 mark of her own (17:56.7) for a 25th place overall finish.
The Fords are currently the third ranked team from the Centennial Conference, with only top-ranked Johns Hopkins and No. 7 Dickinson above them in the national poll. Swarthmore tumbled to No. 32 in the national landscape. In the Metro, Haverford slots above Swarthmore and third-ranked TCNJ, who moved up eight spots after an impressive showing at Moravian. The Greyhounds fall to fourth, ahead of Ursinus, Stockton, Muhlenberg, Widener, Rowan, and Eastern.
The Fords next return to the course at the prestigious Paul Short Run at Lehigh on Friday, October 1. The crowded field features teams from across the eastern seaboard converging on Bethlehem, Pa.