Women's Cross Country Finishes in Fifth Place at Centennial Conference Championships

(left-right) Maia Poremba, Sophia Furman, Dalia Smid

Posted: Nov 02, 2024

NEWVILLE, Pa. – The Haverford College women's cross country team finished fifth out of 10 teams at the 31st annual Centennial Conference Championships, held at Big Spring High School and hosted by Dickinson College. Haverford collected 153 points on a crisp November morning. Haverford's average time of 24:28 was two seconds better than sixth-place Franklin & Marshall, as the Fords edged the Diplomats 153-158.

Leading Haverford's contingent was Grace Chen, who placed 31st with a time of 24:01.1. Close behind was Anastasia Jaycobs, finishing in 32nd with a time of 24:03.0. Sophomore Alice Sappenfield completed the 6K course in 24:42.9, earning 41st place. She was followed by Savannah Shaw, who finished in 44th with a time of 24:48.1.

A trio of seniors rounded out the top 50 for Haverford in their final Centennial Conference race. Julianna Watson clocked in at 24:49.7 for 46th place, while Dominique La Grenade placed 48th in 24:53.6. Krysta Nichols, competing in her fourth Centennial Championship, came in 49th with a time of 24:54.8.

Poppy Crisman took 58th place with a time of 25:23.0. First-year runners Dalia Smid and Bianca Ortiz followed in 71st and 72nd with times of 26:00.4 and 26:04.8, respectively.

Sophia Furman, running her third Centennial Conference Championship, finished 94th in 27:50.4, while Maia Poremba secured 97th place with a time of 28:08.8. Other Haverford finishers included Judy Xie (107th, 29:10.8), Kattie Strutton (108th, 29:24.3), and Claire Parsons (109th, 29:41.5).

Johns Hopkins clinched its 16th consecutive Centennial Conference title, achieving a perfect score of 15 points for the fourth time in conference history and the third consecutive year. The individual title went to JHU junior Adriana Catalano in 21:57.3.

Next up, the women's cross country team will compete in the NCAA Metro Region Championships at the North Athletics Complex in Galloway, N.J., hosted by Stockton University. The women's 6K race is set to begin at 11 a.m. The regional race will feature seven runners per team, with the top squad and individual in each region earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.