LOGAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. - The Haverford College men's (Ranked No. 27 in the nation, Ranked first in the Metro) and women's (Ranked seventh in the Metro) cross country teams will participate in Saturday's NCAA Metro Region Championships at DREAM park, hosted by Rowan University. The men's race is slated for 11 a.m. while the women's race will follow approximately at noon.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Each team at the NCAA Regionals is limited to a maximum of seven participants. A total of 10 teams in each gender (each regional champion) will automatically qualify for the NCAA National Championships on November 19 in Newville, Pa. at Big Spring High School.
There will also be 22 at-large bids handed out by the NCAA committee. Those selections will be announced on Sunday, November 12 in a release on NCAA.com.
The top-seven runners not from a qualifying team will also earn an automatic berth to the NCAA championship, with those bids also finalized and announced in the NCAA selection release on Sunday. Runners who place in the top 35 will earn All-Region designation from the USTFCCCA.
PURSUIT FOR THE CROWN
The Men's team comes into the race as the favorite to three-peat, as 31 other men's teams look to steal the title away from the Fords. Staying in the number one ranked spot in the Metro all season, the Scarlet and Black are defending back-to-back champions, and have won the region every season since the Metro Region was formed in 2021. Previously, the Fords competed in the Mideast Region, where the Scarlet and Black captured 23 Mideast championships.
The Women's team, who recently scooted up the Metro Regional Rankings to seventh, look to battle it out for the trophy with 32 other women's cross country teams. The Scarlet and Black look to improve on the footsteps of a 2022 performance, where they finished 12th overall, boasted by a fifth-place overall finish from sophomore Katie Hirsche, who punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships, as an individual qualifier. The women's team also captured the inaugural Metro Region title during the 2021 season.
LAST RACE:
Haverford competed in the Centennial Conference Championships at McDaniel two weeks ago, as Johns Hopkins topped the Fords to secure the Centennial Conference title for a second year in a row.
The Blue Jays claimed victory with a score of 28-40. Despite the score, the Scarlet and Black were able to produce four All-Centennial runners at the meet, with three runners placing in the top seven and one runner placing in the top 14.
Peter LaRochelle paced the Fords on the day finishing in second place with a time of 25:32.6, and earning First-Team All-Centennial for the second year in a row. Nathaniel Leighninger (fourth place, 25:52.1) and Seamus Fraser (seventh place, 26:25.9) earned First-Team All-Centennial distinctions as well with their blazing times in the Centennial Conference Championship race. Senior Luca Ponticello was also named All-Centennial earning a second-team nod with a 12th place finish overall in 26:55.8. Rounding out the scorers for the Fords was Matthew Denton (15th place, 27:04).
The women's squad had a memorable day of their own, claiming a fourth-place finish in the Centennial Conference Championship.
Haverford was led by first-year runner Alice Sappenfield who finished just outside the top 14 with a time of 24:46.6. The San Francisco, Calif native has been impressive all season, and her fantastic performances earned herself Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year, announced last Thursday.
Junior captain Dominique Monroy followed up her teammate's strong performance with an impressive outing of her own, finishing the race in 25:32.6 and placing 22nd overall. Savannah Shaw (26th place, 25:56.3), Krysta Nichols (32nd place, 26:17.2), and Julianna Watson (34th place, 26:32.2) closed out the scoring for the Scarlet and Black.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG:
To keep up to date with all the Metro Region Championship action, please head to Metro Region Tournament Central