LOGAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. – The Haverford College men's cross country team turned in its strongest Inter-Regional Border Battle performance since 2017 on Saturday, placing third overall in a deep field that featured several nationally ranked programs competing at the DREAM Park in South Jersey. Led by senior Micah Lachman, who claimed the individual championship, the Fords (161 points) finished behind only Carnegie Mellon (67) and Swarthmore (144) in the team standings.
Lachman dominated the 8K course at the Rowan-hosted event, crossing the line in 24:28.8 to secure the overall win by more than 12 seconds. The senior was in control throughout, clocking 4:53.3 through the opening mile and maintaining a consistent pace through the middle sections of the race before closing with authority over the final stretch. His victory, head-to-head against the charging Kaleb Kabakijan of Messiah and Ryan Podnar of Carnegie Mellon, continues a standout fall season and adds another milestone to his career resume entering the postseason portion of the schedule.
First-year Simon Lane followed with an impressive top-15 showing, placing 11th overall in 25:04.2 after staying with the front pack for much of the race. The sophomore's strong finish provided key early points for the Fords' team total.
The strength of Haverford's lineup once again proved crucial, with Owen Bluman (25:37.9) and Luke de Valpine (25:38.2) finishing back-to-back in 38th and 39th, respectively. Both runners executed strong closing kilometers to stay inside the top 40 of the 327-runner field. Jakob Maiwald (26:09.2) rounded out the team's top five in 74th, securing the scoring (72) needed to edge several regionally ranked opponents, including Metro region foes Moravian, Swarthmore and TCNJ as well as top-ranked Mid-Atlantic foe Johns Hopkins.
Torin Pelton-Flavin (26:10.6) finished just a second behind Maiwald in 75th, while Raine Guidarelli (26:38.7), Wade Garoutte (26:48.0), Will Tew (27:06.1), and Joseph DeRosa (27:19.8) completed Haverford's effort in the championship race.
In the open race that followed the championship portion of the afternoon, Gopal Patel led the way for Haverford, finishing 16th overall with a time of 27:00.1. Patel maintained a steady pace throughout the quirky 7.28K split, splitting 5:12.6 through the first mile and hitting the 3-mile mark in 24:40.0, eventually closing in 2:17.9 over the final stretch. His performance set the tone for the rest of the Fords.
Oliver Barr finished 24th in 27:40.2, following closely behind Patel with a strong closing effort over the final kilometers. He was trailed by Cullen Worth (28:07.1, 38th), Cole Branstrom (28:16.0, 44th), and Nicky Elias-Gillette (28:21.7, 48th), forming a formidable scoring core for the team.
Haverford's prowess extended further with Wyatt Grace (28:42.3, 62nd), Liam Deimler (28:50.4, 65th), Gabriel Bernstein (29:17.5, 79th), Will Gray (29:41.6, 90th), and Deven Abrams (30:08.3, 105th) all looking strong. The team's effort was rounded out by Ben Aaron (31:21.2, 139th) and Josue Laurore (31:30.7, 142nd), showing remarkable depth across the entire roster.
Haverford now returns to action on Friday, October 24 hosting the Haverford Invitational at the Fran Rizzo Cross Country Course at Haverford College. The action in the men's race is slated for 5 p.m. as the race serves as the final tune-up before the CC Championships on November 1.
