LOGAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. -  Haverford junior Alice Sappenfield led women's cross country at the Rowan Border Battle on the Gloucester County DREAM Park course on Saturday, crossing the finish line in 22:45.6.  Her strong performance helped Haverford secure its best Border Battle finish since 2021, placing fourth among an extremely competitive field and beating conference rival Swarthmore. Overall, the team finished seventh in the event out of 31 squads. 

Sappenfield was closely followed by Anastasia Jaycobs, who finished 49th in 22:46.7, and Savannah Shaw, who claimed 55th in 22:55.6. Jessie Hausman (66th, 23:04.1) and Grace Chen (71st, 23:12.7) rounded out the team's top five scorers, giving the Fords consistent depth in the top 75. Additional contributors included Maia Poremba (89th, 23:35.1), Keiko Chinen (126th, 24:16.5), Poppy Chrisman (168th, 24:45.6), Madeline Ruchelman (179th, 24:57.4), and Bianca Ortiz (207th, 25:30.4), who helped Haverford maintain a strong team presence across the course. 

Haverford toppled the Garnet, the fourth-ranked team in the Metro Region, along with third-ranked Moravian and the fifth-ranked team in the Mid-Atlantic, Salisbury. 

Audrey Carter led Haverford in the open race that followed the championship action, finishing 26th overall with a time of 25:32.7. Sophia Furman followed close behind in 40th place at 25:57.0, and Dalia Smid crossed in 53rd at 26:28.1, giving the Fords strong representation near the top of the field.

Rounding out the scoring were Claire Parsons (74th, 27:20.7), Judy Xie (98th, 28:31.6), and Adriana Rogow (99th, 28:31.9). Natalie Kruglyak finished 103rd in 29:17.4, contributing to the depth and overall team effort in the open race.

The Fords now return home for the second home meet of the season on Friday, October 24. The Haverford Invitational is slated for a 4:30 p.m. start at the Fran Rizzo Cross Country Course at Haverford College. The annual meet serves as final tune-up for the Centennial Conference Championships on November 1.