HAVERFORD, Pa. – Five members of the 22nd-ranked Haverford College men's cross country team earned All-Centennial Conference recognition, while senior Gopal Patel was named to the conference's All-Sportsmanship Team, as announced by the conference office Thursday.
Sophomore Simon Lane and senior Owen Bluman collected First-Team All-Centennial honors. Senior Luke de Valpine, sophomore Cole Branstrom and first-year Ezra Kleinbaum earned second-team recognition following their performances at Saturday's Centennial Conference Championships at the Fran Rizzo Cross Country Course at Haverford College.
Lane secured his second consecutive first-team selection with a fourth-place finish, completing the eight-kilometer course in 24:41.0. The Chicago native matched his finish from his debut conference championship in 2025 and was the first runner outside of Johns Hopkins to cross the line. Bluman joined Lane on the first team after placing seventh in 24:58.7. The Pittsburgh native gave Haverford a pair of top-seven finishers as the Fords claimed second in the team standings.
De Valpine led Haverford's second-team contingent with a ninth-place finish in 25:03.6. Branstrom followed in 11th at 25:08.4, while Kleinbaum placed 13th in 25:14.7 in his first Centennial Conference championship appearance.
The five All-Centennial selections accounted for Haverford's scoring lineup, finishing within 33.7 seconds of one another. The Fords totaled 44 points to finish runner-up to Johns Hopkins.
Patel, a senior from Mountain Top, Pa., was selected as Haverford's representative on the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team. The award recognizes one student-athlete from each program, chosen by the head coach, for upholding the values of sportsmanship in competition and within the campus community.
Johns Hopkins swept the conference's major awards, with Caleb Tenney named Runner of the Year, Edward Stout selected Rookie of the Year and the Blue Jays receiving Coaching Staff of the Year recognition.
The conference's coaches voted on Runner of the Year and Rookie of the Year following the championship, considering both regular-season and championship performances.
No. 22 Haverford returns to action Saturday, Nov. 14, at the NCAA Metro Regional Championships on the Goodman Cross Country Course in Bethlehem, Pa. The men's race begins at noon.
