HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's cross country team has been picked to finish second in the Centennial Conference in 2026, according to the conference's preseason poll released Wednesday morning.

Defending conference champion Johns Hopkins earned the top spot with 64 points and eight first-place votes. Haverford was selected second with 56 points and one first-place vote, followed by Swarthmore with 48 points and Dickinson with 46. Gettysburg (33 points), Ursinus (32 points), Franklin & Marshall (22 points), Muhlenberg (14 points), and McDaniel (9 points) rounded out the poll.

The Scarlet and Black return one of the conference's top runners in senior Simon Lane, who enters the season after an outstanding 2025 campaign. Lane qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships while earning USTFCCCA All-Metro Region and First-team All-Centennial Conference honors. He also garnered USTFCCCA All-Academic recognition and was named the Centennial Conference Athlete of the Week on September 23.

Lane established career-best marks across every distance last season, posting times of 15:06.0 in the three-mile race, 19:54.4 over four miles, and 24:31.1 in the 8,000-meter distance, including his personal-best effort at the Centennial Conference Championship.

Haverford opens the 2026 season by hosting the annual Alumni/Open Race on Saturday, September 5, at 5:30 p.m. at the Fran Rizzo Cross Country Course. The Fords return to campus for the Main Line Invitational on Friday, September 18, with that race also beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The 2026 Centennial Conference Championship will be contested at the Fran Rizzo Cross Country Course on Haverford's campus on Saturday, October 31, giving the Scarlet and Black an opportunity to compete for a conference title on their home course.

Fans are encouraged to keep up with HaverfordAthletics.com and follow @HCFords_Sports on X for the latest schedule updates and competition news.