HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's cross country team finished third overall at the Main Line Invitational on Friday afternoon, putting together an impressive performance against a field featuring multiple Division I programs at the Fran Rizzo Cross Country Course at Haverford College.
The Fords totaled 77 points to finish third overall and first among all Division III programs in the field, trailing only Division I Stony Brook (34) and George Mason (35). Haverford finished comfortably ahead of Division III competitors Swarthmore (113), Gettysburg (173), Widener (216) and Muhlenberg (223), while also besting Division I La Salle (132).
Senior Owen Bluman led the way for the Fords, crossing the line seventh overall in 19:48.6. Bluman was also the top Division III individual finisher, giving Haverford both the top Division III team and individual performances at the meet.
Sophomore Simon Lane was next across the line for the Scarlet and Black, placing 12th overall in 19:59.0. Senior Luke de Valpine followed with another strong performance, taking 19th overall in 20:06.6.
Sophomore Daniel Gordon crossed the line 21st in 20:14.7, while sophomore Cole Branstrom completed Haverford's scoring five with a 24th-place finish in 20:27.8. The Fords' five scorers were separated by just 39.2 seconds.
First-year Ezra Kleinbaum was the sixth Haverford runner across the line, placing 28th overall in 20:32.5, while senior Torin Pelton-Flavin finished 41st in 20:54.9 to round out the Fords' top seven.
Sophomore Oliver Barr crossed in 49th with a time of 21:18.1, followed by sophomore Wade Garoutte in 55th at 21:31.4 and first-year Nico Oshunrinade in 56th at 21:31.7. Sophomore Gabriel Bernstein placed 63rd in 21:48.3, sophomore William Tew finished 65th in 21:51.4, and first-year Kieran Berna crossed 66th in 21:55.3.
First-year Luke Crounse finished 70th in 22:01.6, just ahead of sophomore Wyatt Grace, who took 71st in 22:01.9. First-year Kaison Aizawa followed in 73rd at 22:07.1, while senior Gopal Patel placed 75th with a time of 22:17.2.
Senior Cullen Worth crossed the line 80th in 22:25.6, with sophomore Liam Deimler taking 85th in 22:45.3 and first-year Ethan Baloyo following in 86th at 22:47.5. Junior Nicky Elias-Gillette finished 95th in 23:09.6, while first-year Gideon Rosinplotz was 96th in 23:10.9.
Senior Yupei Sun crossed in 102nd with a time of 23:31.3, followed by junior Tate Sheehy in 106th at 23:38.9. First-year Christian Kim placed 109th in 23:42.1, first-year River Capek was 111th in 23:54.3 and first-year Aaron Groverman finished 120th in 25:10.7. Sophomore Benjamin Aaron crossed 122nd in 25:41.8, while sophomore Garrett Miyagawa rounded out the Haverford contingent in 124th at 25:49.8.
Stony Brook claimed the team title with 34 points, narrowly edging George Mason by a single point. Haverford was firmly in third with 77 points, finishing 36 points ahead of fourth-place Swarthmore and also besting Division I La Salle along with Centennial Conference foes Gettysburg, Widener and Muhlenberg.
George Mason's Alex DeRoussel captured the individual title in 19:35.4, narrowly ahead of teammate Biruk Beardsley (19:37.8) and Stony Brook's Ethan Green (19:39.0). Bluman's seventh-place showing paced all Division III competitors and gave the Fords three runners among the top 20 overall.
The Fords will now have two weeks to prepare for the Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh University on Friday, Oct. 2, in Bethlehem, Pa. Racing is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m.
