HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's cross country team continues to earn national recognition heading into Friday's Paul Short Run, receiving votes in the Sept. 30 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division III National Coaches' Poll while holding the No. 1 position in the Metro Region for a third consecutive week. The Fords also check in at No. 24 in the latest D3 Glory Days national poll.

Haverford retained its regional standing after an idle weekend as the Fords prepare to return to competition Friday, Oct. 2, in Bethlehem, Pa. The regional rankings place Haverford as the Metro Region's projected automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships.

TCNJ moved from third to second in the regional rankings after finishing second in both the 4-kilometer and 8-kilometer races at the Purple and Gold Open in Coatesville, Pa., on Sept. 26. Swarthmore slipped one position to third, while Moravian and Rowan remained fourth and fifth, respectively. All five programs are scheduled to compete in the men's White Race at Paul Short.

Hosted by Lehigh University, Friday's White Race begins at 12:30 p.m. and features a deep field of Division III programs. Haverford will line up alongside the top three teams in the D3 Glory Days poll — SUNY Geneseo, NYU and Johns Hopkins — as well as No. 10 Amherst, No. 12 Carnegie Mellon and No. 18 Wesleyan. The field also includes No. 21 Lebanon Valley, No. 22 Middlebury, No. 26 Bates, No. 29 John Carroll and No. 32 Emory, giving the Fords an opportunity to measure themselves against nationally recognized competition as the championship portion of the season approaches.