November 11, 2006
Haverford Takes Home 17th NCAA Regional Championship

WAYNESBURG, PA - Head Coach Tom Donnelly, for the 17th time as head coach of the Haverford men's cross country team, has coached his team to a top finish at the NCAA Division III Mid East Regional on Saturday. The Fords (51 points) earned their fourth straight Regional crown by edging out second place Allegheny by three points. Haverford was led by senior Zach Vaslow and junior Don Letts, who finished fourth and fifth overall, respectively, in a race that featured 268 of the top competitors from Division III teams in the Mid East Region.

Vaslow and Letts finished the race within two seconds of each other. Vaslow completed the 8k run in 26:09, while lets finished in 26:11. Freshman Andrew Lanham (26:52) and sophomore Mark Burgmann (26:55) also finished close together in 12th and 14th place, respectively. Vaslow, Letts, Lanham, and Burgmann all earned NCAA All-Region status for their performances. Junior Jamie Jablin finished 16th in 26:59, while sophomore Taylor Burmeister placed 21st in 27:08. Senior Nathaniel Grabman rounded out the Haverford group, placing 44th in 27:50.

The Fords will make their 14th straight trip to the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country National Championships next Saturday at Voice of American Park in Mason, Ohio. Donnelly's team had its best finish at the 2005 Nationals, placing third, besting the squad's previous top finish at Nationals, which was fourth in 2004.

For complete results of the 2006 Division III Men's Cross Country Mid East Regional, click here.