Haverford women's soccer, which participated in its first-ever NCAA postseason tournament action, and Haverford men's cross country, which turned in the best-ever performance of any Pennsylvania institution at the NCAA nationals, provided some of the sweetest moments in a season made even more special by the opening of the Douglas B. Gardner '83 Integrated Athletic Center in October.
Haverford women's soccer, which participated in its first-ever NCAA postseason tournament action, and Haverford men's cross country, which turned in the best-ever performance of any Pennsylvania institution at the NCAA nationals, provided some of the sweetest moments in a season made even more special by the opening of the Douglas B. Gardner '83 Integrated Athletic Center in October. The women's cross country team tied for its highest regional finish ever, just missing entry qualification for nationals. To top it off, the Haverford cricket team went undefeated, finishing the season with a win over Temple University in the Philadelphia College Classic in late October.
The women's soccer team received an at-large berth in the national tournament, the first bid in the program's 20-year history at Haverford. After a thrilling 3-2 double overtime win over Arcadia University in the first-round game at Walton Field, the Fords traveled to Grantham, Pa., to play top-ranked and undefeated Messiah College on Nov. 12 in the second round. Haverford played valiantly but lost, 1-0, to the eventual 2005 national champions.
Seniors Elena Kozakewich, Meej Kim, and Ashley Emmons have been named to the 2005 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Mid-Atlantic Region team.
A week after the women's soccer second-round contest, the men's cross country team braved cold temperatures at the Division III nationals in Delaware, Ohio. Senior Grant Scott and junior Ian Ramsey-North became their team's first pair of Top 35 All-Americans in the same year, leading Haverford to its own highest NCAA finish (3rd place), and the best-ever performance by a Pennsylvania institution, in the 33-year history of Division III cross country.
The combined individual place-finish of Scott (14th, 25:55.8) and Ramsey-North (29th, 26:15.9) was the best by Haverford's first two runners at nationals, improving on the respective 12th- and 39th-place efforts of Mike Sheely (12th) and Phil Schuchert (39th) in 1982.
The Fords' current run of 13 consecutive trips to nationals (1993-2005) and 24 total appearances since 1978 under 31st-year head coach Tom Donnelly both rank third in NCAA III.
(Special thanks to Haverford College Sports Information for contributing this report.)
