LANCASTER, Pa. – Three-time defending champion Johns Hopkins nabbed the top position in the 2025 Centennial Conference Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll. The Blue Jays received six first-place votes and tallied 60 points to earn the distinction as preseason favorite in the conference.
Haverford edged Dickinson for the second spot in a vote among CC head coaches. The Fords picked up one first-place vote and 54 points to slightly sit above the Red Devils (53 points, 2 first-place votes) in the preseason prognostication.
Swarthmore was next in fourth place with 42 points, while Ursinus (31) was just ahead of Gettysburg (30) in fifth place.
The 2025 season begins on Friday, Aug. 29 with seven Centennial squads in action. The Centennial Conference championship will be held at Gettysburg on Saturday, Nov. 1, marking the eighth time overall and first time since 2019 that the Bullets will serve as championship hosts.
2025 Centennial Conference Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Johns Hopkins (6) |
60 |
| 2. Haverford (1) |
54 |
| 3. Dickinson (2) |
53 |
| 4. Swarthmore |
42 |
| 5. Ursinus |
31 |
| 6. Gettysburg |
30 |
| 7. McDaniel |
23 |
| 8. Franklin & Marshall |
19 |
| 9. Muhlenberg |
12 |
2025 Schedule | 2024 Championship Results | 2024 All-Centennial Team | History & Records | USTFCCCA Rankings
Already one of the most decorated runners in Centennial history, Johns Hopkins' senior Emmanuel Leblond will have the opportunity to cement his legacy even further this fall. Leblond is currently one of just two runners in conference history, along with former Haverford standout Karl Paranya (1994-95-96), to have earned All-America honors three times. With another top-40 performance at the NCAA meet this year, Leblond would stand alone as the only four-time All-American in CC history. The Mountain View, Calif. native will also aim to become just the second runner in conference history to win three CC individual crowns (Paranya 1994-95-96) and the third runner in conference history to earn All-Centennial first team honors four times (Paranya 1993-94-95-96 & Dickinson's Brian Krusell 2007-08-09-10). Leblond owns finishes of 26th (2022), 29th (2023) and sixth (2024) at the NCAA Championship meet, with his sixth-place finish last fall being the sixth-best individual placing in CC history.
Although Leblond may steal most of the headlines entering the year, the conference yet again returns a talented crop of runners with 14 returning as All-Region performers and 12 returning as All-Centennial recipients. Dickinson's Alexander Kane is the lone three-time All-Region performer of the bunch, and also finished 90th at the 2023 NCAA Championship. Swarthmore's Cohen Manges has twice earned individual bids to the NCAA meet following All-Region showings in both 2023 and 2024. JHU's Connor Oiler and Rowan Cassidy are also back as two-time All-Region runners with plenty of experience at the national meet. Ursinus' Liam Johnston is also back as a two-time All-Region award winner.
Hopkins will vie for a fourth straight Centennial crown this fall, which would mark the first CC four-peat since Haverford won five straight titles from 2014-18. At the 2024 CC Championship hosted by Dickinson, JHU placed six runners in the top seven and totaled 19 points in the team standings to run away with the team title. It marked the fifth overall CC crown for the Blue Jays, and their 19-point total was tied for the fifth-lowest in CC history. Haverford (66) edged Dickinson (70) for second place while Swarthmore (94) and Ursinus (165) also secured top-five team placings. Hopkins went on to represent the Centennial at the NCAA Championship, taking 14th place for the second straight season with 382 points.
Overall, Haverford still leads the conference with an astounding 24 titles in the Centennial's 32 years of existence. Hopkins (5) and Dickinson (2) are the other two squads to capture CC titles.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason regional rankings will be released on Tuesday, Aug. 26, with the national ranking announcement set for Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Returning All-Americans (1)
Emmanuel Leblond, Johns Hopkins, Jr. (6th place at 2024 NCAA Championship; 29th place at 2023 NCAA Championship; 26th place at 2022 NCAA Championship)
Returning All-Region (14)
Alexander Kane, Dickinson, Sr. (2024, 2023 & 2022 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Luke Knestout, Dickinson, So. (2024 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Jakob Maiwald, Haverford, Sr. (2024 Metro All-Region)
Micah Lachman, Haverford, Sr. (2023 Metro All-Region)
Miles Colescott, Haverford, Sr. (2021 Metro All-Region)
Emmanuel Leblond, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 Mid-Atlantic Individual Champion)
Connor Oiler, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 & 2023 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Rowan Cassidy, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 & 2022 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Kenny Wanlass, Johns Hopkins, Jr. (2024 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Andrew Myers, Johns Hopkins, Gr. (2024 Mid-Atlantic All-Region)
Cohen Manges, Swarthmore, Jr. (2024 & 2023 Metro All-Region)
Spencer Etheridge, Swarthmore, So. (2024 Metro All-Region)
Kenneth Relovsky, Swarthmore, Jr. (2024 Metro All-Region)
Liam Johnston, Ursinus, Sr. (2024 & 2023 Metro All-Region)
Returning All-Centennial (12)
Alexander Kane, Dickinson, Sr. (2023 Second Team)
Nathan Caldwell, Dickinson, Jr. (2023 Second Team)
Emmanuel Leblond, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 First Team & Runner OTY, 2023 First Team & Runner OTY, 2022 First Team & Rookie OTY)
Rowan Cassidy, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 First Team, 2023 First Team)
Brady Ott, Johns Hopkins, So. (2024 First Team)
Kenny Wanlass, Johns Hopkins, Jr. (2024 First Team)
Connor Oiler, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2024 First Team)
Olaf Dietz, Johns Hopkins, So. (2024 Second Team)
Andrew Myers, Johns Hopkins, Gr. (2024 Second Team)
Nash Minor, Johns Hopkins, Jr. (2024 Second Team)
Matt Kelly, Johns Hopkins, Sr. (2023 Second Team)
Cohen Manges, Swarthmore, Jr. (2024 Second Team, 2023 Second Team)
