LANCASTER, PA – Following a second consecutive and fourth-ever Centennial Conference Championship in 2023, the Johns Hopkins men's cross country team was picked as the favorite to win a third straight Centennial title, as announced by the conference this morning. Winners of three of the last four championships dating back to 2019, the Blue Jays received all eight possible first-place votes to take the top spot, with Haverford earning Hopkins' vote after finishing second each of the past two seasons.
Reigning Centennial Conference Runner of the Year and two-time All-American
Emmanuel Leblond headlines a strong group of returners for the Blue Jays entering the 2024 campaign. The rising junior is joined by 2023 First Team All-Conference honorees
Rowan Cassidy and
Matthew Kelly, as well as a talented mix of incoming freshmen and graduate transfers.
Hopkins is coming off a second straight top-15 finish at the NCAA Championship — the Blue Jays finished 12
th in 2022 and 14
th in 2023 — and will look to become just the second program in Centennial Conference history to win three straight conference titles this fall.
Bobby Van Allen's team kicks off its 2024 season August 31 when they compete at the Salisbury Seas Gull Invitational.
2024 Centennial Conference Preseason Men's Cross Country Poll
1. Johns Hopkins (8) – 64
2. Haverford (1) – 57
3. Dickinson – 49
4. Swarthmore – 42
5. Ursinus – 38
6. Franklin & Marshall – 26
7. Muhlenberg – 24
8. McDaniel – 15
9. Gettysburg – 9
