LANCASTER, PA – Following a championship three-peat and their fifth-ever Centennial Conference title in 2024, the Johns Hopkins Men's Cross Country program has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the conference crown. The Blue Jays received six of the eight possible first-place votes in the preseason poll, as announced by the league on Tuesday.
Winners of four of the last five conference titles, Hopkins is aiming to become just the second program in conference history to capture four consecutive championships.
Leading the way for the Blue Jays is senior standout
Emmanuel Leblond, the reigning USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Runner of the Year, two-time Centennial Conference Runner of the Year and three-time All-American. The CSC Academic All-American is joined by a strong core of returners, including 2024 First Team All-Centennial selections
Rowan Cassidy – a two-time Scholar-Athlete of the Year and CSC Academic All-American –
Brady Ott, the 2024 Rookie of the Year, along with
Connor Oiler and
Kenny Wanlass. The veteran core will be bolstered by a talented incoming freshman class.
After earning a third consecutive top-14 finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships, Hopkins sets its sights on becoming just the second program in Centennial Conference history to win four straight titles. Head coach
Bobby Van Allen and the Blue Jays will open the 2025 season on August 29 at Georgetown's Opening Night Invitational.
2025 Centennial Conference Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
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
