LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall men's cross country team gets its postseason underway when the team takes part in the 2025 Centennial Conference Championship. Gettysburg – a course the Diplomats have raced on twice this year – will serve as the host of the championship meet which is set for Saturday, November 1. The men's race is set for a 11 a.m. start, followed by the women's race at 12 p.m.
At the 2024 conference championship, the Diplomats were led to the line by three first-years. With another year of experience, that group is ready to lead the team to a stronger finish this season. Tommy Tapino placed 54th at last year's championship meet and is coming off a career-best 8,000 meter time of 25:32.0 just two weeks ago at Gettysburg. Classmate Zach Houff also set a PR at Gettysburg (26:05.0) after finishing 62nd in the conference a season ago, while Sean Gorman eclipsed the 27 minute mark at last year's regional championship. Fellow sophomore Addison Neuen also turned in a PR at Gettysburg two weeks ago after placing in the top 100 at the 2024 championship.
Three juniors have already competed in two Centennial Conference Cross Country Championships and have plenty of experience on their side. Aiden Cotter, Cole Smith, and George Williams have all broken the 28 minute mark during their respective careers on the 8K courses. Cotter and Smith were both among the top 80 finishers at last years meet, while Smith is coming off a personal best time. First-year Brian Mix recently made his collegiate debut at the Aubrey Shenk Invitational and broke the 29 minute mark, while classmate Harvey Li also broke 29 minutes during a PR in his most recent race.
With a number of personal best times at Gettysburg, the Diplomats appear to be peaking at the right time after they placed 10th as a team during a large meet two weeks ago. The team was also second at its home invitational to start the season and finished 13th as a squad during the Green Race at the Paul Short Run among its other season highlights. Four regionally-ranked teams enter the championship on the men's side, led by national No. 3 Johns Hopkins (No. 1 Mid-Atlantic). Swarthmore (No. 2 Metro), Haverford (No. 3 Metro), and Dickinson (No. 4 Mid-Atlantic) are also featured in the most recent regional rankings.
Following the Centennial Conference Championship, the Diplomats will have two more weeks to prepare for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship which is being held in Newville, Pa. on Saturday, November 15. That race will decide bids to the NCAA Division III National Championships in South Carolina.
