Editor’s note: This is an installment in a series of student-athletes meant to feature notable performances from student-athletes and to help the community get to know some of our peers that we see every day.
The Haverford Men’s Cross Country Team ended an impressive season to complete a Metro Region three-peat to go with a National Championship berth. Peter LaRochelle ‘25 was instrumental to this success, gaining a haul of individual awards, including prestigious All-American recognition. I caught up with Peter about the season, what’s next, and more.
You’re the 40th All-American in Haverford Cross Country program history. What do you attribute all of the program’s success to?
The program has been so successful because people work extremely hard. Historically, people don’t come to this team as high school studs with All-American aspirations. People come here to work hard and contribute to a fantastic team culture, and the All-American awards just fall into place naturally.
What were your goals heading into the season? Did you anticipate this success?
My goal was in fact to be an All-American, so I’m content with saying I reached my goal.
What was the highlight of the season for you?
My personal highlight was at the [six kilometer] mark at nationals– hearing everyone yelling [updates on time] while knowing that I had enough left in the tank to pass multiple people and secure an All-American position, was a great experience.
What lessons can other teams at Haverford take from Cross Country’s consistent success?
I think the best takeaway from the Cross Country team’s success is that it’s okay to be a “tryhard.” There’s a board [on] the ground floor of the GIAC with “advice” post-its with numerous messages along the lines of “calm down, it’s D3,” as if it’s an absurd idea to put in a serious effort to your sport. Fortunately, our team doesn’t buy into that mindset. The slowest guys are just as committed to the team as the fastest.
Given your successes this year, what are your goals for your senior season?
We need to be sure we take back the conference championship in cross country. Personally, I’ll be going for some trophies.
What’s an All-American’s go-to pre-race meal?
I haven’t been too consistent with this lately, but for a while, I had always gone to Chipotle the night before races.
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