Lehighsports.com

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Amidst the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto, the Lehigh men and women cross country teams got the season started with the Lehigh Valley Championships that took place on the Goodman Campus on Friday afternoon.  Both teams got the season started on the right foot by winning the team title and having the top individual runner.  Senior Jen Schappert took the women’s title, while freshman Jared LeBar was the men’s individual champion.

On the women’s side, only three teams competed.  Lehigh scored just 25 points, followed by Kutztown with 34 and Muhlenberg with 84.  The Mountain Hawks placed seven runners in the top 10.  Leading the team was Schappert, who started her final season as a Mountain Hawk by claiming the individual crown.  Her time of 22:31 was 11 seconds better than the second-place finisher.  Senior Sarah Seiler placed fourth for the Mountain Hawks with a time of 23:04.  Freshman Kaitlin Grimm finished the course in 23:10 and took fifth place.  Lehigh had a mix of veterans and newcomers round out the top 10, including sophomore Shannon Alejandro (seventh, 23:19), freshman Jennifer Curran (eighth, 23:20), senior Carolyn House (23:36.5) and freshman Nicole Page (23:36.9).

“The freshmen did a great job in preparing for their first 6K,” said head coach Debbie Utesch, “and in her final season, Jenni Schappert was able to come in with the win.”

For the men, Lehigh swept the competition, scoring 15 points and placing nine runners in the top 10.  Kutztown finished second with 60 points.  Muhlenberg took third with 81 points while DeSales finished fourth 94 points.  Leading the way was a pack of four Lehigh runners consisting of LeBar and seniors Victor Vientos, Sean Swift and Brendan Glover.  LeBar took the individual honors, crossing the line in 26:03.  Vientos followed with 26:04.1 while Swift clocked a 26:04.5.  Glover rounded out the pack with a 26:04.9.  Junior Joe Kelly came in fifth for the Mountain Hawks 26:17 while sophomore Dan DeWitt finished sixth with 26:18.  Rounding out the remaining spots for the Mountain Hawks were sophomores Jon Wetzel (seventh, 26:22) and Ben Lampi (eighth, 26:24) and freshman Kenny Burgess (tenth, 26:37).

“I’m very proud of the men’s team for taking nine of the top 10 spots,” said Utesch.  “Especially with the three seniors, I’m very proud that they gave the win to the freshman.  I think that just shows the team’s character and how they are devoted to success and are unselfish when taking care of each other.”

The Mountains Hawks will return to action in two weeks when the annual Lehigh-Lafayette dual meet takes place on the Goodman Campus.  The meet is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm on Friday, September 15.