Lehigh splits squads for two meets Saturday
Posted: 10/14/2010
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh cross country teams will split squads this Saturday when they travel to the Penn State Invitational and the Lafayette Invitational. Saturday’s meet in University Park, Pa. will commence at 11 a.m., while the competition in Easton will begin at 10 a.m. The Mountain Hawks will be running on fresh legs after 15 days off following the Brooks-Paul Short Run on October 1.
The Lafayette Invitational will afford Lehigh’s runners another opportunity to study the course that will host the 2010 Patriot League Championship. The Mountain Hawks competed at Lafayette’s course on September 25 and came away with victories in both the men’s and women’s races. The Penn State Invitational will also serve as a preview for Lehigh’s runners as the 2010 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Qualifier will take center stage from Penn State on November 13.
The last time Lehigh took to the course, the Mountain Hawks finished 24th out of 41 teams in the women’s Gold 6K at the Paul Short Run, while the men’s squad took 32nd out of 42 teams in the men’s Gold 8K. Junior Katherine Pierce placed first for the Lehigh women for the eighth consecutive race dating back to last year. Pierce took 38th overall out of 367 runners and set a new personal best in the 6K with a time of 21:22. Jessica Kendzor was Lehigh’s top-finishing freshman, crossing the line in 22:17 and prompting a Patriot League Female Rookie of the Week nomination the following week.
Senior Evans Kosgei was the top Lehigh men’s runner at the Paul Short Run, taking 45th overall in 24:51. Jimmy Miller finished behind Kosgei in 109th with a time of 25:14, also bringing about a Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor, his second of the year.
The Mountain Hawks were scheduled to compete in the Penn State Invitational last year, but the event was cancelled. Lehigh most recently took part in the event in 2007, when the men’s team placed 12th out of 20 and the women took 16th out of 25. The only current men’s runners to participate in the 2007 Invitational were Steve Sample and Jordan Inacio. On the women’s side, Lexi Weiner is the only current Mountain Hawk to have run at the 2007 event.
The Lehigh men’s team finished second out of 12 teams at last year’s Lafayette Invitational, while the women’s team placed 7th out of 8.