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Lehigh sends 19 athletes to IC4A/ECAC Champ. BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh has been off for nearly two weeks but that will soon change as 19 Mountain Hawks are set to compete this weekend at the 2009 ECAC/IC4A Outdoor Championships, held on the campus of Princeton University. The action will get underway on Friday afternoon and continues on Saturday and Sunday. Head coach Matt Utesch is looking forward to the weekend where Lehigh will look to duplicate its success from a year ago when the Brown and White qualified five student-athletes for the NCAA East Regional. “We’re all very excited for the weekend,” Utesch explained. “We performed very well last year and so we’re anxious to see what we can get done this time around. We’re hoping for good weather and with the kids done with final exams and classes, they can focus entirely on their performance.” Lehigh’s 19 competitors this weekend are among the most the Mountain Hawks have ever qualified for this championship. In all 11 student-athletes will compete as individuals, while a pair of relay teams, the women’s 4x100 and 4x800, will also compete. Among the 19 athletes headed to New Jersey this weekend is junior Khalil Uqdah who became Utesch’s first-ever IC4A Champion last year when he set a Lehigh school record by clearing 17’00 3/4”. Uqdah finished second at this year’s Patriot League Outdoor Championship and will look to defend his IC4A Championship this weekend. Other athletes that made a mark at this event last year include seniors Sarah Serwo and Shannon Alejandro on the women’s side, and senior Scott Robinson and sophomore James Pachucki on the men’s side. All five athletes qualified for the NCAA Regional and enter this weekend with higher expectations than in 2008. “Last year I think they went into this weekend hoping to hit their mark,” Utesch commented, “But this year they know they are going to hit their marks. They have a lot of confidence coming off of last year.” Other Mountain Hawks to keep an eye on this weekend include senior E.J. Schuck who won the decathlon at the Patriot League Championship, senior Jen Therkorn, juniors Nick Ray and Franklin Johnson, and sophomore Emily Settle. |
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