Lehigh University
Penn State Relays
Lehigh looks to build off Penn State performances
1/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
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Khalil Uqdah earned the lone individual championship for the Brown and White on Saturday in the high jump. The junior already met the qualifying standards for the IC4A Championships with a 4.90 meter vault that defeated the nearest competitor by 0.25 meters.
“Coming out of camp I think we were a little sore and tired,” Lehigh head coach Matt Utesch said. “But we competed very well today, and I think it’s a real positive step moving forward in the season.”
Utesch said there were several positives to take out of the meet, including some athletes finding a place on the team to contribute.
“Tyler Kelly had an excellent 500 for us,” Utesch said. “We knew we liked him coming in to the season but I think he might have found a niche at that race.”
There were many other key performances in the meet, including three runners qualifying for the finals at men's hurdles. Sarah Serwo finished second at the 1000 meters with a time of 2:59.38, less than one second off the fastest time in Lehigh history set by Ellen Cogswell in 1997 (2:58.44). Freshman Alex Maurer scored a second-place finish in the men’s high jump with a 1.99 meter effort and junior Catherine Bigelow impressed the coaches with a fourth-place finish in the women’s high jump with a 1.60 meter jump.
The biggest thing for the track and field teams was to show the competitive spirit the athletes will need heading into the Patriot League meets, Utesch said. Jen Therkorn and Alex Neville exhibited that spirit when they helped the Mountain Hawks rally back in the 4X400 relay to finish fifth.
“It was really about competing today,” Utesch said. “In this setting it’s a lot more about holding people off and they did a great job with that. We were challenged but we were able to step up and hold off those challenges.”
Lehigh returns to action on Jan. 17 when the Mountain Hawks travel to Lewisburg for the Bucknell Invitational. It will be the Brown and White’s first taste of Patriot League competition this season.
