Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh to host annual Covert Classic this weekend
1/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – This will be a busy weekend for several Lehigh sports teams, but the action will all get started on the track, as the Mountain Hawks prepare to host the 17th-annual Lehigh John Covert Classic on Friday. The festivities at Rauch Field House will kick off with the multi-event competition on Friday at 4 p.m. and will continue into Saturday with track and field events throughout the day.
The field consists of 13 teams on both the men’s and women’s sides, and Lehigh will have both the advantage and the pressure of competing in front of its home fans.
“I think that’s partly why teams do better at home,” Lehigh head coach Matt Utesch said. “They have to live up to that. It’s really important for our team to do well in our home meets.”
The Mountain Hawks are coming off their first scored meet of the season at Bucknell, where Lehigh rested several key scorers and finished fourth on the men’s side and third on the women’s side. Freshman Katherine Pierce won the first indoor race of her career at Bucknell, running away with the title in the 5,000.
While the last meet at Bucknell was a good chance to see Patriot League competition, the meets like this weekend’s are the ones that really help a team gear up for the league’s championship in February, Utesch said.
“What prepares them for (the Patriot League Championship) is competing in multiple events and fighting for a team score,” Utesch said. “This is one where we really want to get after it and win.”
The Mountain Hawks will have the benefit of a large crowd on their side, with all the track and field athletes from the team rooting the whole group on all day. Friends, family and teammates will all be there making for what Utesch expects to be a loud environment both days.
All those eyes will be on the multi-events Friday night, which Utesch said has risen from an afterthought to one of the premier events of the meet. The multi-event field consists of 25 male athletes and 10 female athletes, making it a much larger draw than in previous years.
“The multi-event has really exploded into a huge event,” Utesch said. “The women’s field is a good size, and the men’s field is just gigantic.”
Multi-events will be taking place at Rauch Field House from 4 p.m. through the rest of the night. The Multi-event resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by field events at 11 a.m. and track events at 1 p.m. Events are scheduled to continue throughout the day on Saturday.
Keep an eye on…
Men’s multi-even (Friday, 4 p.m.): E.J. Schuck has a legitimate shot at breaking the school record in the heptathlon. The current mark is 4,963 points, and after Schuck set personal records in the high jump and hurdles last week, Utesch said 5,000 points is a realistic goal.
Women’s multi-event (Friday, 4 p.m.): Catherine Bigelow has been working hard in the hurdles and set a personal record in the high jump this season. Look for her to be a factor in the women’s multi.
Men’s pole vault (Saturday, 12 p.m.): This is the marquee event of the weekend. Seven competitors make up the field, and all have broken the 15-foot mark in their career. Half have vaulted better than 17 feet, including Lehigh’s Khalil Uqdah, who cracked the mark at the IC4A Championships en route to winning the title with a school-record 17’ 3/4" vault.
