Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh hosts PL Track and Field Championships
5/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
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BETHLEHEM, Pa – Lehigh’s men’s and women’s track and field team will compete one final time on the Goodman Campus in the 2007 season when the Mountain Hawks host the 2007 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend at the Outdoor Track and Field Complex. The meet will span two days with teams from all eight of the league’s schools competing for a piece of the championship.
“It is always exciting to host the Patriot League Championships and we like it,” said head coach Matt Utesch. “Lehigh always does a good job at putting on the meet. It is a great meet to showcase our facility.”
Continues Utesch, “I’m optimistic about the meet; we have a great shot to do great things. I’m excited to see that this weekend.”
In last year’s outdoor championships at Holy Cross, Lehigh’s men took third place with 95 points, while the women were sixth. Army’s men cruised to their 15th consecutive league crown , while Bucknell beat Navy by five points on the women’s side to win its seventh league title in eight years.
Lehigh’s men will rely upon a mixture of veterans and rookies to lead its team into the weekend’s championships. Among the top competitors on the men’s side will be the seniors David Falk, Greg Horn and Sean Swift on the track along with the 4x800 meter relay team of seniors Brian Ahearn, Kevin Ahearn, junior Kyle Manning and sophomore Garrett Zambrows. In the field, the freshmen trio of Franklin Johnson, Nick Ray and Khalil Uqdah have put up strong performances in their events all season.
“Each of these athletes will play a key role in the team’s success,” said Utesch. “The 4x800 has become a premier event in the league. I don’t think any league or conference nationwide has put up the times like the 4x800 meter relay teams in the Patriot League.”
The Mountain Hawk women enter the meet with a similar mixture to that of the men, except that sophomores will play a significant role.
“The women’s team is very much similar to the men in that both teams have young talent that will be a contributing factor,” noted Utesch.
Lehigh will be backed by a solid 4x800 meter relay team that consists of sophomores Shannon Alejandro, Sarah Serwo, and Kim Scotto and freshman Jillian Randolph and will also have senior leadership in Carolyn House, Lauren King, Nicole Montegary and Jenni Schappert.
The 2007 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships are scheduled to start at 1:00 pm on Friday with the decathlon, women’s javelin and men’s hammer throw. Saturday’s competition begins at 9:00 am with the completion of the decathlon and heptathlon. Track events on Saturday start at 10:45 am with the men’s 3000 meter steeplechase, while the field events begin at 11:00 with the men’s high jump and shot put and the women’s discus and triple jump.
