XC teams set to take on archrival Lafayette
9/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the first time this fall the Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry is set to heat up as the cross country teams will do battle with their archrivals Saturday morning in Easton. The men will hit the starting line at 10 a.m. and the women will kick off things off at 10:45 a.m. Lehigh dominated the rivalry last year holding a 26-7-1 record against Lafayette in all sports.
“We’re the first sports teams to take on Lafayette every year,” women’s head coach Debbie Utesch said. “We take a lot of pride to set the tone for the department.”
“I think the guys gear up for the Lehigh-Lafayette Dual race every year,” men’s head coach Todd Etters added. “There is so much history, we want to keep the history going.”
This will be the 80th time the two teams will do battle on the cross country course since 1920. The men hold the all time series lead against the Leopards 47-32-1 as do the women 13-11. The Mountain Hawks have been tough to beat in recent history with the women taking eight of the last 11 races including four in a row. The Lehigh men have dominated Lafayette of late, winning the last 10 meetings with its archrival.
Even with their recent success both coaches know that this year will not be that easy.
“The women’s side will be very challenging this year,” Utesch said. “Lafayette has a really strong front three, but we will be ready for the challenge.”
“The challenge is the same every year, Lafayette is going to be getting fired up for the meet just like us,” Etters said. “We can’t get complacent and we have to come in with an attitude and work hard.”
Both teams opened up the season on a high note when they hosted the Lehigh Valley Championship on the Goodman Campus. The men’s team won its race by 67 points over DeSales and the women won its race by 35 points. Steve Sample finished in first in the men’s race with a time of 18:45.0 and sophomore Katherine Pierce finished second in the men’s race with a time of 22:45.4.
The Mountain Hawks will look to build on their strong start to the season during the dual.
“The first meet gave us the opportunity to see where everyone stands,” Etters said. “This race will give us the opportunity to try some different strategies and do things we couldn’t do in the first meet.”
