Lehigh sending 19 athletes to compete at regional championships

5/9/2013 3:53:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following their impressive performances at the Outdoor Patriot League Championships, the Lehigh men's and women's track and field teams will be competing at the IC4A and ECAC Championships on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Princeton, N.J. The men's team will have 14 representatives at the IC4A meet while the women will send five athletes to ECAC competition.
 
The men are looking to build on a fourth place finish at the league championships, which were held at the Goodman Campus. Senior Devin Monroe fared well in both individual and relay events. He won the 400 meter dash in a time of 47.17 seconds and placed second in the 200 meter dash after clocking in at 21.45 seconds. Monroe was also a member of Lehigh's medal winning 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams. The top two competitors in the high jump continued to be junior Pat Ciez and sophomore Adeolou Adesida, but Ciez cleared the regional qualifying mark of 2.08 meters earlier than Adesida to grab first place.
 
In addition to Monroe and its 4x800 meter relay team, Lehigh will be sending four distance runners--- senior Lyle O'Brien, junior Jimmy Miller, junior Tyler Mueller and sophomore Ryan Mahalsky---to compete at the IC4A Championships. Senior Christopher Buck and junior Benjamin Beauchamp will join Adesida and Ciez as the field athletes for the Mountain Hawks. Junior Ryan Paquin, an All-Patriot League First Team selection, will be participating in multiple events.
 
On the women's side, the Brown and White are coming off a third place finish at the Patriot League Championships. Junior Brooke Astor won the heptathlon by putting up 4,745 points, while freshman Gabrielle Wardle and sophomore Natalie Bates finished in second and third, respectively. A new school record was set in the 400 meter dash when junior Danielle Albergo completed the event in 56.09 seconds. Junior Jimil Ataman and senior E'Lana Lemon finished one-two in the hammer throw, registering distances of 55.50 meters and 55.47 meters.  
Astor and Bates will be Lehigh's multi-event competitors at the ECAC Championships. Senior captain Victoria Berard, who ran to a third place finish in the 5,000 meter run at the league championships, will compete in distance events. Ataman and Lemon will be in the field of athletes as well.
 
Lehigh's men's team tied for 41stat last year's IC4A Outdoor Championships and the women ended up in 39th overall at the 2012 ECAC outdoor title meet. Mueller and Miller posted top 20 finishes in the 5,000 meter run and O'Brien participated in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Astor placed fourth in the heptathlon after racking up 4,674 points. She won the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 14.85 seconds and placed fourth in both the javelin and 200 meter dash. Ataman and Lemon will be looking to build on top 20 finishes in the hammer throw.   
 
Regional competition will begin with the ECAC heptathlon at 12 p.m. Friday at Princeton's William Weaver Stadium. The top eight finishers in each men's and women's event this weekend will receive All East honors. Athletes who qualify for the NCAA East Regional Championships will compete May 19 and 20 in Greensboro, N.C.
 
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