Lehigh University Athletics
Cross Country Teams Set for NCAA Regionals
11/11/2015 4:30:00 PM | Cross Country
View complete men's release
View complete women's release
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's and women's cross country teams will return to action this Friday at Princeton for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals. The day will begin at noon with the 6K women's race, followed by the 10K men's race at 1 p.m. All races will take place at Princeton's West Windsor Fields.
In last year's regional at Penn State, Lehigh's men finished ninth overall, marking the third consecutive season they finished in the top 10. Ryan Mahalsky finished fifth overall, good enough for first among Patriot League runners and earned him a spot at the NCAA Championships. Last season also marked the first time ever that Lehigh had two runners competing in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the same year, as Mahalsky was joined by Elizabeth Weiler after she ran to a sixth place finish in the women's race.
On the women's side, the Mountain Hawks used strong team effort to run to a 13th/29 place finish. Junior Elizabeth Weiler finished sixth overall, becoming the first Mountain Hawk runner to earn a trip to the NCAA National Championships since 2005. Barnes, Weiner, Strysko and Wright were also part of Lehigh's seven competing runners a year ago.
This season, the Mountain Hawks raced to a fourth place finish at the Patriot League Championships at Colgate on Oct. 31, led by sophomore Patrick Reilly's 14th place overall finish. Senior Evan Hardy was right on his heels in 16th place, followed by senior Sean Burke and junior Nicholas Hirdt. Joining these four runners at the regionals this weekend will be Lehigh's other PLC top seven finishers - Evan Ward, Kyle Kirk and Ryan Cooney.
The women are coming off a seventh place finish at this year's Patriot League Championships. Junior Amanda Ruschel was Lehigh's top finisher, crossing the line in 24th place overall (22:28.6). Laura Barnes, Shannon Wright, Ashleigh Thurston, Arielle Weiner, Marissa Karl and Stacie Nadel all rounded out the Mountain Hawks' top seven. Ashley Strysko and Sarah Spring also competed for Lehigh, placing 65th and 69th, respectively.
The top two teams at the regional will advance to the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in Louisville, Ky. The top four individual regional finishers (outside of those from teams that qualify) will also receive automatic bids to nationals. Complete national championship qualifications can be found here.
For more meet information, please visit the regional's Championship Central page. A complete recap with results will be posted on Lehighsports.com at the conclusion of each race.
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View complete women's release
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's and women's cross country teams will return to action this Friday at Princeton for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals. The day will begin at noon with the 6K women's race, followed by the 10K men's race at 1 p.m. All races will take place at Princeton's West Windsor Fields.
In last year's regional at Penn State, Lehigh's men finished ninth overall, marking the third consecutive season they finished in the top 10. Ryan Mahalsky finished fifth overall, good enough for first among Patriot League runners and earned him a spot at the NCAA Championships. Last season also marked the first time ever that Lehigh had two runners competing in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the same year, as Mahalsky was joined by Elizabeth Weiler after she ran to a sixth place finish in the women's race.
On the women's side, the Mountain Hawks used strong team effort to run to a 13th/29 place finish. Junior Elizabeth Weiler finished sixth overall, becoming the first Mountain Hawk runner to earn a trip to the NCAA National Championships since 2005. Barnes, Weiner, Strysko and Wright were also part of Lehigh's seven competing runners a year ago.
This season, the Mountain Hawks raced to a fourth place finish at the Patriot League Championships at Colgate on Oct. 31, led by sophomore Patrick Reilly's 14th place overall finish. Senior Evan Hardy was right on his heels in 16th place, followed by senior Sean Burke and junior Nicholas Hirdt. Joining these four runners at the regionals this weekend will be Lehigh's other PLC top seven finishers - Evan Ward, Kyle Kirk and Ryan Cooney.
The women are coming off a seventh place finish at this year's Patriot League Championships. Junior Amanda Ruschel was Lehigh's top finisher, crossing the line in 24th place overall (22:28.6). Laura Barnes, Shannon Wright, Ashleigh Thurston, Arielle Weiner, Marissa Karl and Stacie Nadel all rounded out the Mountain Hawks' top seven. Ashley Strysko and Sarah Spring also competed for Lehigh, placing 65th and 69th, respectively.
The top two teams at the regional will advance to the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in Louisville, Ky. The top four individual regional finishers (outside of those from teams that qualify) will also receive automatic bids to nationals. Complete national championship qualifications can be found here.
For more meet information, please visit the regional's Championship Central page. A complete recap with results will be posted on Lehighsports.com at the conclusion of each race.
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