Track and Field Travels to Villanova Open This Friday

Friday, January 8

Staten Island, N.Y.

12 p.m.

Lehigh University

Villanova Open (Ocean Breeze Track)

Photo by: Don Paul

Track and Field Travels to Villanova Open This Friday

1/7/2016 2:41:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Meet Schedule
Performance List

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - After a month-long break for final exams and the holidays, the Lehigh men's and women's track and field teams will return to action Friday afternoon at Villanova's brand new Ocean Breeze Track and Field complex in Staten Island, N.Y.

The Villanova Open is the Mountain Hawks second of nine meets scheduled ahead of the Patriot League Indoor Championships in February. Both the running and field events are set to get underway at noon, and conclude at 7:15 p.m. with the men's 4x400 meter relay. Other Division I teams scheduled to attend the meet include Villanova, Delaware, Fordham, Iona, Temple, and LIU Brooklyn among others.

Lehigh will make two trips to the Ocean Breeze Track this season, with the other coming on February 6 for the Villanova Invitational.

Lehigh kicked off the 2015-16 season back on December 4-5 when the teams hosted the Fast Times Before Finals meet. Trevor Knowles highlighted the event for the men with a school record performance in the heptathlon, winning the event with 5,029 points. James Chappell added a fifth place mark in the 1,000 meter run, and Alexander Fitzgerald, Patrick Reilly, Brian Arita and Scott Mason helped lead the team to a sweep of the top two spots in the 4x800 meter relay.

Gabrielle Wardle amassed 3,400 points in the women's pentathlon to finish second overall, and Courtney Avery used her winning high jump of 1.75 meters to earn Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week laurels. The women's 4x800 relay team also captured first place at the Fast Times meet, leading a group of four Lehigh relay teams to finish in the top five of the event. Liyala Dickens placed fifth out of 64 runners in the 200 meter dash and Maura Henderson added a fourth place tally in the 1,000 meter run.

Following Friday's meet, Lehigh will return home next Saturday, January 16 to host the Angry Birds Invitational at Rauch Fieldhouse.