Women’s Cross Country Set to Host Patriot League Championships

Saturday, October 28

Bethlehem, Pa.

11 a.m.

Lehigh University

Patriot League Championships

Photo by: Don Paul

Women’s Cross Country Set to Host Patriot League Championships

10/24/2017 5:35:00 PM | Women's Cross Country

Meet Information | Live Results | 2017 Lehigh Results Sheet

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With the regular season schedule of six meets in the rearview mirror, the Lehigh women's cross country team is set to make a run at a Patriot League Championship this Saturday on their home course at Lehigh's Goodman Campus.

The Mountain Hawks will be hosting the league championship meet for the eighth time since the founding the PL in 1990, tied for the most of any school. Lehigh has finished as high as third on three different occasions when hosting the championship meet.

Five teams from the Patriot League find themselves ranked in the latest USTFCCCA regional rankings, including Bucknell (8), Navy (9) and Lehigh (11) in the Mid-Atlantic, along with Army West Point (14) in the Northeast.

The championships will mark the fourth time this season that Lehigh will be competing on its home course. The Mountain Hawks previously raced to a third place finish at the Lehigh Invitational, registered the team's first perfect score over Lafayette in the school's annual dual meet, and placed 17th at the highly competitive Paul Short Run. LU will also be hosting the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships on Nov. 10.

Lehigh is optimistic of making a run at this year's Patriot League crown after taking a runner-up finish at last year's championships at Lafayette. Maura Henderson was one of three Mountain Hawks to earn all-league honors last year following her fifth place overall finish and is one of three runners from last year's top five to return to this year's league championship meet. Departed seniors Marissa Karl and Amanda Ruschel took home second team all-league laurels. Bucknell took home the team title with 23 points, followed by Lehigh (75) Holy Cross (78) and Navy (122).

This season, Henderson has led the Mountain Hawks' pack in three of her four races, including the Paul Short Gold Race, where she ran the fourth-fastest time ever by a Lehigh runner on the 6K Goodman Campus Course (20:51.5). Sophomore Hannah Bonaguidi has finished second on the team in all three of her meets this season, and junior Stacie Nadel has had a breakout season, finishing first on the team at the Lehigh Invitational and the Penn State National Open, and placing second at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown. Sophomores Stephanie Hayes and Diana Hammerstone have each been mainstays in Lehigh's top seven this year, including three finishes in the team's top five. Sophomore Ashleigh Crawford has finished in the team's top five in all four of her races this season, including a PR of 21:31.2 at Paul Short. Senior Laura Barnes set a new PR of 21:52.1 at this year's Paul Short Run, and freshmen Elyse Barkstrom and Hannah Knudsen have also been members of Lehigh's top seven multiple times this season.

Saturday's women's race will begin at noon, following the men's race which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Awards ceremonies from both races will take place inside Goodman Stadium following the conclusion of the women's race at approximately 12:45.

Lehigh will also be holding a dedication ceremony for the John and Carol Covert Track and Field Pavilion over at the Goodman Campus Track. The gathering will begin at 1:30, with the ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. Coach John Covert will be on hand, along with members of the Lehigh Athletics Partnership, VIPs, alums and fans. The dedication will mark the culmination of the many renovations and upgrades that have taken place at the complex since last spring.

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