Men’s Track and Field Primed for Patriot League Championships

Friday, February 17

Boston, Mass.

ALL DAY

Lehigh University

Patriot League Indoor Championships

Photo by: Don Paul

Men’s Track and Field Primed for Patriot League Championships

2/16/2017 6:31:00 PM | Men's Track and Field

Meet Information | Heat Sheets | Live Stats

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With eight weeks of meets behind them, the Lehigh men's indoor track and field team is ready for Patriot League Championship weekend. The three-day event will take place Friday-Sunday at the BU Track and Tennis Center in Boston. The Mountain Hawks will be in search of their first team championship and have one former PL champion, plus multiple all-league performers in action this weekend.

The Mountain Hawks will have two top seeded athletes entering events this weekend. Senior Lucas Warning enters the meet holding the three furthest shots puts this season and is the only shot putter to top the 18-meter threshold this year. His latest school record (18.25m) ranks 33rd in the nation, 25 centimeters ahead of the second ranked throw, and a full meter ahead of the third ranked shot put. Warning captured his first league title in the shot put at last spring's outdoor championships, but is still in search of his first indoor crown.

"He's leading the league by a wide margin," said head coach Matt Utesch. "He's putting together a really incredible season. If things go the way we want them to, I think he's going to have a nice climb to the top of the podium, and that's well deserved. He's also looking for a national qualifier spot."

Junior Trevor Knowles holds league's top score in the heptathlon this season, breaking his own Lehigh school record (5,242/5,269 adjusted) earlier this season at the Fast Times Before Finals. Knowles is the two-time reigning PL heptathlon champion and set a new league championship meet record last year with his score of 5,224. He school record from this season currently ranks 39th nationally.

"Trevor is trying to do the same thing and punch a ticket to nationals," Utesch said. "Like Lucas, he should be able to be on top of the podium. If things go well, he'll have a number of PRs, a new Lehigh school record, and the Patriot League record as well."

Fritz Isaac leads the Mountain Hawks in the sprints, following a breakout junior season where he set a new school record (8.21) in the 60 meter hurdles at the Villanova Invitational. He then came within one hundredth of a second of the mark last weekend at the Bucknell Tune-Up. The time slots in as the third fastest in the PL entering this weekend's meet.

Also in the sprints, freshman Joe Espinal holds Lehigh's top time in the 500m, which ranks seventh in the league. Fellow freshman Matt Kravitz leads the team in both the 1,000m (2:29.40#) and the mile (4:09.73), cracking the top 10 by ranking ninth in the mile. Juniors John Tolbert (8:23.62#) and Patrick Reilly (14:47.77) both rank eighth in the PL in the 3,000m and 5,000m, respectively.

"In the past when we have had great cross country seasons, it usually translates into track and we have a lot of guys fall into that this year," Utesch said. "There's lots of support from our younger guys and we're looking for good things out of them."

The weekend kicks off on Friday at noon with the start of the multis. The pentathlon will wrap up on Friday with the heptathlon spilling over into Saturday morning. Saturday's field events will begin at 11am with the track events getting underway at 1 p.m. The final day of competition on Sunday will get underway at 10 a.m. with the field events, followed by track at noon.

LEHIGH'S RANKINGS IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
200m
19. Michael Camera (7.10)
400m
17. James Clements (50.47#)
500m
7. Joe Espinal (1:05.06#)
800m
11. Clay Stabolepszy (1:54.36#)
1000m
12. Matt Kravitz (2:29.40#)
Mile
9. Matt Kravtiz (4:09.73)
3,000m
8. John Tolbert (8:23.62#)
5,000m
8. Patrick Reilly (14:47.77#)
60m Hurdles
3. Fritz Isaac (8.21)
4x400 Relay
5. (3:22.46#)
4x800 Relay
4. Stabolepszy, Fletcher, Grace, Leonard (7:58.59#)
DMR
5. Grace, Stabolepszy, Daddario, Fitzgerald (10:24.01#)
High Jump
4. Ryan Givens (2.09m)
Long Jump
7. Ryan Givens (6.85m)
Triple Jump
3. Daniel Reichenbach (14.42m)
Pole Vault
9. Trevor Knowles (4.60m)
Shot Put
1. Lucas Warning (18.25m) (#33 nationally)
8. Christopher Foley (15.48m)
Weight Throw
20. Adam Freesman (13.40m)
Heptathlon
1. Trevor Knowles (5,242) (#39 nationally)
7. Kyle Sult (3,954)
8. Kevin Sheldon (3,318)

# - converted for track size

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