Experienced and Deep Men’s Cross Country Team Ready for 2017 Push

Friday, September 1

Bethlehem, Pa.

5:30 p.m.

Lehigh University

Lehigh Invitational

Photo by: Don Paul

Experienced and Deep Men’s Cross Country Team Ready for 2017 Push

8/31/2017 4:11:00 PM | Men's Cross Country

View 2016 Results Packet

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – On the eve of the start of the 2017 season, the Lehigh men's cross country teams is ready to make a push towards the top of the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks return most of their top seven runners from last year's squad, and paired with their depth, eye an opportunity at joining the pack battling for the top spot in the league.

"I expect our team depth to be what it has been the last couple of years, and we've been very strong in that area," said head coach Todd Etters. "What I'm looking for really is to see two or three guys step up and be front runners in the league."

"Preseason has gone really well," said senior John Tolbert. "We had a good group of guys come in from their summer training. Our freshman are looking really good, we have five of our top seven returning and we've all meshed together really well."

Lehigh returns much of its experience from last year's squad, including five of the team's top seven from the Patriot League Championships and NCAA Regionals. Senior Patrick Reilly placed 14th overall each of the last two years at the PLC to earn second team all-league honors, and sophomore Matt Kravitz returns after placing third on the squad at both Patriots and Regionals, including a top-20 placement at the PLC. Sophomore Jeffrey Kirshenbaum returns after a solid freshman season that saw him lead the team at Paul Short and place in the team's top four at Pre-Nationals and the league championships.

Senior John Tolbert expects to play a large role in the team's success this season after finishing in the team's top seven four times last season, including a win at the Lehigh Invitational. Junior Samuel Layding also returns after serving as a mainstay in the team's top seven last season, highlighted by pair of top-three team finishes at Paul Short and Pre-Nationals. Junior Brian Arita won at the Leopard Invitational and finished runner-up at last year's Lehigh Invitational, and seniors Ryan Grace and Henry Paul are also expected to step up and help fill the void left by graduated seniors Ryan Cooney and second team all-league finisher Alex Fitzgerald.

"It starts by just measuring against ourselves," Etters said. "With everything we're doing, we're taking care of our own business. No one has raced yet and we won't race too many of the league teams throughout the season, so you usually measure up at PLC at that's how you do it, but our focus is internal. Realistically, I think we have a good shot and there's probably half a dozen teams in the league that feel they have a good shot at really contending this year."

The Mountain Hawks placed fourth last season at a hotly contested Patriot League Championship meet, where spots two-through-five were separated by just eight points. Lehigh's returning experience, paired with the fact that the gap between first place Navy and the rest of the field has closed considerably, leaves many to feel the team has a strong chance to contend for a spot at the top of the league this season.

"Last year was a very tough conference meet for us," said Tolbert. "Navy was by far and away the best team, but I think this year the gap has closed. They've lost some guys and we've got guys returning. I think it's going to be a real fight for the top five spots this year, but I think we can easily make a push for the top of the podium."

"That's our main goal, to win Patriots as a team," Reilly said. "Our team chemistry has been very good. We've been getting along outside of practice. In workouts, we're packing up, pushing each other along and things like that, so right now the pack is looking very good."

One of Lehigh's top advantages this season is the schedule, which has Lehigh's Goodman Campus Course hosting five home meets, the most in at least the last 14 years. In addition to Friday's (Sept. 1) Lehigh Invitational and the Sept. 8 Lehigh-Lafayette dual meet, Lehigh will host the 44th annual Paul Short Run on Sept. 29, the Patriot League Championships on Oct. 28 and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Nov. 10.

"There's definitely advantages to knowing exactly every step of the course," Etters said. "There are some disadvantages though; you can get in a rut, so we're trying to be care full of that. But, more than just being on a course, it's the level of competitions we have on our course, and that's probably what excites us the most."

"It's huge," Reilly said. "I think the biggest advantage is getting to sleep in your own bed the night before a race when you're not out traveling. Other than that, you know where all the key moves are going to be made and what your strengths are on the course."

"We do a lot of workouts on our home course and I think that's going to be the biggest advantage for us," Tolbert said. "We know the hard parts of our course and where to take advantage of them."

"I think one of the biggest things I've learned over the years is when to push hard, when to take it easy, and just knowing coach's philosophy with training," Reilly said. "We have a ton of seniors returning this year so we bring a lot of experience to the table."

Lehigh will welcome several regional teams to the Goodman Campus in this Friday's season opener including Fairleigh Dickinson, La Salle, NJIT and Rutgers, plus Moravian, West Chester, and Muhlenberg.

"I'm sure the guys will be a little bit rusty coming out on Friday," Etters said. "We have a game plan as to how we're going to attack the race and it's a matter of executing race day and I think leading up to that moment is just a matter of the guys being confident, being relaxed and realizing that this is just the first step."

The men's 6K race will kick things off on Friday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. on Lehigh's Goodman Campus.

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