Sunday, October 31
Bethlehem, Pa.
11 a.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Patriot League Championship
Photo by: Don Paul
Mountain Hawks Finish Fifth At Patriot League Championship
10/31/2021 3:13:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Competing on its home course, the Lehigh women's cross country team posted a fifth place finish at the Patriot League Championship, Sunday on the Goodman Campus. The Mountain Hawks totaled 160 points, with their top seven runners all finishing between 25th and 50th place.
"Honestly, I think we missed an opportunity," Lehigh head coach Debbie Utesch said. "We had a chance to move up in the rankings. As the race was unfolding I was surprised we finished fifth because it looked like we were even further back in the pack.
"Our strength all season has been how we've latched onto each other," Utesch continued. "We continued to do that today, but we just hit a point in the race where we were moving backwards instead of forwards. It was hard at that point to differentiate between the best case scenario that we had been going for and just continuing to fight the whole way through the finish line to maintain a solid performance."
Senior Jade Sessions was the top finisher for Lehigh, crossing the line in 22:29.6 to finish 26th overall.
"She's a young woman that leads by example," Utesch said of Sessions. "She's not the outspoken one, but when she does speak, people listen. She has great things to say. She brings a lot of poise to the starting line and a lot of poise throughout her performance. She's come from being a middle distance runner on the track to one of our top cross country runners, so I'm really pleased with how she has been able to lead the team in different competitions this year."
Freshman Maddison Hayes was the second Mountain Hawk to cross the finish line, claiming 33rd place at 22:38.8. Sophomore Christina Yakaboski and junior Andrea Miller were next, separated by less than three seconds. Yakaboski finished 35th with a time of 22:43.4, followed by Miller in 36th at 22:46.2.
Lehigh's fifth finisher was junior Annalise Davis, who took 42nd place overall in 22:54.8.
Navy claimed the team title, with 47 points, edging Boston University by five points. The Midshipmen placed five runners in the top 12.
Army West Point sophomore Georgia Jones was the individual champion with a time of 21:03.9.
The Mountain Hawks will next compete at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, which Lehigh will host on the Goodman Campus on Friday, November 12.
"The season doesn't end today," Utesch noted. "We're focused on that regional ranking and getting in there and staying in the top 15. There are some teams that slipped by us today and recently at the Penn State meet that we want to take another shot at, and we're back home with another chance to do that in two weeks."
2021 Patriot League Cross Country Women's Championship Team Results
1. Navy, 47
2. Boston University, 52
3. Army West Point, 70
4. Bucknell, 119
5. Lehigh, 160
6. Holy Cross, 191
7. Lafayette, 194
8. Loyola Maryland, 204
9. Colgate, 226
10. American, 298
"Honestly, I think we missed an opportunity," Lehigh head coach Debbie Utesch said. "We had a chance to move up in the rankings. As the race was unfolding I was surprised we finished fifth because it looked like we were even further back in the pack.
"Our strength all season has been how we've latched onto each other," Utesch continued. "We continued to do that today, but we just hit a point in the race where we were moving backwards instead of forwards. It was hard at that point to differentiate between the best case scenario that we had been going for and just continuing to fight the whole way through the finish line to maintain a solid performance."
Senior Jade Sessions was the top finisher for Lehigh, crossing the line in 22:29.6 to finish 26th overall.
"She's a young woman that leads by example," Utesch said of Sessions. "She's not the outspoken one, but when she does speak, people listen. She has great things to say. She brings a lot of poise to the starting line and a lot of poise throughout her performance. She's come from being a middle distance runner on the track to one of our top cross country runners, so I'm really pleased with how she has been able to lead the team in different competitions this year."
Freshman Maddison Hayes was the second Mountain Hawk to cross the finish line, claiming 33rd place at 22:38.8. Sophomore Christina Yakaboski and junior Andrea Miller were next, separated by less than three seconds. Yakaboski finished 35th with a time of 22:43.4, followed by Miller in 36th at 22:46.2.
Lehigh's fifth finisher was junior Annalise Davis, who took 42nd place overall in 22:54.8.
Finishing sixth and seventh for the Mountain Hawks were seniors Jamie Zamrin (45th – 23:01.5) and Kara Bonner (47th – 23:05.6).The women raced to a 5th place finish at the Patriot League Championship.
— Lehigh TF & XC (@LehighTFXC) October 31, 2021
Highlights 👇 pic.twitter.com/m5bQr6FHpn
Navy claimed the team title, with 47 points, edging Boston University by five points. The Midshipmen placed five runners in the top 12.
Army West Point sophomore Georgia Jones was the individual champion with a time of 21:03.9.
The Mountain Hawks will next compete at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, which Lehigh will host on the Goodman Campus on Friday, November 12.
"The season doesn't end today," Utesch noted. "We're focused on that regional ranking and getting in there and staying in the top 15. There are some teams that slipped by us today and recently at the Penn State meet that we want to take another shot at, and we're back home with another chance to do that in two weeks."
2021 Patriot League Cross Country Women's Championship Team Results
1. Navy, 47
2. Boston University, 52
3. Army West Point, 70
4. Bucknell, 119
5. Lehigh, 160
6. Holy Cross, 191
7. Lafayette, 194
8. Loyola Maryland, 204
9. Colgate, 226
10. American, 298
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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