Track and Field Announces 2021-22 Schedule

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With the indoor season now just a week away, Lehigh head coach Matt Utesch has announced the 2021-22 indoor and outdoor schedules for the men's and women's track and field programs.

The Mountain Hawks will begin the indoor campaign at home in Rauch Fieldhouse with the Fast Times Before Finals meet on Dec. 3-4.

"We are so glad we are back to a full indoor schedule," said Utesch. "One of the blessings that came out COVID-19 is that we can now realize and appreciate how incredible it is to have a full indoor schedule and a great indoor facility. We are really grateful for this upcoming season."

After a break for final exams and the holidays, the team will host the Angry Birds Challenge on Jan. 15 at Rauch Fieldhouse. The Mountain Hawks will then head to Staten Island to take part in the Villanova Invitational at Ocean Breeze Track on Jan. 22. Lehigh will also be represented that weekend at the John Covert Classic at Rauch Fieldhouse.

Lehigh will conclude the month of January with the last home meet of the indoor track season. The men's and women's teams will host Lafayette in their annual dual meet on Jan. 29. The meet is presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network and Coordinated Health.

"That meet has always been a staple of our schedule and to not have it last year was tough," said Utesch of the rivalry meet. "It's part of our DNA, so we really missed not having it. It's so great to have the opportunity to be back and have this meet again and go against our longtime rival and friends across the valley."

The Mountain Hawks will spend the rest of their indoor season on the road. They're set to travel to the Armory Track in New York City twice in February, where they'll compete in the Dr. Sander Invitational on Feb. 4-5 and the Rutgers Invitational on February 11-12. In between trips to New York City, Lehigh will also compete at Monmouth University on Feb. 5 in the Monmouth Invitational.

To wrap up the indoor season, Lehigh will head to Bucknell on Feb. 18 for the Bucknell Tune-Up. Bucknell will then host the Patriot League Championships meet the following weekend on Feb. 26-27 to conclude the indoor season.

The outdoor season will commence in mid-March with a Spring Break training trip to Orlando, Fla. where the Mountain Hawks will compete in the UCF Spring Break Invitational. Following the trip to Florida, Lehigh will head to the Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State University on March 25-26. The men's and women's teams will also have athletes competing at the Navy Invitational in Annapolis, Md. on March 26.

"These first two meets are super fun," said Utesch. "After spending a long time indoors it's nice to go outside and get a big breath of fresh air. It's nice to remember the roots of track and start our outdoor season in the warm weather."

The Mountain Hawks will then head back home to the Lehigh Valley to prepare for their annual dual meet against rival Lafayette on April 2. Lehigh will have their first home meet of the outdoor season on April 9 where they will host the Lehigh Invitational.

After two local meets, the Mountain Hawks will be back on the road. On April 15-16, athletes will head to Bucknell to compete in the Bison Outdoor Classic while others will be at the University of Virginia competing in the Virginia Challenge.

For the first time since 2019, qualified Lehigh athletes will head to the prestigious Penn Relays to face off against some of the nation's best track and field athletes at historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Lehigh has had several athletes compete the last few years at the meet, including Madisyn Hawkins '21, who finished second in the pole vault and Kyle Sult '20, who finished first overall in the pole vault in 2019. Hawkins finished with a mark of 3.65m and Sult finished with a mark of 4.25m

"The best part of the Penn Relays is the level of competition we get right in our own backyard," said Utesch. "It's a local event, we get to sleep in our own bed and compete against some of the best athletes in the world."

Lehigh will also be hosting the annual Carol & John Covert Classic at the Goodman Campus Track and Field Complex on April 29-30. The postseason ramps up on May 5-6 at Navy as the Midshipmen will host the 2022 Patriot League Championships.

The ECAC/IC4A Championships follow on May 13-15 along with the NCAA First Round in Bloomington, Ind. on May 26-28 and the NCAA Championships on June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore. Lehigh had 17 athletes compete at the ECAC/IC4A Championships in 2021, with seven receiving All-East Honors.

"It's definitely a team goal to get kids to the first round of the NCAA Championship. I'm expecting to head to Indiana this year."

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