Friday, April 30
Army West Point
9:00 a.m.
Lehigh University
at
Patriot League Championships
Lehigh Athletics Weekend Preview
4/29/2021 2:53:00 PM | Baseball, Athletics, Men's Golf, Men's Lacrosse, Men's Track and Field, Softball, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Tennis, Women's Track and Field
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Four Lehigh programs: outdoor track and field, women's tennis, men's golf and women's lacrosse compete in Patriot League championships between Friday and Monday; plus the baseball and softball teams compete in their second-to-last Patriot League weekends. Catch up on all the latest happenings in this week's Lehigh Athletics Weekend Preview.
As announced March 5, The Lehigh University COVID-19 Response Team approved a request from the Athletics Department to permit a limited number (2) of Lehigh team guests (submitted in advance) to attend our outdoor home sports events, and enter the permanent seating area of our venues, which is well-defined by fencing and gates at some venues and that will be defined and secured at other venues. The two guests will be expected to adhere to all University and Athletics Department health and safety protocols (PDF) throughout their visit to our Goodman Campus. Visiting team guests are not permitted inside our venues at this time unless directly communicated to the visiting team for a specific event.
Baseball
Coming off a gutsy come-from-behind win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday afternoon, the Mountain Hawks (16-14, 12-8 PL) turn their attention back to Patriot League play, the penultimate weekend before the Patriot League Tournament begins, taking on Navy for three – a doubleheader Saturday at noon for Senior Day and a single game in Annapolis Sunday at 2 p.m. Lehigh looks to solidify its spot in the tournament for the first time since 2016 with wins over the Midshipmen (13-10, 8-9 PL) after going 2-1 against Navy earlier in the season. Lehigh currently has a 2.5 game lead over the Mids for the second spot, currently tied with Army West Point for first place. Offensively, the Mountain Hawks are led by top of the order powers Eric Cichocki (.350/.496/.461) and Casey Rother (.342/.523/.435) while the latter is currently on a season-long 25-game reached base streak. On the mound, junior right-hander Mason Black (5-2, 3.20 ERA) looks for a bounce-back performance against the Midshipmen, despite striking out a career-high tying 12 batters against Bucknell on Saturday, his fifth double-digit strikeout performance of the season. Black currently sits at 76 batters fanned, 20 shy of breaking the program's single-season record of 94 set by Craig Anderson '60 in 1960. Anderson also holds the second spot after striking out 92 in 1959. Navy has fallen in two straight contests after splitting a four-game series with Holy Cross over the weekend and dropping a 12-10 final to Coppin State on Wednesday afternoon. Logan Keller continues to pace Navy offensively, batting .355 with 33 hits and a .505 slugging percentage, but Nico Valdez (.339), Christian Policelli (.339), Zach Stevens (.337) and Zane Raba (.326) are all batting above .300 this season.
Saturday: Watch Live | Live Stats
Sunday: Watch Live | Live Stats
Men's Golf
The Mountain Hawks are headed to Annapolis, Md., for the Patriot League Championship, hosted by Navy, Saturday and Sunday at the Naval Academy Golf Club. The eight Patriot League schools that sponsor men's golf will participate in the 54-hole championship on the par 70, 7025 yard course. Fifth-year Owen Quinn enters the championship as the only Lehigh player with previous experience in this championship. The rest of Lehigh's lineup includes sophomores David Hurly, Sam Barton and Joey Dotta and freshmen Edmund Broderick and Marco Arosemena. Lehigh will play with Holy Cross on day one, with players going off of the 10th tee beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday for round one and the first tee beginning at 12:30 p.m. for round two. Lehigh last won the Patriot League Championship in 2013. Army West Point is the defending champion.
Men's Lacrosse
A top 20 matchup is on tap for Saturday as the No. 6 Lehigh men's lacrosse team travels to No. 16 Villanova for a noon opening faceoff. The Mountain Hawks have won 13 straight games dating back to last season, which is the longest active streak in the nation. Maryland is right behind at 12 (and 10-0 this season). Last time out, Lehigh picked up its second win over Bucknell in 2021, winning 18-12. Sophomore Christian Mule' paced the offense with career highs in goals (7) and points (10) to earn Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and a spot on the USILA National Team of the Week. Mule' finished multiple highlight-reel goals, and scored with just 1.6 seconds left in the first half for a 10-7 halftime advantage. In the end, the Mountain Hawks secured a perfect Patriot League record season record for the first time since 2013 (the last time they were the No. 1 seed), while their eight league victories are a program record. Lehigh and Villanova will renew a rivalry last played in 2015. The Wildcats hold an 18-14 all-time lead, which dates back to 1977. Villanova won the last matchup in 2015, but the Mountain Hawks had won the previous two. Villanova enters Saturday at 6-4 following an overtime defeat to No. 10 Denver on Wednesday; the Wildcats will be the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Watch Live | Live Stats
Women's Lacrosse
Winners of seven of its last eight games, the Lehigh women's lacrosse team will host a Patriot League Quarterfinal Monday at 1 p.m. at the Ulrich Sports Complex with coverage on ESPN+. The Mountain Hawks will host the winner of Friday's Navy vs. Bucknell game. After more than a 10-day layoff, Lehigh hit the field on Wednesday and didn't miss a beat. Just over 20 minutes in, the Mountain Hawks held a dominant 14-3 lead and went on to beat American, 21-6. It marked Lehigh's most goals since 2009, despite a running clock for much of the game's final 42 minutes. Graduate student Sondra Dickey led the offense with seven points (five goals, two assists) while also adding seven draw controls. Senior Cecily Redfern tied a career high in goals (3) and points (5), originally set vs. Bucknell earlier this season. It was Senior Day as the Mountain Hawks recognized their class of five seniors and three graduate students (fifth-year seniors). Monday will mark Lehigh's seventh straight appearance in the Patriot League Tournament, having won in the quarterfinal round in three of the last four times (with each of the three victories coming at home).
Watch Live | Live Stats
Rowing
Lehigh women's rowing will head to Rome, New York on Saturday for a regatta on the Erie Canal featuring the Mountain Hawks, Colgate, Marist and UConn. Lehigh will face Patriot League foe Colgate in the morning, while Marist and UConn will also square off. The winners will race in the afternoon, as will the losing teams in a consolation matchup. Racing runs from approximately 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The last time the women were in action, they won every race head-to-head at Manhattan, with the Varsity Four and Varsity Eight each winning by more than 30 seconds. Meanwhile, the men will travel to Shamokin Dam, Pa. to face Bucknell on the Susquehanna River beginning at 11 a.m. They will be in action for the first time since Apr. 10 at Loyola, which saw the Men's Varsity Eight won by just over 30 seconds. Saturday will be a rematch from Apr. 3 when the Mountain Hawks and Bison squared off.
Softball
Coming off a crucial series victory last week over Bucknell last weekend, Lehigh will host Holy Cross in a doubleheader Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. at Leadership Park, with streaming on ESPN+. The Mountain Hawks (10-14, 8-8 PL) are currently third in the Patriot League standings with six games remaining on their schedule. Lehigh shut out Bucknell twice last Sunday to win the series, with junior Gabriella Nori throwing a five-hitter and freshman Katelyn Young tossing a three-hitter. Young was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for her efforts. Senior Payton Alsobrooks hit .545 last weekend with four extra base hits and three runs scored. Junior Jaelynn Chesson has continued to be one of the league's top run producers. Chesson leads the league with 34 RBIs and has 13 doubles and four home runs to go with a .373 average. Holy Cross is 6-14 overall and 2-10 in the league. The Crusaders were swept in four games by first place Boston University last weekend and will visit Colgate for a doubleheader Saturday before coming to Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks swept a doubleheader in Worcester, Mass., on April 9.
Watch | Live Stats
Women's Tennis
The Lehigh women's tennis team (5-3, 4-2) will begin the Patriot League Women's Tennis Championships on Friday in the quarterfinals facing the Bucknell Bison at 11 a.m. All competition this weekend will take place at Navy. The Mountain Hawks have won the previous five meetings against the Bison. Earlier in the season, the Brown and White topped the Bison by a score of 5-2. Lehigh is looking to advance to the semifinals for the first time since the 2017-18 season. If Lehigh gets past Bucknell in the quarterfinals then they will likely face top-seeded Boston University on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Mountain Hawks' lineup will consist on Paula Gonzalez, Junmoke James, Ella Imhof, Rachel Buchinsky, Anshika Singh and Casey Zhong. Gonzalez and Leighanna Moskos will be top pair and doubles, while Imhof and Zhong will be the No. 2's.
Track and Field
The Lehigh men's and women's track and field teams will compete in the 2021 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday and Saturday inside Shea Stadium on the campus of Army West Point. The track events will begin at 9 a.m., while the field events will start at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. The heptathlon and decathlon will begin at 10:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. The Brown and White have two returning Patriot League Outdoor Champions in Sean Brown (1500m) and Brittany Curtin (discus). Over the last 10 years, the women's team has rattled off multiple third-place finishes, even finishing second in 2013. The men's team is coming off five fifth-place finishes in the last six years. Notable names to keep an eye on this weekend include Curtin, Brett DeWeese, Maddy Harding, Madisyn Hawkins, Morgan McConnell, Teasha McKoy, Veronica Meyer, Andrea Miller, Calista Marzolino, Jade Sessions, Kaja Skerlj, Christina Yakaboski and Madison Zaun. On the men's team, keep an eye out for Brown, Jeffrey Kirshenbaum, Riley LaRiviere, Amondo Lemmon, Connor Melko, Michael Mitchell, Anastasios Mouzakis, Michael Nardelli and Samuel Tapera. The Mountain Hawks will also have strong relay teams competing who have a very good shot at placing on the podium this weekend. Lehigh's track and field/cross country social media pages will have photos, videos and more from this weekend's meet.
As announced March 5, The Lehigh University COVID-19 Response Team approved a request from the Athletics Department to permit a limited number (2) of Lehigh team guests (submitted in advance) to attend our outdoor home sports events, and enter the permanent seating area of our venues, which is well-defined by fencing and gates at some venues and that will be defined and secured at other venues. The two guests will be expected to adhere to all University and Athletics Department health and safety protocols (PDF) throughout their visit to our Goodman Campus. Visiting team guests are not permitted inside our venues at this time unless directly communicated to the visiting team for a specific event.
Baseball
Coming off a gutsy come-from-behind win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday afternoon, the Mountain Hawks (16-14, 12-8 PL) turn their attention back to Patriot League play, the penultimate weekend before the Patriot League Tournament begins, taking on Navy for three – a doubleheader Saturday at noon for Senior Day and a single game in Annapolis Sunday at 2 p.m. Lehigh looks to solidify its spot in the tournament for the first time since 2016 with wins over the Midshipmen (13-10, 8-9 PL) after going 2-1 against Navy earlier in the season. Lehigh currently has a 2.5 game lead over the Mids for the second spot, currently tied with Army West Point for first place. Offensively, the Mountain Hawks are led by top of the order powers Eric Cichocki (.350/.496/.461) and Casey Rother (.342/.523/.435) while the latter is currently on a season-long 25-game reached base streak. On the mound, junior right-hander Mason Black (5-2, 3.20 ERA) looks for a bounce-back performance against the Midshipmen, despite striking out a career-high tying 12 batters against Bucknell on Saturday, his fifth double-digit strikeout performance of the season. Black currently sits at 76 batters fanned, 20 shy of breaking the program's single-season record of 94 set by Craig Anderson '60 in 1960. Anderson also holds the second spot after striking out 92 in 1959. Navy has fallen in two straight contests after splitting a four-game series with Holy Cross over the weekend and dropping a 12-10 final to Coppin State on Wednesday afternoon. Logan Keller continues to pace Navy offensively, batting .355 with 33 hits and a .505 slugging percentage, but Nico Valdez (.339), Christian Policelli (.339), Zach Stevens (.337) and Zane Raba (.326) are all batting above .300 this season.
Saturday: Watch Live | Live Stats
Sunday: Watch Live | Live Stats
Men's Golf
The Mountain Hawks are headed to Annapolis, Md., for the Patriot League Championship, hosted by Navy, Saturday and Sunday at the Naval Academy Golf Club. The eight Patriot League schools that sponsor men's golf will participate in the 54-hole championship on the par 70, 7025 yard course. Fifth-year Owen Quinn enters the championship as the only Lehigh player with previous experience in this championship. The rest of Lehigh's lineup includes sophomores David Hurly, Sam Barton and Joey Dotta and freshmen Edmund Broderick and Marco Arosemena. Lehigh will play with Holy Cross on day one, with players going off of the 10th tee beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday for round one and the first tee beginning at 12:30 p.m. for round two. Lehigh last won the Patriot League Championship in 2013. Army West Point is the defending champion.
Men's Lacrosse
A top 20 matchup is on tap for Saturday as the No. 6 Lehigh men's lacrosse team travels to No. 16 Villanova for a noon opening faceoff. The Mountain Hawks have won 13 straight games dating back to last season, which is the longest active streak in the nation. Maryland is right behind at 12 (and 10-0 this season). Last time out, Lehigh picked up its second win over Bucknell in 2021, winning 18-12. Sophomore Christian Mule' paced the offense with career highs in goals (7) and points (10) to earn Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and a spot on the USILA National Team of the Week. Mule' finished multiple highlight-reel goals, and scored with just 1.6 seconds left in the first half for a 10-7 halftime advantage. In the end, the Mountain Hawks secured a perfect Patriot League record season record for the first time since 2013 (the last time they were the No. 1 seed), while their eight league victories are a program record. Lehigh and Villanova will renew a rivalry last played in 2015. The Wildcats hold an 18-14 all-time lead, which dates back to 1977. Villanova won the last matchup in 2015, but the Mountain Hawks had won the previous two. Villanova enters Saturday at 6-4 following an overtime defeat to No. 10 Denver on Wednesday; the Wildcats will be the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Watch Live | Live Stats
Women's Lacrosse
Winners of seven of its last eight games, the Lehigh women's lacrosse team will host a Patriot League Quarterfinal Monday at 1 p.m. at the Ulrich Sports Complex with coverage on ESPN+. The Mountain Hawks will host the winner of Friday's Navy vs. Bucknell game. After more than a 10-day layoff, Lehigh hit the field on Wednesday and didn't miss a beat. Just over 20 minutes in, the Mountain Hawks held a dominant 14-3 lead and went on to beat American, 21-6. It marked Lehigh's most goals since 2009, despite a running clock for much of the game's final 42 minutes. Graduate student Sondra Dickey led the offense with seven points (five goals, two assists) while also adding seven draw controls. Senior Cecily Redfern tied a career high in goals (3) and points (5), originally set vs. Bucknell earlier this season. It was Senior Day as the Mountain Hawks recognized their class of five seniors and three graduate students (fifth-year seniors). Monday will mark Lehigh's seventh straight appearance in the Patriot League Tournament, having won in the quarterfinal round in three of the last four times (with each of the three victories coming at home).
Watch Live | Live Stats
Rowing
Lehigh women's rowing will head to Rome, New York on Saturday for a regatta on the Erie Canal featuring the Mountain Hawks, Colgate, Marist and UConn. Lehigh will face Patriot League foe Colgate in the morning, while Marist and UConn will also square off. The winners will race in the afternoon, as will the losing teams in a consolation matchup. Racing runs from approximately 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The last time the women were in action, they won every race head-to-head at Manhattan, with the Varsity Four and Varsity Eight each winning by more than 30 seconds. Meanwhile, the men will travel to Shamokin Dam, Pa. to face Bucknell on the Susquehanna River beginning at 11 a.m. They will be in action for the first time since Apr. 10 at Loyola, which saw the Men's Varsity Eight won by just over 30 seconds. Saturday will be a rematch from Apr. 3 when the Mountain Hawks and Bison squared off.
Softball
Coming off a crucial series victory last week over Bucknell last weekend, Lehigh will host Holy Cross in a doubleheader Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. at Leadership Park, with streaming on ESPN+. The Mountain Hawks (10-14, 8-8 PL) are currently third in the Patriot League standings with six games remaining on their schedule. Lehigh shut out Bucknell twice last Sunday to win the series, with junior Gabriella Nori throwing a five-hitter and freshman Katelyn Young tossing a three-hitter. Young was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for her efforts. Senior Payton Alsobrooks hit .545 last weekend with four extra base hits and three runs scored. Junior Jaelynn Chesson has continued to be one of the league's top run producers. Chesson leads the league with 34 RBIs and has 13 doubles and four home runs to go with a .373 average. Holy Cross is 6-14 overall and 2-10 in the league. The Crusaders were swept in four games by first place Boston University last weekend and will visit Colgate for a doubleheader Saturday before coming to Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks swept a doubleheader in Worcester, Mass., on April 9.
Watch | Live Stats
Women's Tennis
The Lehigh women's tennis team (5-3, 4-2) will begin the Patriot League Women's Tennis Championships on Friday in the quarterfinals facing the Bucknell Bison at 11 a.m. All competition this weekend will take place at Navy. The Mountain Hawks have won the previous five meetings against the Bison. Earlier in the season, the Brown and White topped the Bison by a score of 5-2. Lehigh is looking to advance to the semifinals for the first time since the 2017-18 season. If Lehigh gets past Bucknell in the quarterfinals then they will likely face top-seeded Boston University on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Mountain Hawks' lineup will consist on Paula Gonzalez, Junmoke James, Ella Imhof, Rachel Buchinsky, Anshika Singh and Casey Zhong. Gonzalez and Leighanna Moskos will be top pair and doubles, while Imhof and Zhong will be the No. 2's.
Track and Field
The Lehigh men's and women's track and field teams will compete in the 2021 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday and Saturday inside Shea Stadium on the campus of Army West Point. The track events will begin at 9 a.m., while the field events will start at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. The heptathlon and decathlon will begin at 10:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. The Brown and White have two returning Patriot League Outdoor Champions in Sean Brown (1500m) and Brittany Curtin (discus). Over the last 10 years, the women's team has rattled off multiple third-place finishes, even finishing second in 2013. The men's team is coming off five fifth-place finishes in the last six years. Notable names to keep an eye on this weekend include Curtin, Brett DeWeese, Maddy Harding, Madisyn Hawkins, Morgan McConnell, Teasha McKoy, Veronica Meyer, Andrea Miller, Calista Marzolino, Jade Sessions, Kaja Skerlj, Christina Yakaboski and Madison Zaun. On the men's team, keep an eye out for Brown, Jeffrey Kirshenbaum, Riley LaRiviere, Amondo Lemmon, Connor Melko, Michael Mitchell, Anastasios Mouzakis, Michael Nardelli and Samuel Tapera. The Mountain Hawks will also have strong relay teams competing who have a very good shot at placing on the podium this weekend. Lehigh's track and field/cross country social media pages will have photos, videos and more from this weekend's meet.
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
RHP
/ Baseball
/ Men's Golf
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
/ Women's Tennis
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Baseball
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Hurdles, Sprints, Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
/ Women's Tennis
Jumps/Multis
/ Women's Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Women's Track and Field
/ Men's Golf
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
High Jump
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
/ Women's Tennis
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
Hurdles/Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
P
/ Softball
/ Men's Golf
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
1B/RHP
/ Baseball
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
/ Women's Tennis
Hurdles/Sprints
/ Women's Track and Field
Sprints
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
P
/ Softball
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
/ Women's Tennis
Undergraduate Commencement
Sunday, May 18
Graduate Commencement & Doctoral Hooding
Saturday, May 17
Commencement - Undergraduate Degrees
Sunday, May 19
Commencement - Graduate Degrees
Saturday, May 18
