Season Preview: MXC's trio looks to lead the Mountain Hawks to the top of Patriot League
8/31/2021 11:04:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After a strange and bizarre cross country season in the spring, the Lehigh men's cross country team is back and ready to go for a normal 2021 season. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a spring edition season in which they only competed in two events, an indoor 5K and a road course edition of the Patriot League Championships. This year, the Brown and White have a full schedule and are eager to go out and compete a for a Patriot League title.
Lehigh's team will look a bit different this year with loss of top runners and graduates Sean Brown, Jeffrey Kirshenbaum, Michael Mitchell and Nick Norton. This year's team will be paced by a solid Big 3 of Connor Melko, Seth Slavin and Brad DeMassa.
"The long-term key is having our top guys perform at the highest level. We haven't fared well when we haven't had guys on the First Team," said head coach Todd Etters. "It's been quite a while since we had a runner on the First Team in the league. I'm expecting our top guys to perform at that level, challenging themselves and being rewarded."
The Mountain Hawks will also rely heavily on Tyler French, Avery Lederer, Jacob Martinez and Nick Wilson to provide the depth for Lehigh.
"We have a lot of experience on our roster. Most of our team are juniors and seniors. We have to rely on that experience. Day-to-day training, being disciplined and having to be pretty even throughout the season. We graduated some high-level performers who carried a lot of the burden. Other guys have been waiting in the wings and now it's their time to step up. There's no hiding in cross country. In order to do well you need your top guys to perform at a high level." said Etters.
The Brown and White welcome the addition of three first-year runners to the program in Kevin Harvey, Ethan Hood and Aidan Lynch.
"I'm excited about our freshman class. They seem very disciplined and excited. Our first-year runners normally always fit right in and this group is no exception," added Etters. "I know these three guys can be impact guys. We're expecting that out of them. We should have fun with this group."
The Mountain Hawks will begin their season on Friday with the Lehigh Invitational on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course. The men's race will begin at 6:15 p.m. and be a 6K race. Saturday, September 18 will be the Lehigh-Lafayette dual meet in Easton, while the famous Paul Short Run will be held on campus on Friday, October 1. Lehigh will gear up for the postseason with two events on the same day in the Lafayette Leopard Invite and the Princeton Invite.
"Friday's race is our first true race in two years. The term rust buster comes to mind. They are excited to race though. They know it's just the start. They shouldn't have pressure on them. Just go out and compete at a high level and have fun." concluded Etters.
Lehigh will also play host to the two postseason races this year in the Patriot League Championships (October 31) and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (November 12).
Lehigh's team will look a bit different this year with loss of top runners and graduates Sean Brown, Jeffrey Kirshenbaum, Michael Mitchell and Nick Norton. This year's team will be paced by a solid Big 3 of Connor Melko, Seth Slavin and Brad DeMassa.
"The long-term key is having our top guys perform at the highest level. We haven't fared well when we haven't had guys on the First Team," said head coach Todd Etters. "It's been quite a while since we had a runner on the First Team in the league. I'm expecting our top guys to perform at that level, challenging themselves and being rewarded."
The Mountain Hawks will also rely heavily on Tyler French, Avery Lederer, Jacob Martinez and Nick Wilson to provide the depth for Lehigh.
"We have a lot of experience on our roster. Most of our team are juniors and seniors. We have to rely on that experience. Day-to-day training, being disciplined and having to be pretty even throughout the season. We graduated some high-level performers who carried a lot of the burden. Other guys have been waiting in the wings and now it's their time to step up. There's no hiding in cross country. In order to do well you need your top guys to perform at a high level." said Etters.
The Brown and White welcome the addition of three first-year runners to the program in Kevin Harvey, Ethan Hood and Aidan Lynch.
"I'm excited about our freshman class. They seem very disciplined and excited. Our first-year runners normally always fit right in and this group is no exception," added Etters. "I know these three guys can be impact guys. We're expecting that out of them. We should have fun with this group."
The Mountain Hawks will begin their season on Friday with the Lehigh Invitational on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course. The men's race will begin at 6:15 p.m. and be a 6K race. Saturday, September 18 will be the Lehigh-Lafayette dual meet in Easton, while the famous Paul Short Run will be held on campus on Friday, October 1. Lehigh will gear up for the postseason with two events on the same day in the Lafayette Leopard Invite and the Princeton Invite.
"Friday's race is our first true race in two years. The term rust buster comes to mind. They are excited to race though. They know it's just the start. They shouldn't have pressure on them. Just go out and compete at a high level and have fun." concluded Etters.
Lehigh will also play host to the two postseason races this year in the Patriot League Championships (October 31) and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (November 12).
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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