Season Preview: WXC returns a plethora of runners to a team looking to make noise
8/31/2021 11:06:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 2021 cross country season is back to normal and the Lehigh women's cross country team is eager to begin its season. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a season in which they only competed twice in the spring for the "2020 season". Lehigh ran an indoor 5K and a road course edition of the Patriot League Championships. However, this year the Brown and White are back to a normal season that begins on Friday.
"I think we have a lot of different talent on our team this year. We have girls who are strong in middle distance and distance, very leg speed-oriented kids," said head coach Debbie Utesch. "We also have a good group of grinder types. Girls who can go out and succeed on tough, terrain cross country courses. This year we have a really good combination of talent."
Lehigh returns over 90% of its roster from the previous season and will look to lead upon Madison Zaun, Jade Sessions, Christina Yakaboski, Jamie Zamrin, Andrea Miller, Kara Bonner, Nicole Abbondandelo and Martina Sell.
"I think we have a lot of very talented pieces on this team, but right now we are a disjointed puzzle in a box right now and we need to put the pieces together," added Utesch. "We don't really have a top-5 or top-7. We need to establish that and create a running pack."
The Mountain Hawks will have four new faces this year running for the Brown and White in freshmen Savanah Beavers, Maddison Hayes, Lauryn Heskin and Kimi Quayle.
"We have some underrated talent in the first-year class. Some of their success was hidden towards the end of their high school year because of COVID. I'm expecting big things from the class over the next four years." said Utesch.
"As a team, one of our keys will be learning how to race together. I think learning how to get that race mindset back. Learning how to respond to challenges in mid-competition. We haven't raced on a grass surface in nearly two years. We're trying to get our cross country legs back by doing training on the actual cross country racing surfaces. " Utesch concluded.
The Lehigh women's cross country schedule is jam-packed this fall with numerous dates of competition. This Friday (September 3), the Mountain Hawks will host the Lehigh Invitational on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course. Lehigh will then have two weeks off after this weekend to rest and regroup before they travel to Easton for the annual Lehigh-Lafayette dual meet on September 18.
The Paul Short Run is back!! The 47th Lehigh Paul Short Run will be held on our campus on Friday, October 1. The Mountain Hawks will then have the Penn State National Invite (October 15) and the Lafayette Invitational (October 16) to conclude their regular season before the postseason amps up.
The Goodman Campus Cross Country Course is set to host two postseason races this fall in the Patriot League Championships (October 31) and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (November 12).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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