Saturday, September 18
Easton, PA
9:30 a.m.
Lehigh University
at
Lehigh-Lafayette Dual
Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Women’s Cross Country Eager for Lafayette Dual Meet Saturday in Easton
9/17/2021 12:37:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Coming off a third-place finish in the Lehigh Invitational, the Lehigh women's cross country team is excited and ready to face rival Lafayette on Saturday in Easton. It will mark the first dual matchup between the two sides since 2019 (after the COVID-19 pandemic affected last season's meet). The Mountain Hawks will be eying their 16th straight win over the Leopards. Racing is set for 9:30 a.m. before the men at 10:15 at Lafayette's Metzger Field Athletic Complex. The women's race will be a 6K.
"The way our sport has evolved, almost everything we do is an invitational style competition, so when we get to have this very unique dual meet setting with an arch rival in our sport, that doesn't happen very much anywhere," said Lehigh head coach Debbie Utesch. "You can probably count the dual meets in [collegiate] cross country on one hand. It is truly an opportunity for the athletes to go compete, in capital letters, head-to-head, instead of just chasing times. It's something that can get away from us in our sport."
Two weekends ago at the Lehigh Invitational, five Mountain Hawks finished in the top 20, with three in the top 15. Junior Madison Zaun (22:08.8) and senior Jade Sessions (22:11.3) were the top two finishers, placing sixth and seventh overall, respectively. Sophomore Christina Yakaboski was the third Lehigh runner to finish (22:18.8).
Utesch likes the team's depth that's been on display – both in practice and on meet day – and expects it to continue this weekend.
"The question mark is how we match up out front," she said. "We had runners who raced together pretty much the entire meet in that first competition, but because we did that, I don't think it's clear how much of a frontrunner any of those girls can be.
"When we get into this kind of race [at Lafayette Saturday], there's still some pack running that's going to be involved, but we also have to get the job done up front," Utesch continued. "That's a big question mark."
It may presently be a question mark, but should become clearer over time. There's no doubt, there is talent and potential on the roster, and it's still early in the season. The focus now is solely on beating Lafayette.
"Every venue we go to brings different idiosyncrasies with it," said Utesch. "We got over to Lafayette last Friday so we could feel how their course runs. Terrain is different, knowing where you are on the course at any given time is different. That was very helpful for us to be able to be able to talk about the course and build some strategic points from that standpoint."
The Mountain Hawks have beaten Lafayette in 15 straight head-to-head meetings, but aren't taking anything for granted. They know the Leopards will be motivated to end that streak.
"Our number one goal is to add to that winning streak, but we know Lafayette is going to represent a very big challenge," said Utesch. "They are talented and have more depth on their squad this year. They're at home. Let's face it; all those girls want to be the ones who end that streak. We're aware of that and we have to go get it done.
The Mountain Hawks are ready to compete on Saturday, and it's for something greater than themselves.
"This is a competition our alumnae watch very closely," said Utesch. "We're aware that we're not just racing for 22 current rostered women. We're racing for everyone who's worn that Brown and White singlet through the years."
"The way our sport has evolved, almost everything we do is an invitational style competition, so when we get to have this very unique dual meet setting with an arch rival in our sport, that doesn't happen very much anywhere," said Lehigh head coach Debbie Utesch. "You can probably count the dual meets in [collegiate] cross country on one hand. It is truly an opportunity for the athletes to go compete, in capital letters, head-to-head, instead of just chasing times. It's something that can get away from us in our sport."
Two weekends ago at the Lehigh Invitational, five Mountain Hawks finished in the top 20, with three in the top 15. Junior Madison Zaun (22:08.8) and senior Jade Sessions (22:11.3) were the top two finishers, placing sixth and seventh overall, respectively. Sophomore Christina Yakaboski was the third Lehigh runner to finish (22:18.8).
Utesch likes the team's depth that's been on display – both in practice and on meet day – and expects it to continue this weekend.
"The question mark is how we match up out front," she said. "We had runners who raced together pretty much the entire meet in that first competition, but because we did that, I don't think it's clear how much of a frontrunner any of those girls can be.
"When we get into this kind of race [at Lafayette Saturday], there's still some pack running that's going to be involved, but we also have to get the job done up front," Utesch continued. "That's a big question mark."
It may presently be a question mark, but should become clearer over time. There's no doubt, there is talent and potential on the roster, and it's still early in the season. The focus now is solely on beating Lafayette.
"Every venue we go to brings different idiosyncrasies with it," said Utesch. "We got over to Lafayette last Friday so we could feel how their course runs. Terrain is different, knowing where you are on the course at any given time is different. That was very helpful for us to be able to be able to talk about the course and build some strategic points from that standpoint."
The Mountain Hawks have beaten Lafayette in 15 straight head-to-head meetings, but aren't taking anything for granted. They know the Leopards will be motivated to end that streak.
"Our number one goal is to add to that winning streak, but we know Lafayette is going to represent a very big challenge," said Utesch. "They are talented and have more depth on their squad this year. They're at home. Let's face it; all those girls want to be the ones who end that streak. We're aware of that and we have to go get it done.
The Mountain Hawks are ready to compete on Saturday, and it's for something greater than themselves.
"This is a competition our alumnae watch very closely," said Utesch. "We're aware that we're not just racing for 22 current rostered women. We're racing for everyone who's worn that Brown and White singlet through the years."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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