Friday, September 3
Bethlehem, Pa.
5:30 P.M.
Lehigh University
vs
Lehigh Invitational
WXC finishes third in opening Lehigh Invitational
9/3/2021 7:49:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – In its first race on a grass surface in two years, the Lehigh women's cross country team finished third in the opening Lehigh Invitational on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course. The Mountain Hawks captured third amongst the eight teams that participated with a score of 57 points. Monmouth recorded the win on a tiebreaker over Princeton, who finished second.
The Brown and White had five runners place inside the top 20 and the top three runners were inside the top 15 for Lehigh. Madison Zaun (22:08.8) and Jade Sessions (22:11.3) were the top two finishers and finished sixth and seventh for the Mountain Hawks. Sophomore Christina Yakaboski (22:18.8) was the third Lehigh finisher, placing 14th.
"I saw some really great opening performances today to start a season," expressed head coach Debbie Utesch. "Half of my team hasn't run a collegiate cross country race before and there were definitely a bit of nerves coming into today. Shoutout to Kara Bonner who had a great return for us after a really long absence."
Bonner (22:20.5) returned to the Mountain Hawks and instantly made her presence known by being the fourth Lehigh runner to cross the line and coming in 16th. The fifth Lehigh runner who came in 20th was Nicole Abbondandelo (22:36.8).
"We showed some really good depth today and an ability to match up with a teammate and race together,' added Utesch. "The team ran pretty even today and that's a good considering it's only early September. Over the course of the next two months I think we'll be able to develop more of a presence in the front of the packs."
At the quarter mark of the race, a large group of Monmouth, West Virginia and Lehigh runners paced the field. The Mountain Hawks had four runners inside the top 10 (Zaun, Sessions, Yakaboski and Bonner) at the three-quarter mark of the race.
"Maddie and Jade continued to show that they aren't afraid to go out in front and get the job done," added Utesch on the top two finishers in Zaun and Sessions. "I think what they did really well today was pull along some other runners who don't have collegiate cross country experience and pull them through the mix. The leadership they showed mid-race. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to be put together and I'm excited."
Rounding out the scoring for the Mountain Hawks was Grace Kolbe (22nd), Annalise Davis (24th) and Savanah Beavers (25th).
Up next, the Mountain Hawks will have next week off to rest up and prepare for the Lehigh-Lafayette dual meet in Easton on September 18.
The Brown and White had five runners place inside the top 20 and the top three runners were inside the top 15 for Lehigh. Madison Zaun (22:08.8) and Jade Sessions (22:11.3) were the top two finishers and finished sixth and seventh for the Mountain Hawks. Sophomore Christina Yakaboski (22:18.8) was the third Lehigh finisher, placing 14th.
The women's XC finished third in today's Lehigh Invitational with a score of 57 points. The Brown and White's first three finishers were Madison Zaun, Jade Sessions and Christina Yakaboski.#GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/spRzZ4KCkD
— Lehigh TF & XC (@LehighTFXC) September 3, 2021
"I saw some really great opening performances today to start a season," expressed head coach Debbie Utesch. "Half of my team hasn't run a collegiate cross country race before and there were definitely a bit of nerves coming into today. Shoutout to Kara Bonner who had a great return for us after a really long absence."
Bonner (22:20.5) returned to the Mountain Hawks and instantly made her presence known by being the fourth Lehigh runner to cross the line and coming in 16th. The fifth Lehigh runner who came in 20th was Nicole Abbondandelo (22:36.8).
"We showed some really good depth today and an ability to match up with a teammate and race together,' added Utesch. "The team ran pretty even today and that's a good considering it's only early September. Over the course of the next two months I think we'll be able to develop more of a presence in the front of the packs."
At the quarter mark of the race, a large group of Monmouth, West Virginia and Lehigh runners paced the field. The Mountain Hawks had four runners inside the top 10 (Zaun, Sessions, Yakaboski and Bonner) at the three-quarter mark of the race.
"Maddie and Jade continued to show that they aren't afraid to go out in front and get the job done," added Utesch on the top two finishers in Zaun and Sessions. "I think what they did really well today was pull along some other runners who don't have collegiate cross country experience and pull them through the mix. The leadership they showed mid-race. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to be put together and I'm excited."
Rounding out the scoring for the Mountain Hawks was Grace Kolbe (22nd), Annalise Davis (24th) and Savanah Beavers (25th).
Up next, the Mountain Hawks will have next week off to rest up and prepare for the Lehigh-Lafayette dual meet in Easton on September 18.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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