Saturday, September 16
Easton, PA
10:45 AM
Lehigh University
18
at
41
Lafayette College
Photo by: Don Paul
Mountain Hawks Soar Past Lafayette For 24th Straight Rivalry Win
9/16/2023 5:56:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
EASTON, Pa. – The Lehigh/Lafayette Rivalry series kicked off today for the 2023 season, as men's cross country battled the Leopards head-to-head in Easton. The Mountain Hawks claimed their 24th consecutive victory over Lafayette by a score of 18-41, setting the all-time series at 63-33-1.
"Any time Lehigh gets together against Lafayette, you know it is going to be a tough battle," said head coach Todd Etters. "The Dual Meet is so important to our team because it connects our past to our present and the format of the race itself provides a great competitive experience. Head-to-head battles are missing in our sport across the national landscape, and I think it is really our sport the way it was meant to be."
Junior Aidan Lynch led the way for all runners, finishing in first place with a time of 24:52.91. Junior Kevin Harvey finished close behind in second place at 24:56.62 while first-year Noah Zahn and sophomore Adam Barbato rounded out the top with with fourth and fifth place finishes of 25:10.19 and 25:13.02. In addition, first-year Thomas Smigo impressed with a time of 25:16.30 and a seventh-place finish.
"With four first-year in our top seven spots, we need to have our juniors and sophomores setting the tone," said Etters. "The beauty of being young is that you can be a little naïve, and I was really impressed with how well our first-years competed. They didn't look like a group that was new to racing the 8k distance and I was really pleased with how tight our 1-5 spread was."
Rounding out the top ten for Lehigh were first-years Ryan Baker and Derek Coceano at 25:35.68 and 25:36.76.
"Today was all about performing while under pressure," said Etters. "It is nice to pick up our 24th straight win over Lafayette, but we realize that we can't rest on the last decade and a half of winning. We need to always be prepared and we were ready today. It won't get easier in two weeks when we host the largest cross country meet in the country. However, I like where we are at and we just need to keep building momentum."
Lehigh will be back in action on September 30 to host their annual Paul Short Run, one of the most acclaimed meets in the whole country. The men's 8K race is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Goodman Campus.
"Any time Lehigh gets together against Lafayette, you know it is going to be a tough battle," said head coach Todd Etters. "The Dual Meet is so important to our team because it connects our past to our present and the format of the race itself provides a great competitive experience. Head-to-head battles are missing in our sport across the national landscape, and I think it is really our sport the way it was meant to be."
Junior Aidan Lynch led the way for all runners, finishing in first place with a time of 24:52.91. Junior Kevin Harvey finished close behind in second place at 24:56.62 while first-year Noah Zahn and sophomore Adam Barbato rounded out the top with with fourth and fifth place finishes of 25:10.19 and 25:13.02. In addition, first-year Thomas Smigo impressed with a time of 25:16.30 and a seventh-place finish.
"With four first-year in our top seven spots, we need to have our juniors and sophomores setting the tone," said Etters. "The beauty of being young is that you can be a little naïve, and I was really impressed with how well our first-years competed. They didn't look like a group that was new to racing the 8k distance and I was really pleased with how tight our 1-5 spread was."
Rounding out the top ten for Lehigh were first-years Ryan Baker and Derek Coceano at 25:35.68 and 25:36.76.
"Today was all about performing while under pressure," said Etters. "It is nice to pick up our 24th straight win over Lafayette, but we realize that we can't rest on the last decade and a half of winning. We need to always be prepared and we were ready today. It won't get easier in two weeks when we host the largest cross country meet in the country. However, I like where we are at and we just need to keep building momentum."
Lehigh will be back in action on September 30 to host their annual Paul Short Run, one of the most acclaimed meets in the whole country. The men's 8K race is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Goodman Campus.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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