Saturday, October 5
Bethlehem, Pa.
11:45 AM
Lehigh University
vs
Paul Short Run
Photo by: Don Paul
Women's Cross Country Eclipses Top 25 In Paul Short Run Gold 6K
10/5/2024 4:40:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh women's cross country competed at the 50th annual Paul Short Run on Lehigh's Goodman Campus Cross Country Course on Saturday morning. The Mountain Hawks had student-athletes racing in both the Open 6K and Gold 6K races.
The Paul Short Run began in 1969Â to honor the late Paul Short, a former Lehigh student-athlete, administrator and avid fan of Lehigh track and field and cross country. The run celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, and to commemorate the milestone, the event was split up over the course of two days for the first time in its history.
The Harvard Crimson earned first place in the team standings in the Gold 6K with a score of 134 points, followed closely behind by UConn (148) and Princeton (155). Lehigh finished in 25th place out of 42 competing teams with a score of 678.
"We went into the race thinking that if we had a really good race, we'd be in the top 25, and we did that," said head coach Debbie Utesch. "I'm pretty pleased with having eyes on some of our other Patriot League teams. I think we ran a very strong race today, but I actually think we have more."
UConn's Chloe Thomas made history, finishing in first place with a time of 19:23.8, setting a new women's 6K Paul Short Run record. Rounding out the top three was Boston University's Vera Sjoberg (19:56.2) and Northeastern's Abigail Hassman (20:01.5).
Junior Lucy Afanasewicz finished first for the Mountain Hawks after being the second Lehigh finisher in her first two seasons. She clocked in at a time of 21:01.7 to finish 51st, smashing her time last year by over 50 seconds. Her finish was the fifth-fastest for a Lehigh runner in Goodman Campus course history.
"I thought Lucy ran a tremendous race," said Utesch. "We talked about getting in this field and taking a chance, and she did a really good job of that in the beginning of the race. I think this really sets the tone for her and it'll give her confidence moving into the second half of the season."
First-year Kaitlyn Highduch impressed in her first-ever Paul Short Run, placing second for the Mountain Hawks and 132nd overall with a time of 21:40.8. Finishing in third for Lehigh was senior Maddison Hayes in 164th at 21:54.3.
"Kaitlyn really responded and kept grinding through the race and worked her way up in the pack," said Utesch. "I thought that was a tremendous race by a first-year on our course."
Other finishers in the Gold 6K race for Lehigh included senior Savanah Beavers (168th, 21:55.4), sophomore Grace Hughes (211th, 22:12.5), sophomore Hope Trimmer (250th, 22:33.9), first-year Sadie Millett (280th, 22:52.6), first-year Brenna Dahlgren (333rd, 23:39.4), first-year Kaya Meler (334th, 23:40.9) and first-year Chloe Browne (347th, 23:59.3).
"We've been really focused on competing as a team against the other competition," said Utesch. "To hear that some of our athletes finished pretty close together is good. If we can do it in this field, it's going to be a lot easier to do in smaller team races."
Four student-athletes competed in the open 6K race for the brown and white as well as 19 alumni. The top finisher for the Mountain Hawks was sophomore Elizabeth Jenulis, who placed 100th with a time of 23:16.5. Following her in the top three for Lehigh was sophomore Siri Hellenbrand (280th, 25:15.5) and sophomore Aurora Wilson (281st, 25:15.8).
The Mountain Hawks will next race on Friday, October 18th in New York City for the ECAC Championships.
Follow Lehigh Cross Country/Track and Field on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
ÂGallery: (10-5-2024) 50th Paul Short Run
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The Paul Short Run began in 1969Â to honor the late Paul Short, a former Lehigh student-athlete, administrator and avid fan of Lehigh track and field and cross country. The run celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, and to commemorate the milestone, the event was split up over the course of two days for the first time in its history.
The Harvard Crimson earned first place in the team standings in the Gold 6K with a score of 134 points, followed closely behind by UConn (148) and Princeton (155). Lehigh finished in 25th place out of 42 competing teams with a score of 678.
"We went into the race thinking that if we had a really good race, we'd be in the top 25, and we did that," said head coach Debbie Utesch. "I'm pretty pleased with having eyes on some of our other Patriot League teams. I think we ran a very strong race today, but I actually think we have more."
UConn's Chloe Thomas made history, finishing in first place with a time of 19:23.8, setting a new women's 6K Paul Short Run record. Rounding out the top three was Boston University's Vera Sjoberg (19:56.2) and Northeastern's Abigail Hassman (20:01.5).
Junior Lucy Afanasewicz finished first for the Mountain Hawks after being the second Lehigh finisher in her first two seasons. She clocked in at a time of 21:01.7 to finish 51st, smashing her time last year by over 50 seconds. Her finish was the fifth-fastest for a Lehigh runner in Goodman Campus course history.
"I thought Lucy ran a tremendous race," said Utesch. "We talked about getting in this field and taking a chance, and she did a really good job of that in the beginning of the race. I think this really sets the tone for her and it'll give her confidence moving into the second half of the season."
First-year Kaitlyn Highduch impressed in her first-ever Paul Short Run, placing second for the Mountain Hawks and 132nd overall with a time of 21:40.8. Finishing in third for Lehigh was senior Maddison Hayes in 164th at 21:54.3.
"Kaitlyn really responded and kept grinding through the race and worked her way up in the pack," said Utesch. "I thought that was a tremendous race by a first-year on our course."
Other finishers in the Gold 6K race for Lehigh included senior Savanah Beavers (168th, 21:55.4), sophomore Grace Hughes (211th, 22:12.5), sophomore Hope Trimmer (250th, 22:33.9), first-year Sadie Millett (280th, 22:52.6), first-year Brenna Dahlgren (333rd, 23:39.4), first-year Kaya Meler (334th, 23:40.9) and first-year Chloe Browne (347th, 23:59.3).
"We've been really focused on competing as a team against the other competition," said Utesch. "To hear that some of our athletes finished pretty close together is good. If we can do it in this field, it's going to be a lot easier to do in smaller team races."
Four student-athletes competed in the open 6K race for the brown and white as well as 19 alumni. The top finisher for the Mountain Hawks was sophomore Elizabeth Jenulis, who placed 100th with a time of 23:16.5. Following her in the top three for Lehigh was sophomore Siri Hellenbrand (280th, 25:15.5) and sophomore Aurora Wilson (281st, 25:15.8).
The Mountain Hawks will next race on Friday, October 18th in New York City for the ECAC Championships.
Follow Lehigh Cross Country/Track and Field on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
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/ 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
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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