Friday, November 14
Bethlehem, Pa.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional
Photo by: Don Paul
Lehigh Places 13th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional to Conclude the Season
11/14/2025 4:10:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh hosted the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course on Friday afternoon.The Mountain Hawks placed 13th overall out of 30 total teams, their best finish since 2021, scoring 407 points. All seven of Lehigh's runners set cross country 10k personal bests in the competition. Princeton took home the overall win with three runners in the top five, but it was Georgetown's Birhanu Harriman who narrowly took home the individual win by less than a second.
The duo of senior Adam Barbato and junior Ryan Baker led the way for the Mountain Hawks. Barbato capped off his collegiate cross country career with the top finish for Lehigh. He finished in a personal best 31:24.9 in 68th place. Baker was just over a second behind, placing 70th in 31:26.0. Both runners also earned spots on Lehigh's all-time 10k performance list, claiming the ninth and tenth spots, respectively.
Will Mrozinski with the third Lehigh runner to finish. The sophomore ran 31:43.8 in his first college cross country 10k and placed 88th.
"This was 100% the redemption run from Patriots," head coach Debbie Utesch explained. "I think they just took the pressure off themselves, came into this race and said 'Okay, it's time for us to just be good, it doesn't have to be perfect.' They went out and they executed, they really clung on to each other and ran with confidence."Â
Connor Malinger and Dan Malatesta were never separated by more than eleven seconds in any race they ran together in their senior seasons, so their final cross country race should be no different. The pair finished less than three seconds apart, with Malinger crossing the line at 31:47.6, and Malatesta right behind at 31:50.4. Their 95th and 99th place finishes allowed Lehigh to score each of their top five runners in the top 100, the first instance since 2021.Â
Sophomores Ben Connell and Charlie Butler rounded out the field of Mountain Hawks. Connell placed 130th with a time of 32:25.3, and Butler finished 146th in 32.54.2.Â
Utesch added, "When you walk out of this as a regionally ranked team in the top 15, then that's a legacy with all of those seniors that ran today. That's the legacy they're leaving for the guys that are coming into this meet next year as a great starting point to move forward."
The runners now shift their focus to the start of track and field season.
Â
The duo of senior Adam Barbato and junior Ryan Baker led the way for the Mountain Hawks. Barbato capped off his collegiate cross country career with the top finish for Lehigh. He finished in a personal best 31:24.9 in 68th place. Baker was just over a second behind, placing 70th in 31:26.0. Both runners also earned spots on Lehigh's all-time 10k performance list, claiming the ninth and tenth spots, respectively.
Will Mrozinski with the third Lehigh runner to finish. The sophomore ran 31:43.8 in his first college cross country 10k and placed 88th.
"This was 100% the redemption run from Patriots," head coach Debbie Utesch explained. "I think they just took the pressure off themselves, came into this race and said 'Okay, it's time for us to just be good, it doesn't have to be perfect.' They went out and they executed, they really clung on to each other and ran with confidence."Â
Connor Malinger and Dan Malatesta were never separated by more than eleven seconds in any race they ran together in their senior seasons, so their final cross country race should be no different. The pair finished less than three seconds apart, with Malinger crossing the line at 31:47.6, and Malatesta right behind at 31:50.4. Their 95th and 99th place finishes allowed Lehigh to score each of their top five runners in the top 100, the first instance since 2021.Â
Sophomores Ben Connell and Charlie Butler rounded out the field of Mountain Hawks. Connell placed 130th with a time of 32:25.3, and Butler finished 146th in 32.54.2.Â
Utesch added, "When you walk out of this as a regionally ranked team in the top 15, then that's a legacy with all of those seniors that ran today. That's the legacy they're leaving for the guys that are coming into this meet next year as a great starting point to move forward."
The runners now shift their focus to the start of track and field season.
Â
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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