Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh University
Paul Short Run
Highduch Shines as Mountain Hawks Place 20th at Paul Short Run
10/2/2026 5:19:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Lehigh hosted the 2026 Paul Short Run presented by ASICS Friday on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course. The Mountain Hawks split their team between the Gold and Open Races. Lehigh placed 20th as a team, scoring 551 points in the 37-team field.
Liberty won the Gold Race, its first Paul Short Run title in school history. The Lady Flames returned to the Paul Short Run after a nine-year absence and scored 115 points. Penn and Yale both scored 144 points, with Penn winning the tiebreaker to claim second place. Pittsburgh's Maureen Cheruiyot won the individual title, finishing the 6K course in 19:47.7. Cheruiyot edged LSU's Edna Chepkemoi, who finished second in 19:51.9.
Junior Kaitlyn Highduch paced Lehigh in the Gold Race, finishing 23rd overall with a time of 21:16.7. Highduch's 23rd-place finish was Lehigh's highest individual finish at the Paul Short Run since 2014, when All-American Elizabeth Weiler finished 14th overall.
Kaitlyn did a great job of closing out today's race, said head coach Debbie Utesch. She finished the last 600 meters very strongly, which helped vault her into the top 30.
Senior Grace Hughes was the second Mountain Hawk to place in the top 100, finishing 77th in 21:54.5. Senior Devon Sutton was the third Mountain Hawk to cross, finishing 120th with a time of 22:20.9. First-year Keira Arenholz finished fourth for Lehigh with a time of 22:48.5 (173rd). Junior Elizabeth Ehrhardt rounded out the top five for Lehigh, setting a personal-best time of 22:53.4, good for 179th overall.
First-year Ella Blanco made her collegiate cross country debut in the Women's Open Race, pacing all Mountain Hawks with a time of 22:42.5 (48th).
Ella came out really strong in the Open Race, especially considering it was her first collegiate 6K, said Utesch. We're excited to see what she can do for the rest of the year, and this was a great start for her.
Sophomore Lily Schindler also finished in the top 100 with a time of 23:21.6 (90th). Sophomore Katelyn Nolan finished third for Lehigh, placing 119th in 23:49.0. Sophomore Emerson Skatell (149th, 24:10.0) and first-year Kitira Bravo (195th, 24:35.9) rounded out the top five for the Mountain Hawks. Skatell's time was a personal best.
Elevated heat conditions and rapidly rising temperatures forced the cancellation of the final six races of today's Paul Short Run. The decision was made following consultation between on-site medical personnel and Lehigh Athletics administrators to prioritize the safety and well-being of all student-athletes and participants.
The College Brown, White, and Green races will not be contested. The men's and women's Open and College Gold races were successfully completed earlier in the day.
Lehigh heads to Farmingdale, N.Y., for its next event, competing in the IC4A Championships on October 17. The women are scheduled to compete at 11:15 a.m.
