Lehigh University Athletics
Men's Cross Country Preview 2026
9/3/2026 1:45:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's cross country team opens their 2026 campaign on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course as the Mountain Hawks will host the Lehigh Invitational on Friday. Head coach Debbie Utesch enters her second season leading the men's cross country program after returning to the role in 2025. Utesch has served as Lehigh's women's cross country head coach since 1996 and previously led both the men's and women's programs from 1996-2008. Utesch said her three decades of experience at Lehigh helped make the transition back to coaching both programs a smooth one.
"I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to remain at one school for a while, so I have gained a lot of experience specifically in how to coach a Lehigh student-athlete, understanding the rhythm of their academic demands and how that relates to athletic performance at different times of the year." Utesch said. "I started my coaching career working with both genders before I turned my attention to the women's program, so last year was a personal challenge to reboot my brain to think through training volumes, paces and splits for the men."
Lehigh enters the season ranked 13th in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region preseason rankings. The ranking follows a 2025 campaign in which the Mountain Hawks placed eighth at the Patriot League Championships. Despite the finish, Utesch is confident in the team's ability to bounce back in 2026.
"The men's squad struggled last year at the Patriot League Championship meet, but after some soul searching, they showed great resiliency to come back and run a very solid race over 10,000m at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional meet," Utesch said. "The men have shown some really good growth in their ability to manage the training required throughout a full season, and they have a really positive mindset coming into this year."
The Mountain Hawks return 14 runners from last season's squad including seniors Ryan Baker and Thomas Smigo, both of whom have posted some of the fastest 10,000-meter times on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course in program history.
"We have a strong foundation of seniors in addition to our strong supporting cast of juniors and sophomores, we could really put a solid 1-7 lineup on the starting line. The underclassmen have done their 'homework' and look very strong in early season training bouts." Utesch said.
Joining the returners from last year's squad are four first-years whom Utesch believes can make an immediate impact.
"Transitioning to the Division I level of training and racing while living on a college campus is always a challenge," Utesch said. Our upperclassmen have done a really great job of mentoring our new first years and helping them navigate this process. I expect to see some of those new faces by the time the Patriot League Championships come around."
Among the four first-years joining the Mountain Hawks this season is Jason Baker, brother of senior Ryan Baker. The Baker brothers join Hope and Grace Trimmer on the women's side as sibling duos competing for Lehigh this season.
The men's cross country team opens competition at the Lehigh Invitational on Friday at 6 p.m. The women's race will follow at 6:30 p.m. The annual Paul Short Run will take place on October 2, and Lehigh will host the NCAA Mid Atlantic-Regional on November 13. The Mountain Hawks schedule also features two trips to Lafayette, once for the Lafayette invitational on September 11 followed by a dual against Lafayette on September 25.
