Christopher Torpey joined the Lehigh University cross country coaching staff in September 2025, primarily working with the men’s and women’s cross country programs and assisting with the middle-distance and distance events.

Torpey came to Lehigh with a lifelong connection to competitive distance running and coaching. Prior to joining the Mountain Hawks, he served as the head boys indoor and outdoor track & field coach at Methacton High School and the head girls cross country coach at Upper Dublin High School.

At Methacton, Torpey helped establish a new level of success for the program. In his first year, Methacton’s cross country team qualified for the PIAA State Championships for the first time in the school’s 60-year history. During the 2022 outdoor track & field season, Methacton captured its first Pioneer Athletic Conference championship, led by 62 points from the distance events. Over his four-year tenure, his distance athletes carved out a significant share of Methacton’s all-time performances in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meters. Numerous runners he coached qualified for both the indoor and outdoor Pennsylvania state championship meets, and distance relays routinely met qualifying standards to compete nationally. The program also produced Pennsylvania state qualifiers in the sprints, jumps and throws.

At Upper Dublin, Torpey led the girls cross country program to a 14-1 record and three straight Suburban One Liberty Conference championships. His focus on developing distance runners over the long term carried beyond the cross-country season, with athletes he coached later contributing to Pennsylvania state championship-winning 4x800-meter relays.

At the high school level, Torpey’s prioritized athlete development, with an emphasis on healthy distance-running fundamentals, leadership, and a team-first culture.

Prior to entering the coaching profession, Torpey competed in cross country at Monmouth University, where he earned Dean’s List recognition and was subsequently named to the Northeast Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Before attending Monmouth, he competed for Perkiomen Valley High School.

Torpey’s lifelong connection to the sport was shaped in part by his family. He was drawn to coaching through watching his father coach at La Salle University. His mother also competed collegiately at the University of Maryland in the 1500 meters through 5,000 meters before going on to a successful post-collegiate marathon career.

Torpey resides in Collegeville, Pennsylvania with his wife, Shantal.

Name	Title	Email Address	Phone
Debbie Utesch	Women's Cross Country Head Coach Assistant Track and Field Coach	deu3@lehigh.edu	610-758-4303
Travis Lahr	Assistant Coach	tcl226@lehigh.edu
Christopher Torpey	Assistant Coach	cst325@lehigh.edu
Mark Will-Weber	Volunteer Assistant Coach

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at Patriot League Championships on October 31, 2026 at 11:00 AM

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country versus NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on November 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country versus NCAA National Championships on November 21, 2026

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at Bucknell Open on October 23, 2026 , , Not Scored

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at ECAC Championships on October 17, 2026 , , 11th of 26

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country versus Paul Short Run on October 2, 2026 , , 20th of 37

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at Lafayette Dual on September 25, 2026 , Win , 27, to, 30

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at Lafayette Invitational on September 11, 2026 , , 3rd of 4

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country versus Lehigh Invitational on September 4, 2026 , , 4th of 10

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country versus NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on November 14, 2025 , , 15th of 30

Lehigh University Athletics

2026 Women's Cross Country Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff