Highduch and Hughes Land on Lehigh’s All-Time Efficiency Listing at Paul Short

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh hosted the 2025 Paul Short Run Presented by Asics Friday on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course. The Mountain Hawks break up their group between the Gold and Open Races. Lehigh positioned twenty fifth as a group, scoring 694 factors. 

Villanova gained the ladies’s Gold Race, its seventh Paul Short title, with 110 factors. This win elevated the Wildcats to sole possession of essentially the most Paul Short group wins. Villanova handed Penn State and Georgetown, who additionally occurred to be the second and third place group finishers. Georgetown did have the excellence of getting the successful runner, as Melissa Riggins gained the Gold Race with a time of 19:34.8. She separated from Elon’s Katie Blount and Villanova’s Margaret Caroll within the last stretch, ending at 19:37.1 and 19:38.3, respectively.

Lehigh’s high finisher was Kaitlyn Highduch, who positioned 59th general. The sophomore’s 20:53.6 end was not only a huge 40-second private greatest, but it surely additionally vaulted her to fourth on Lehigh’s Goodman Cross Country Course all-time document checklist. 

Junior Grace Hughes secured second for Lehigh, inserting 73rd general. She set a brand new private greatest by over a minute, working 21:03.7, which gave her the seventh place spot on Lehigh’s Goodman Cross Country Course all-time document checklist. Senior Lucy Afanasewicz was the third Mountain Hawk to complete, she positioned 183rd and completed at 21:47.7. 

Junior Devon Sutton (219th) and first-year Grace Trimmer (224th) have been the subsequent two to complete. They each lowered their private bests to 22:06.8 and 22:09.5, respectively. Sophomore Kaya Meler (253rd) and first-year Zoë Louis (260th) rounded out the scoring seven for Lehigh, ending 22:30.6 and 22:34.9, respectively. 

Elizabeth Jenulis led the pack for the Mountain Hawks within the open race. Her time of twenty-two:48.1 was good for 82nd general and a brand new private greatest. First-year Mallory Sherrer was the subsequent Lehigh finisher. She lowered her greatest 6k time by over a minute to 23:15.6, and positioned a hundred and thirtieth general. Junior Aurora Wilson completed third for Lehigh and in 202nd place general. Wilson’s time of 23:52.3 was an enormous season greatest for her. First-year Katelyn Nolan (229th) and sophomore Chloe Brown (231st) completed collectively to spherical out Lehigh’s high 5 within the open race. They completed at 24:15.2 and 24:16.5, respectively.

“I am very cautiously optimistic for the end of the season with the women’s team,” head coach Debbie Utesch defined. “We had some women that had absolutely outstanding performances. If we get all of those women firing at the highest levels at the end of the season, we’re going to be a team to be reckoned with.”

The Mountain Hawks head to New Jersey for his or her subsequent occasion. They will race on the Princeton Fall Classic on Friday, October 18.