Lehigh Finishes Its Season Ending within the High Half of the Discipline on the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh hosted the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course on Friday afternoon. As a staff, the Mountain Hawks positioned fifteenth general out of 30 whole groups, scoring 398 factors. West Virginia took house each the staff and particular person crowns on the ladies’s aspect. They received the meet with 56 whole factors with Mountaineers Joy Naukot and Mercy Kinyanjui taking house the highest two spots, each underneath the earlier Goodman Campus Cross Country Course 6k document.

The duo of sophomore Kaitlyn Highduch and junior Grace Hughes as soon as once more led the sector of Mountain Hawks. Highduch led the 2 in 51st place, operating 21:12.5. Hughes was not too far behind in 67th, and she or he completed in 21:27.9.

Senior Lucy Afanasewicz completed third for Lehigh in her closing collegiate cross nation race. This was her twelfth straight look in Lehigh’s prime three runners, going all the way in which again to her sophomore yr. Afanasewicz completed her illustrious profession with a 79th place end in a time of 21:43.5.

“Lucy [Afanasewicz] has had a great career,” head coach Debbie Utesch praised. “She’s been in the top three her entire career here for four years. Then to see Kaitlyn [Highduch] be able to run really well up front. Grace Hughes took a chance early and it stung her a little bit, but it put a really nice bow on what has been a fabulous season.”

Sisters Hope and Grace Trimmer had been the subsequent two Mountain Hawks to complete. Hope capped off the season with a brand new private finest time. The junior ran 22:02.3, inserting one hundred and first. Grace ended her first collegiate season with a 118th place end, crossing the road at 22:21.5.

“Hope Trimmer over the course of the last two races has kind of taken out some demons on her home course and has those beat in the rearview mirror,” Utesch defined. 

The closing two Lehigh runners had been junior Devon Sutton and first-year Zoë Louis. Sutton ended her season operating 22:47.9 to position 144th. Louis accomplished the ultimate race of her first season in 22:54.2, inserting 154th.

“Out of the seven women we ran, we had two first-years and then we had Devon Sutton, that’s really finishing her first full year of cross country,” Utesch mentioned. “Just about half our squad were first timers out there, which is a great opportunity for them to see this level of competition. We were really fortunate to have a front trio of women that are now all in our top-ten all-time list on this course. What a great opportunity for these women that are coming back to keep chasing both those times on our course, but also the level of performance that those women have been able to set an example of how to compete at this level.”

The Mountain Hawks now flip their consideration in the direction of the indoor monitor season.