WVU Takes Third at Lehigh
August 30, 2019 08:48 PM | Cross Country
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Redshirt senior Olivia Hill and redshirt sophomore Marianne Abdalah led the way as the West Virginia University cross country team took third place at the Lehigh Invitational on Friday night in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Hill took second after finishing in 21:57.36, closely followed by Abdalah, who crossed the finish line in fourth place (22:18.23), the top finish of her collegiate career.
A trio of redshirt freshmen made their Mountaineer debuts in a gold and blue uniform on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course as Malina Mitchell took 11th (22:51.27), followed by Peyton Kukura (25th – 23:31.25) and Amber Dombrowski (31st – 24:10.07).
"That was a hot one," head coach Sean Cleary said. "Racing in 80-plus temperatures provided an interesting racing environment. I am very pleased with the five that we lined up today. We had a fifth-year senior, a sophomore and three redshirt freshmen running their first race at WVU.
"We had three lifetime-best times out of five, and we're leaving with the experience needed for the entire team when we return to Lehigh in November for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships."
WVU tallied 68 points as a team to earn third place, topped by host Lehigh in first with 57 points and La Salle in second place with 58 points. Temple (83), Rutgers (91), Moravian (144) and NJIT (193) rounded out the team standings.
The field at Lehigh featured 68 runners representing eight schools.
Friday's race marked the Mountaineers' fifth visit to Lehigh since 2009. The team has competed in the Lehigh Invitational three times, including season-opening victories in 2014 and 2017.
After a week's hiatus, the Mountaineers will visit Penn State for the Spiked Shoe Invitational in University Park, Pa., on Friday, Sept. 13th. Friday's 6k race is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Hill took second after finishing in 21:57.36, closely followed by Abdalah, who crossed the finish line in fourth place (22:18.23), the top finish of her collegiate career.
A trio of redshirt freshmen made their Mountaineer debuts in a gold and blue uniform on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course as Malina Mitchell took 11th (22:51.27), followed by Peyton Kukura (25th – 23:31.25) and Amber Dombrowski (31st – 24:10.07).
"That was a hot one," head coach Sean Cleary said. "Racing in 80-plus temperatures provided an interesting racing environment. I am very pleased with the five that we lined up today. We had a fifth-year senior, a sophomore and three redshirt freshmen running their first race at WVU.
"We had three lifetime-best times out of five, and we're leaving with the experience needed for the entire team when we return to Lehigh in November for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships."
WVU tallied 68 points as a team to earn third place, topped by host Lehigh in first with 57 points and La Salle in second place with 58 points. Temple (83), Rutgers (91), Moravian (144) and NJIT (193) rounded out the team standings.
The field at Lehigh featured 68 runners representing eight schools.
Friday's race marked the Mountaineers' fifth visit to Lehigh since 2009. The team has competed in the Lehigh Invitational three times, including season-opening victories in 2014 and 2017.
After a week's hiatus, the Mountaineers will visit Penn State for the Spiked Shoe Invitational in University Park, Pa., on Friday, Sept. 13th. Friday's 6k race is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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