CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Lehigh and Navy split the four Patriot League M-F Athletic Cross Country Runner of the Week awards when the League office released honors on Tuesday.
Mountain Hawks’ senior Ashleigh Crawford received her first Patriot League M-F Athletic Female Runner of the Week honor after taking home the individual title at 6K Lehigh-Lafayette Dual Meet. Lehigh freshman Connor Melko earned M-F Athletic Male Rookie of the Week with a second-place finish at the 8K Lehigh-Lafayette race.
Navy senior Jake Brophy picked up his fourth career M-F Athletic Male Runner of the Week honor with a win in the four-team, 41-competitor Navy Invitational. Mids’ freshman Elizabeth Sullivan finished fifth in the 6K race to collect her third-consecutive rookie of the week honor.
American freshman Lauren Wagner, Army West Point freshman Jeremiah Rasmussen, Lehigh junior Brad DeMassa and Lafayette sophomore Autumn Sands all received an honorable mention for their performance last week.
LEHIGH DEFEATS LAFAYETTE IN DUAL MEET
The Lehigh women held off Lafayette, 16-46, in the 6K race on the Goodman Campus with the Mountain Hawks capturing the top four places. The Mountain Hawk men earned a 17-44 win against the Leopards by claiming six of the top seven spots in the race. Lehigh will host the 2019 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship on Friday, Nov. 15.
NAVY MEN WIN; WOMEN CLAIM SECOND AT NAVY INVITATIONAL
Brophy claimed the top spot and helped Navy win the team title at the 8K Navy Invitational. The Mids captured the top four spots to defeat second-place East Carolina, 16-51. The women’s team finished second behind the Pirates with Sullivan pacing the Mids in fourth place. Navy finished in front of UMBC and Millersville with 43 points.
AMERICAN FINISHES COMPETITION AT MASON INVITATIONAL
The Eagles were led by a pair of freshmen at the seven-team George Mason Invitational in Leesburg, Va. Wagner led the Eagles’ women finishing 18th in the 76-competitor 6K race. Russell Sullivan also placed 18th out of 74 runners in the 8K race.
ARMY WEST POINT WINS ARMY OPEN
Freshman Alexandra Gibbs placed first out of 13 teammates with a time of 20:29.4 at the 5.6K Army Open at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. On the men’s side, Rasmussen won the 7.6K race with a time of 24:34.2. The Black Knights captured the top five spots against Manhattan and Army Prep.
COLGATE COMPLETES YELLOWJACKET INVITATIONAL
Senior Vicky Martinez finished 11th overall to help Colgate claim eighth place at the Yellowjacket Invitational on Saturday. Martinez finished the 6K course in 22:57.2. On the men’s side, senior Ryan Curran and led the Raiders in 52nd place with an 8K time of 27:37.1.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC MALE CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Jake Brophy, Navy, Sr., New Hope, Pa./Central Bucks East
*Brophy, competing in his first meet of the season, finished first at the 41-competitor Navy Invitational with an 8K time of 24:40.0.
*The New Hope, Pa. native led the Mids to a first-place team finish with a score of 16 points in a field that included East Carolina, UMBC and McDaniel.
*He paced the field with an average mile time of 4:56.1.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC FEMALE CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Ashleigh Crawford, Lehigh, Sr., Tully, N.Y./Tully
*Crawford captured first place out of 33 competitors at the 6K Lehigh-Lafayette Dual Meet with a time of 21:59.80.
*The senior led the Mountain Hawks to a 16-46 team victory over their rival Leopards.
*She finished with an average mile pace of 5:53.8.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC MALE CROSS COUNTRY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Connor Melko, Lehigh, Fr., Mickleton, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep
*Melko placed second among the 26-competitor field at the 8K Lehigh-Lafayette Dual Meet with a time of 25:39.0.
*He helped Lehigh capture a 17-44 team victory over League rival Lafayette.
*Melko posted an average mile time of 5:09.6.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC FEMALE CROSS COUNTRY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Elizabeth Sullivan, Navy, Fr., Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth
*Sullivan led Navy, finishing fifth in the 65-runner field at the 6K Navy Invitational with a time of 22:59.10.
*The three-time rookie of the week helped the Mids to a second-place team finish with 43 points among a field that included East Carolina, UMBC and Millersville.
HONORABLE MENTION
Brad DeMassa, Lehigh, Jr., Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield
*DeMassa won the 8K Lehigh-Lafayette Dual Meet with a time of 25:34.20, leading the Mountain Hawks to a team victory, 17-44.
Jeremiah Rasmussen, Army West Point, Fr., Canyon County, Calif./William S. Hart
*Rasmussen won the 7.6K Army Open with a time of 24:34.2 among the field of 22 runners. The Black Knights won the team competition with 15 points.
Autumn Sands, Lafayette, So., Spring City, Pa./Owen J. Roberts
*Sands was Lafayette’s top finisher, placing fifth overall at the 6K Lehigh-Lafayette Dual Meet with a time of 22:23.3.
Lauren Wagner, American, Fr., Califon, N.J./Voorhees
*Wagner paced the Eagles at the 5K George Mason Invitational with a time of 19:16.20, placing 18th overall.
Male Runner of the Week
9.3 – Nathan Galloway, Loyola Maryland
9.10 – Paul Luevano, Boston University
9.17 – Jake Brophy, Navy
Female Runner of the Week
9.3 – Ashley Blair, Bucknell
9.10 – Abigail Gugel, Boston University
9.17 – Ashleigh Crawford, Lehigh
Male Rookie of the Week
9.3 – Alex Rizzo, Navy
9.10 – Foster Malleck, Boston University
9.17 – Connor Melko, Lehigh
Female Rookie of the Week
9.3 – Elizabeth Sullivan, Navy
9.10 – Elizabeth Sullivan, Navy
9.17 – Elizabeth Sullivan, Navy
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.