Kelly McCoy/B&W Staff
Here is the second edition of our spring sport rankings. Most sports have seen their season come to a close, but there has still been plenty of activity among Lehigh’s teams. This list ranks the 11 varsity Lehigh spring sports based on record, strength of schedule and recent results.
1. Softball (35-14, 13-4 Patriot)
The top dog on Lehigh’s campus stays at No 1. in our rankings despite having an average week after going 2-2 in Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks were the victims of a walk-off in a 3-2 game to Bucknell University, but came back with one of their own in the 10th inning against College of the Holy Cross on Saturday.
2. Women’s lacrosse (13-5, 6-3 Patriot)
Entering the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 4 seed, the women’s lacrosse team drew a first round matchup against No. 5 seed Colgate University. Allison LaBeau and Lauren Beausoleil combined for an impressive seven goals and five assists in the 13-6 quarterfinal win. However, the effort against No. 1 seed Loyola University (Maryland) was not enough to move on, and the 13-8 loss in the semifinals eliminated the Mountain Hawks from contention.
3. Men’s tennis (15-6, 5-3 Patriot)
The men’s tennis team was eliminated in the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament by Navy after entering as the No. 5 seed. The Mountain Hawks will be losing No. 1 singles player senior Jeremy Kochman, but will also have the opportunity to get all of their players healthy in time for next year.
4. Women’s track and field +2
The team competed in the Patriot League Championships this week and had a fantastic result, finishing third out of 10. In fact, the 148.5 points that Lehigh scored may have placed even higher if the competition was not so strong. Senior Gabrielle Wardle was a big reason for the team’s success, winning three titles and adding a runner-up. She was also named the Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet.
5. Women’s tennis (9-9, 4-4 Patriot) -1
Though the team had a disappointing 4-2 loss to Bucknell in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament, it will look to improve next year as it returns all members of the team (it had no seniors). Look for freshman Grace Lin to be an increased asset next year.
6. Men’s lacrosse (6-9, 4-4 Patriot) +1
After a strong start to the season by freshman Tristan Rai, the league was able to slow him down and the Mountain Hawks eventually exited the Patriot League Tournament early with a 13-6 loss against No. 4 seed Army West Point. However, Army’s win against No. 1 seed Navy in the following round proves that the Mountain Hawks did not go out to an easy team.
7. Baseball (24-27, 9-10 Patriot) +1
With three wins in the past week, the team will hope to continue its momentum as it faces Holy Cross in the Patriot League semifinals. Though the Mountain Hawks have struggled this year, they will have a chance to try to repeat their championship win from last season as the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
8. Men’s golf -3
Though the team will graduate just David Olexson, the only senior on the team, it will still be disappointed with the way this season came to a close. It earned just sixth place out of eight teams in the Patriot League Championship only beating Colgate and Holy Cross.
9. Women’s golf
A third place result in the Patriot League tournament will mask what was a difficult season for the team. However, freshman Aileen Jeong was a bright spot, being named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and getting selected to the first team all-league team.
10. Men’s track and field
The team finished fifth out of nine at the Patriot League Championships, but had some positives to build on, especially from sophomore Trevor Knowles. He set a league championship meet record with a score of 7,001 points in the decathlon, which was also a Lehigh record.
11. Women’s rowing
The team finishes the list for the second week straight, but will have a chance to move up as it will head to Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, to compete in the Patriot League Championship on May 13.
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The rankings were determined as a group by the sports editors of The Brown and White and are their opinion, not a statement of fact.
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