This is the third edition of the fall sports rankings from The Brown and White sports section. This list is the editors’ ranking of the seven varsity Lehigh fall sports based on record, strength of schedule and recent results. The last edition of the rankings can be read here.
1. Football (8-2, 5-0 Patriot)
The football team now has an eight-game winning streak, tied for fifth longest in program history. The team has been ranked No. 18 in the FCS Coaches Poll as it goes into its bye week. Dominick Bragalone is eighth in the FCS with 996 rushing yards, and Troy Pelletier (fourth) and Gatlin Casey (seventh) are both top 10 in the FCS for receiving yards. The Hawks head into their bye week before finishing the regular season in Easton against Lafayette, but they’ve already clinched an FCS playoff berth after clinching the Patriot League Championship last week.
2. Women’s soccer (11-5-2, 5-3-1 Patriot)
Despite a disappointing finish in the Patriot League Tournament losing in the first round to Lafayette in double overtime, the team remains in second place in the rankings for its great regular season record. Before that loss, the team had won three straight matches, including a 3-2 win over previously unbeaten Bucknell (which went on to win the league championship).
3. Women’s cross country +2
The team moves up two spots, primarily due to a second place finish in the Patriot League Championships last week. Maura Henderson finished fifth overall in the league championship race and continues to dominate for Lehigh. The team remains in 11th place in the Mid-Atlantic Region rankings with the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals coming on Friday.
4. Men’s cross country -1
The men’s cross country team moves down a spot after finishing in fourth place in the Patriot League Championships. The team is just barely below the women’s team in our rankings, because even though the men’s team faced tougher competition throughout the regular season and was more consistent, we could not discount the finishes in the league championships. The men’s team will also have its NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals on Friday.
5. Volleyball (13-15, 8-6 Patriot) -1
The volleyball team drops a place, coming off of a series of mixed results. The team suffered a three-game losing streak toward the end of its Patriot League play, losing to Navy, Bucknell and Colgate. However, it picked up its biggest win of the season in a huge 3-0 sweep over American, who at the time was 14-0 in the conference. Volleyball now sits fifth in the league with two matches left to try to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament.
6. Men’s soccer (7-10-1, 3-6 Patriot) +1
The men’s soccer team pushes past the field hockey team for the sixth spot in the rankings after winning three of its last five matches. However, the team lost 1-0 to Lafayette and 3-1 on senior night to American. Lehigh finished ninth in the Patriot League overall, only above Holy Cross, who the Hawks also lost to earlier in the season.
7. Field hockey (6-11, 2-4 Patriot) -1
The field hockey team rounds out the fall sports rankings by finishing with its 20th straight losing season in program history. The team finished in sixth place in the Patriot League of seven teams, losing three of its final four matches, including one to Lafayette. The team did, however, end the season with a 4-2 win over Brown and finished 6-4 at home on the year.
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