Lehigh softball leapfrogs into first place for final edition of spring rankings

1. Softball (30-16, 14-1 Patriot) +1

Stellar Patriot League play is the biggest reason behind the softball team’s rise to the top. The Mountain Hawks are first in the conference and have already clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament, needing only one more win to secure home-field advantaget. Its last loss was nearly a month ago to Fordham University on April 12, and it has won 17 of its past 18 games. Pitchers Christine Campbell and Emily Sorem have played particularly well this season and own the two lowest ERAs in the Patriot League at 1.94 and 2.02, respectively.

2. Women’s lacrosse (12-5, 6-3 Patriot) -1

After topping the rankings in April, the women’s lacrosse team still finds itself among the best sports teams at Lehigh. A 4-2 record in April propelled the Mountain Hawks to No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament where they are getting ready to face No. 2 seed Navy in the semifinals after defeating No. 6 seed Bucknell University 15-5 on Tuesday. The team’s success this season has largely stemmed from its defense, which ranks second in the Patriot League in goals against per game and first in caused turnovers per game. On the other side of the ball, senior attacker Allison LaBeau leads all Patriot League players in points per game with 5.24.

3. Women’s track and field +2

The women’s track and field team found success at the Penn Relays and the Lehigh Games this weekend and now finds itself third in the spring sports rankings. According to the latest USTFCCCA rankings, Lehigh has the second-highest point total of all Patriot League schools and is ranked 92^nd nationally. The Mountain Hawks will be competing in the Patriot League Championships on Friday and Saturday at Goodman Campus as they look to continue their success.

4. Women’s tennis (10-9, 4-3 Patriot) -1

Despite finishing its season winning five of its last seven matches, the women’s tennis team wasn’t able to translate that into postseason glory. It beat No. 5 seed Colgate University in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament before falling to No. 1 seed Army in the semifinals. The Mountain Hawks did lose two of their last three Patriot League matchups but only moved down one spot since last month’s edition.

5. Men’s track and field -1

During the time you’ve spent reading this, Lucas Warning just broke another record. OK, not actually, but that’s how good he’s been. The men’s team also did well at the recent Penn Relays and Lehigh Games, but it’s just a little behind the women’s team according to the rankings referenced earlier. The team ranks 131^st in the country and third in the Patriot League, one spot behind Navy.

6. Women’s golf +3

The women’s golf team’s only competition since the last edition was the Patriot League Championships. With the added benefit of hosting the event, the team finished third out of six teams. It entered the second day of the championship tied for third but couldn’t move up in the standings despite shooting the lowest score of any team. The tournament was highlighted by two hole-in-ones on the fifth hole Sunday, the first by sophomore Reagan Jahn and the second by senior Elizabeth McGarrigle.

7. Men’s lacrosse (7-7, 4-4 Patriot) -1

Wins over No. 16/18 Boston University and No. 13/14 Princeton University were impressive, but the fact is this team struggled for consistency all season. The Mountain Hawks alternated wins and losses in their final 10 games of the season to finish with the sixth seed in the Patriot League Tournament. That meant they had to travel to Boston to take on the third-seeded Terriers, where they lost 10-4 to end their season. There is hope for the future though, as two sophomore attackmen, Andrew Pettit and Tristan Rai, finished in the top 10 in the Patriot League in points per game, with Pettit leading the conference in goals per game.

8. Men’s tennis (7-14, 5-2 Patriot) -1

The team’s overall record didn’t exactly inspire confidence, but it got the results when it needed to, finishing with the third-best record in the Patriot League. That earned it the third seed for the Patriot League Tournament and a home match against sixth-seeded Bucknell. The Mountain Hawks were upset by the Bison though, losing 4-3 in a closely-fought match. Like the men’s lacrosse team, men’s tennis will also be returning some of its top athletes next season, including its top three singles players from the tournament: sophomore George Cooper, junior Jack Petersen and freshman Jack Martin-Dyer.

9. Women’s rowing +1

Since a disappointing performance in the Murphy Cup, the women’s rowing team has had a series of solid results. Lehigh placed three of its boats in the finals at the Kerr Cup on April 15, with the varsity eight finishing second in its heat to make the grand finals. The second varsity eight experienced similar success, finishing fourth in its heat before winning the petite finals. In the team’s two races since then, the varsity eight defeated Mercyhurst University, and every boat got a win against Holy Cross. The team wraps up its season at the Patriot League Championships on May 12.

10. Men’s golf -1

Like the women’s team, the men’s golf team hasn’t had much competition since the last edition of these rankings. It defeated Lafayette on April 26 before moving on to the Patriot League Championship on April 29 and 30. After ending the first day of competition in seventh place of eight teams, the Mountain Hawks bounced back Sunday to finish fifth. Freshman Ryan Kelly received the Patriot League Rookie of the Year award for his play throughout the season and was also awarded first team All-Patriot League honors.

11. Baseball (21-26, 8-12)

The baseball team managed to win six of its last eight games against Patriot League competition, but it wasn’t enough to overcome its slow start in conference play. The team will miss out on postseason play for the first time since 2013, finishing two games behind Army and Bucknell for the final spot in the Patriot League Tournament. Throughout the entire season, the team has feasted on weak opposition, winning 14 of its 21 games against teams with a lower RPI than its own. Lehigh is currently 283^rd in the RPI Rankings out of 299 teams, ahead of only Lafayette in the Patriot League.