The track and field team headed to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to take on Lehigh University in a dual rivalry meet on Saturday. Despite strong performances on both sides, both the men’s and women’s teams failed to snap their 16-year losing streak against the Mountain Hawks.
On the men’s side, the Leopards came up just short, falling to the Mountain Hawks 96-89.
“As a team, we did amazing,” freshman Kaseme Leckie said. “We definitely showed Lehigh we’re here to stand on business.”
Leckie tied his personal best 60-meter dash, securing a first-place finish in the event with a time of 6.90.
“I’m really happy and glad that this is where my pace level is, and I know there’s room for improvement,” he said. “I’m excited to see what I can do.”
In addition to Leckie, sophomore John Liedtka earned a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.28.
“I guess the rivalry brought out the best in me, and I ended up running a pretty big PR,” Liedtka said. “I was just really happy overall with the performance.”
Despite the individual successes, Liedtka said he was focused on continuing to narrow the gap against Lehigh.
“As close as we were, we were unable to get there, unfortunately,” Liedtka said. “Looking to the outdoor season, I think we have just as good, if not a better, chance to beat Lehigh.”
On the women’s side, the Leopards fell 102-79. Sophomore Ida Moczerniuk took home a school record in the 60-meter dash, surpassing a 7.48 record she set earlier this season.
“I’ve been running pretty consistently around 7.5, and I’ve been really looking forward to breaking that 7.5 barrier,” Moczerniuk said.
“I got into the track, and I was like, ‘I’m gonna do this. I’m done running 7.5,’” she continued.
Senior Nava Chevan continued her record-setting season, winning the 500-meter with a 1:14.61 time, good for a personal best.
“It was a really strategic race for me to run that event, even though it’s not my strongest event,” she said.
Chevan attributed her individual success to working with her coaches, particularly assistant coach Anthony Dentino, and said that she was looking forward to gearing up for the Patriot League Championships.
“Now that we’re past Laf-Lehigh, we’re really trying to prepare for that meet,” Chevan said of Leagues. “I think the performances that we compete leading up to that meet in the next two or three meets will really be indicative of what we can do.”
Moczerniuk said she was looking forward to the next chance at revenge against the Mountain Hawks.
“We all believe that we are the closest we’ve ever been to beating them, and they’re scared of us,” Moczerniuk said. “We were really close and we’re moving in the right direction, and Leagues is the next chance to show it.”
Next up for the Leopards is a pair of meets in Staten Island, New York, in the Fast Track Invite and the Big Apple Invitational.
