Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Encyclopedia
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are the athletic teams representing Lehigh University
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The Hawks participate in NCAA
Division I competition as a member of the Patriot League
. In football
, Lehigh competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), still frequently known by its former designation of Division I-AA.
Lehigh's athletic teams were known as the Engineers up until the 1995-1996 academic year. Contrary to popular belief, this name was a reference to the Lehigh Railroad, not to the school's academic engineering program. However, it is most likely this very "popular belief" that prompted a name change in the first place. The perception of Lehigh being in any way bias towards its P.C. Rossin College of Engineering was certainly something that needed to be addressed, especially because the university prides itself on having a well rounded, liberal arts education that all students enjoy. As a result, during the school's 1988 appearance in the Men's NCAA basketball tournament, TV commentators were encouraged to refer to the school by its colors, Brown and White.
Until 1995, the team used a logo of a train locomotive with an "L" on the front. In November 1995, the school introduced the Mountain Hawk as a mascot replacing the "L train", which stemmed from a popular, student-based movement to come up with a suitable mascot; the Mountain Hawk was officially voted in as the new mascot by the Lehigh Student Senate soon after. Controversy arose the following year, when the school's nickname was changed to the Mountain Hawks. Many alumni and students, including various members of Lehigh's Marching 97, still object, though the school's athletes were cited as being strong supporters of this change. The school still lists all three nicknames (Engineers, Brown & White, and Mountain Hawks) in its media guides.
In November 2008, just before the 144th game against Lafayette, the mascot was given the name "Clutch." The name was chosen after a long contest of name suggestions and voting.
Lehigh is especially known for its football rivalry with Lafayette College
, the most frequently-played matchup in college football
history.
(men) and softball
(women), having won both Patriot League
titles in 2006 and advancing to the NCAA playoffs.
. The men's and women's teams both won the Patriot League championship in 2010. The Men's team went on to the NCAA Tournament
, losing in the first round to top-ranked University of Kansas
.
Lehigh is also part of the most played rivalry in college football. The Mountain Hawks have met the Lafayette Leopards 146 times. Lafayette leads the all-time series 76-65-5. The game is traditionally played on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Football games are well-attended at Lehigh's Goodman Stadium
which has been voted the best place to watch a Patriot League
football game for the past six years. Tailgate parties are a big part of the experience, attracting many students and alumni who attend the games.
The Women's team was Patriot League co-champion in 2005 and is coached by Manny Oudin
.
team competes in the EIWA
. Lehigh has a strong tradition in wrestling, and often wins the league and places in the top 10 at the NCAA championships. Lehigh is considered one of the best private schools in the country for wrestling, having had 26 national NCAA individual champions and 121 All Americans. Its last national champion was Zach Rey.
Lehigh graduates coach wrestling at many institutions including Jason Kutz (1998), head wrestling coach at East Stroudsburg University; Chris Ayres (1999), head wrestling coach at Princeton University; Cory Cooperman (2006), assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University; Troy Letters (2006) and Derek Zinck (2006), assistant wrestling coaches at Princeton University.
In 2006, the Lehigh wrestling team marked their fifth straight EIWA championship. The current head coach is Pat Santoro and the team's home in Grace Hall is often referred to as "The Snakepit".
team competes in the seven-team Patriot League
. The Mountain Hawks have a strong tradition in lacrosse, though they have not appeared in any of the present NCAA championships
since its formation in 1971. Lehigh has accumulated seven national lacrosse titles under the former USILA national title format and strongly contributed to the growth of lacrosse in Pennsylvania
.
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Hawks participate in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I competition as a member of the Patriot League
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I) for a number of sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision...
. In football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, Lehigh competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), still frequently known by its former designation of Division I-AA.
Lehigh's athletic teams were known as the Engineers up until the 1995-1996 academic year. Contrary to popular belief, this name was a reference to the Lehigh Railroad, not to the school's academic engineering program. However, it is most likely this very "popular belief" that prompted a name change in the first place. The perception of Lehigh being in any way bias towards its P.C. Rossin College of Engineering was certainly something that needed to be addressed, especially because the university prides itself on having a well rounded, liberal arts education that all students enjoy. As a result, during the school's 1988 appearance in the Men's NCAA basketball tournament, TV commentators were encouraged to refer to the school by its colors, Brown and White.
Until 1995, the team used a logo of a train locomotive with an "L" on the front. In November 1995, the school introduced the Mountain Hawk as a mascot replacing the "L train", which stemmed from a popular, student-based movement to come up with a suitable mascot; the Mountain Hawk was officially voted in as the new mascot by the Lehigh Student Senate soon after. Controversy arose the following year, when the school's nickname was changed to the Mountain Hawks. Many alumni and students, including various members of Lehigh's Marching 97, still object, though the school's athletes were cited as being strong supporters of this change. The school still lists all three nicknames (Engineers, Brown & White, and Mountain Hawks) in its media guides.
In November 2008, just before the 144th game against Lafayette, the mascot was given the name "Clutch." The name was chosen after a long contest of name suggestions and voting.
Lehigh is especially known for its football rivalry with Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
, the most frequently-played matchup in college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
history.
Baseball and softball
Lehigh has very successful programs in both baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
(men) and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
(women), having won both Patriot League
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I) for a number of sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision...
titles in 2006 and advancing to the NCAA playoffs.
Basketball
Lehigh is also competitive in men's and women's basketball. Both teams play in Stabler ArenaStabler Arena
Stabler Arena is Lehigh University's 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, located on its Goodman Campus in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States...
. The men's and women's teams both won the Patriot League championship in 2010. The Men's team went on to the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, losing in the first round to top-ranked University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
.
Football
The varsity football team competes at the Division I FCS level. Lehigh is a highly respected FCS program with a rich tradition. Lehigh won the 1977 Division II National Championship by defeating Jacksonville State 33-0 in the Pioneer Bowl. The Engineers were 1980 1-AA National Runners-up after falling to Eastern Kentucky in the title game. Lehigh has nine Patriot League Championships, which is the most amongst league members. The program has also enjoyed seven FCS playoff appearances: 1980, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2010.Lehigh is also part of the most played rivalry in college football. The Mountain Hawks have met the Lafayette Leopards 146 times. Lafayette leads the all-time series 76-65-5. The game is traditionally played on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Football games are well-attended at Lehigh's Goodman Stadium
Goodman Stadium
Goodman Stadium is Lehigh University's 16,000-seat stadium located on its Goodman Campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1988, replacing Taylor Stadium, which stood in the main academic campus from 1914 until 1987...
which has been voted the best place to watch a Patriot League
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I) for a number of sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision...
football game for the past six years. Tailgate parties are a big part of the experience, attracting many students and alumni who attend the games.
Soccer
Both the men's and women's teams are highly competitive. The 2006 Men's team had a 15-2-3 overall record and became the first Patriot League team to go a perfect 7-0 in league play. They advanced to the third round of the NCAA play-offs before losing to the number one seed.The Women's team was Patriot League co-champion in 2005 and is coached by Manny Oudin
Manny Oudin
Manny Oudin is the former head soccer coach of the Lehigh University women's soccer team. Oudin finished his career at Lehigh after six seasons ending in 2009. He previously had an extensive playing and coaching career both at the collegiate and professional levels...
.
Wrestling
Lehigh's wrestlingCollegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
team competes in the EIWA
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association
The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association is an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling conference. It has been active since 1905 and has had a variety of schools as members throughout its tenure.-Current members:*American University...
. Lehigh has a strong tradition in wrestling, and often wins the league and places in the top 10 at the NCAA championships. Lehigh is considered one of the best private schools in the country for wrestling, having had 26 national NCAA individual champions and 121 All Americans. Its last national champion was Zach Rey.
Lehigh graduates coach wrestling at many institutions including Jason Kutz (1998), head wrestling coach at East Stroudsburg University; Chris Ayres (1999), head wrestling coach at Princeton University; Cory Cooperman (2006), assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University; Troy Letters (2006) and Derek Zinck (2006), assistant wrestling coaches at Princeton University.
In 2006, the Lehigh wrestling team marked their fifth straight EIWA championship. The current head coach is Pat Santoro and the team's home in Grace Hall is often referred to as "The Snakepit".
Lacrosse
Lehigh's lacrosseCollege lacrosse
College lacrosse refers to lacrosse played by student athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played in both the varsity and club levels...
team competes in the seven-team Patriot League
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I) for a number of sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision...
. The Mountain Hawks have a strong tradition in lacrosse, though they have not appeared in any of the present NCAA championships
NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III....
since its formation in 1971. Lehigh has accumulated seven national lacrosse titles under the former USILA national title format and strongly contributed to the growth of lacrosse in Pennsylvania
Lacrosse in Pennsylvania
Lacrosse has been played in Pennsylvania since the 19th century. Today, there are many respected amateur programs at the club, college and high school level, as well as several respected past and present professional teams at the National Lacrosse League and Major League Lacrosse ...
.